So those that know me, know that my XboxLive and Nintendo ID are both PotsyBlueNGold, as I am a diehard Notre Dame Fighting Irish fan when it comes to college football. As we roll into the final week of the college football "regular season," Notre Dame finds themselves in a precarious spot, on top of the BCS standings after beginning the year unranked.
It wasn't easy, but the chips fell into place, the "Luck of the Irish" ran itself rampant, and the Irish have one more "trap" game before what is seemingly destiny.
Led by seniors Manti T'eo, Kapron Lewis-Moore, Zeke Motta and Tyler Eifert, this team, and these players saw the school rise from a dismal 3-9 season (each were being recruited at that time), to what is now a miracle in the making, 11-0. T'eo, originally a USC commit, pulled an eleventh hour switch, committing to Notre Dame, after admitting he'd never been so cold in his life while visiting (he is Hawaiian, after all). As these players watched the "strategic advantage" of Charlie Weis fail, they all saw something on the horizon, with Brian Kelly taking the reigns three years ago, after a 6-6 Irish chose not to go bowling.
While part of me wonders what would have happened had Jimmy Clausen and Golden Tate stayed for a year under Kelly, it is now apparent, the team didn't need them, even though we may have wanted them back.
This year, it started differently. In Ireland, an "away" game for the Fighting Irish, they demolished Navy, showing that the triple option was not going to be something to slow them down. We all thought Notre Dame's front seven on Defense were going to be good, but what about the young and inexperienced secondary? With their best corner out for the season, the freshman phenom Tee Shepard leaving the team for undisclosed reasons, and a bunch of guys that had played running back in highschool in the secondary, Notre Dame looked to have a serious chink in their defensive armor, but, in light of all that, it hasn't been.
It's a good day to be a fan for Notre Dame, a great day to be a fan of Manti T'eo, and it isn't just now, the future looks bright, as the recruitng class is currently ranked #2 in the country. While I'll miss the players we lose, I look forward to watching "the next man in," that BK has brought to ND.
Notre Dame is tied for the best defense in the country in points allowed, 111 in 11 games, and you have to look back to the early 80's to see a defense put together that well.
Other teams are good, but here in lies the question, why do people stil put Alabama over Notre Dame in their coaches polls. Okay, Nick Saban, I am looking at you, and that one other coach that decided that your team is still better than the Irish. Georgia, you did it, too, and you have your toughest game still ahead, but don't they all? Notre Dame faces the ultimate TRAP, a Matt Barkley-less USC Trojans that want to play spoiler after their season was derailed in what was deemed early on as "their year." They have no championship to play for, so this IS their championship. Alabama and Georgia still have to play each other after games that don't matter for the SEC, but I digress.
Notre Dame has faced 4 teams in the top-25 this year, and beaten them. Michigan State was #10, Michigan was #18, Stanford was #17 and Oklahoma was #8, and they have faced NO FCS teams, unlike ALL of their top 5 rivals.
I am a homer, I follow my team. Unlike the fairweathers that have jumped on the bandwagon during this great year, I have watched as they were at their worst, I have followed as I thought they'd improve
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