Matt Cashore-US PRESSWIRE

As the Notre Dame game time approaches, and the “line” falls from seven to six to five in favor of the Irish, it appears that Vegas is as nervous about this game as I am. But when it’s 11-0 Notre Dame vs. 7-4 USC, how can this be?

Unlike myself, Las Vegas doesn’t take history into consideration, so games like the 1964 contest when the #1, undefeated Irish, traveled to Southern California to take on the unranked Trojans, only to lose 20-17, doesn’t alter the spread a wit, or a (Max) Wittek as the case may be. So what is the problem?

On offense, the balanced but not-so-explosive Irish have been averaging a shade over 27 points a game, and there’s no reason to believe they will score much fewer—or much more—against an athletic-but-average USC “D.” So it all comes down to whether the Trojans can score more than that against Notre Dame…

On the surface, it looks like no contest. The Irish give up some yards but few big plays, and are tied for the best in the country for scoring defense. To have a chance, the Irish force their opponents to maintain a disciplined dink and dunk approach all the way down the field, and the Trojans, by averaging over eight-and-a-half penalties a game, are second to last in the FBS in this type of discipline.

Furthermore, although Curtis McNeal was able to run over the Irish last season, the Notre Dame run defense is now ranked fifth in the country, so the Trojans must throw to have any chance tonight.

And normally, USC throwing is not such a bad thing, for the Trojans not only still have wide receiver Robert Woods, who burned the Irish with 12 catches last season, but the vastly-improved Marqise Lee, the nation’s leader in both yardage (1,605) and catches (107). But with stellar starter Matt Barkley benched by injury, who will get them the ball?

Enter Max Wittek. The fact that this redshirt freshman is making his first start against the #1 ranked Irish doesn’t phase him a bit, as he predicted victory earlier this week. Meanwhile, his legend grows quickly, as the coaches rave that Wittek is magnificent in practice, while LA Times writer Bill Plaschke seconds Wittek’s winning prediction based on his 19 out of 20 completions during, of all things, a fundraising dinner.

In real life games, Wittek has completed eight of nine passes as Barkley’s back-up.

But those have come during mop-up time, and the only mop-up Manti Te’o and friends have allowed this year is when trainers are mopping up their opponents’ blood from the turf. Still, if ever there was a throw-caution-to-the-wind character in college football, it’s young Wittek, so the Irish would do well to put this nothing-to-lose and everything-to-win redshirt on the ground early.

Prediction: As long as USC continues to recruit athletes who are professional prospects but academic suspects, they will continue to compete—and, later, get caught. They always are home to a quarterback with a golden arm and some alumnus with a golden touch, while Notre Dame humbly counters with the Lady on the Golden Dome. Wittek will make some plays, but not enough to derail another legendary Notre Dame season.

Final score: Notre Dame 27, USC 24.

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Kirby Lee-US PRESSWIRE

Although Notre Dame did not exactly take kindly to USC‘s new starting quarterback Max Wittek’s prediction that the Trojans would beat the Irish, word out of South Bend as the team boarded the last plane for the coast is that they are far more offended by the Trojans’ assertion last year that Notre Dame quit.

It started with the comments by USC linebacker Chris Galippo shortly after last year’s 31-17 Irish loss to the Trojans in South Bend.

“At the end there, when they didn’t call those timeouts, they just quit,” Galippo sneered after the game. “And that’s what Notre Dame football’s about. They’re not anything like USC.”

Of course, USC coach Lane Kiffin later got Galippo to issue one of those half-hearted apologies, but the insults of ND didn’t end there, as Trojan running back Marc Tyler then added fuel to Irish ire.

“That’s what happens when you beat them down,” Tyler concurred. “We wore them out. They didn’t want to play no more. We out-physicaled them and beat them down.”

Again, the dust could have settled that Saturday, but none other than USC QB Matt Barkley resurrected it in a radio interview that Monday.

“I would agree with [Galippo and Tyler],” Barkley said during an interview with Max Kellerman and Marcellus Wiley on 710 ESPN. “I was shocked that they didn’t use the [fourth-quarter] timeouts because we got on the field with … about seven minutes left, and I thought they were planning on stopping us and saving their timeouts for the end when they had the ball.”

“It seemed from our sideline and our perspective that they did give up. It seemed uncharacteristic of Notre Dame. I wouldn’t have wanted to have been on that sideline.”

In fairness, there may be some justification for the Trojans’ gut reaction. USC, leading 31-17, took possession with 6:43 left and Curtis McNeal ran it ten consecutive times, getting all the way to the Notre Dame two-yard line before time expired.

Notre Dame coach, Brian Kelly, never did use his timeouts, later explaining he was set to do so if the Irish stopped McNeal on either of his first two third-down runs. But when McNeal made a first down on both plays, Kelly left the timeouts in his pocket, and the game was over.

Of course, it is one thing to question Kelly’s end game coaching skill, but quite another to mock the Irish player’s will…something Manti Te’o and company will surely remember when they take the field today.

Of course, in one sense, Mr. Galippo is right. Notre Dame football isn’t anything like USC football. The Irish play (and live) with class, a class they will show even as they knock each Trojan on his ass—and then help them up—during Notre Dame’s decisive “Saturday Night Special” victory.

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Matt Cashore-US PRESSWIRE

Besides the obvious fact that Notre Dame must beat USC to get to the National Championship game, there is another epic reason why the Irish must defeat the Trojans tomorrow.

It would prove that Manti Te’o made the right choice in picking Notre Dame over Southern Cal.

You see, the Irish linebacker grew up a USC fan, watching USC win national titles in 2003 and 2004. Furthermore, Te’o was all set to commit to play under Pete Carroll at USC, but in the 11th hour, something changed.

“I was going to go to USC. Then I prayed about it and I was directed [to Notre Dame],” confirmed Te’o. “I think that was the only thing that could persuade me to come here. I was sold on USC…but I prayed about it and everything pointed this way.”

Te’o also admitted he felt better about his choice of Notre Dame when, shortly after settling on coming to South Bend, Carroll, the long-time Trojan head coach who had made a big pitch for Te’o, suddenly left Southern California for the NFL.

And shortly after Carroll skipped town, the NCAA caught up with the Trojan shenanigans, reducing the school’s scholarships and banning USC from bowl games for two seasons due to several Trojan players (including Heisman Trophy winner Reggie Bush) accepting illegal payments.

In normal years, I think Te’o, whose game thrives on integrity, would be happy enough with the knowledge that he got the chance to play on a clean college team rather than a dirty one. But this season, the stakes are higher, and I don’t believe Te’o feels his higher moral ground will be completely validated if the bad boys from Troy beat his Notre Dame “family.”

“You know, that’s the first time I’ve ever changed my brain over to think about it in those terms,” said Irish coach, Brian Kelly, this week when asked how he would defend Te’o if he’d gone to USC instead of Notre Dame. “Not a very comforting [thought]. I know he’s a pain in the butt when we go against him in the spring.”

Let’s pray that our man Te’o can be a “pain in the butt” to the Trojans that Kelly talked about. Because if Te’o and company put redshirt braggart Max Wittek on his butt enough Saturday, not only will Kelly never have to consider that not-comforting question again, but Te’o will never have to regret choosing the Midwestern morals of South Bend over the anything-goes values of Hotel (Southern) California.

Related: ‘The Irish Quit.’ Notre Dame’s Revenge vs. USC

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Matt Cashore-US PRESSWIRE

As a Notre Dame alumnus, writer, and fan, Thanksgiving 2012 certainly has provided a lot to be thankful for. The following are often overlooked:

The Return of Tyler Eifert and Manti Te’o

In some ways, they forsook the 2011 draft for different reasons; Eifert to improve his draft status, and Te’o to experience the “pure joy” of a senior season and Senior Day at Notre Dame. But they both dearly wanted one more chance to play (and win) for Notre Dame, and it has not only worked out great for them individually, (Eifert raising his draft status and Te’o becoming one of the all time great players and leaders for the Irish) but for the team, which certainly wouldn’t have been the same without them. Their choice to stay is a far cry from that of Jimmy Clausen and Golden Tate (who were practically pushed out by ex-Irish coach, Charlie Weis) and I can only hope it is a start of a trend.

The Irish Offensive Line

Always the unsung heroes of any successful team, the steady play of the rugged and experienced offensive line cannot be overlooked. Equally adept at pass protection and run blocking, the Irish line has allowed Kelly’s complex offense to flourish, and anyone who has watched the Chicago Bears this season (with their skilled position players but shaky O-line) knows that this is no easy task.

Although they do not get as much national recognition as the vaunted Notre Dame defense, they are just as important, and the senior leadership of Chris Watt, Mike Golic Jr., Zack Martin and Braxton Cave will surely be missed next season.

The “More Mellow” Brian Kelly

As the scandals (the football-related deaths of Declan Sullivan and Lizzy Seeberg) and losses mounted, the ill-tempered Coach Kelly made Irish fans fear for the worst. But his grasp of what it means to be a head coach at Notre Dame has grown, and his handling of the shared playing time of veteran Tommy Rees and inexperienced Everett Golson (not to mention Cierre Wood and Theo Riddick) has been nothing short of masterful. Kelly hasn’t won the National Championship in his third season (as five other Irish coaches did) yet—but he’s getting close…

Notre Dame’s Two “Number Ones”

No, the football season is not over yet, but there never has been a team in BCS history that is ranked number one both on and off the field as Notre Dame is now. With both the highest BCS ranking and highest player graduation rates, Notre Dame has lived up to the old adage of Coach Lou Holtz, who told players both on the field and in the classroom to not just “[d]o it, but do it right.” While it would be great to silence the critics who said that Notre Dame would never win the National Championship again, it is equally important that the Irish accomplish this not through scandal, but “smarts.”

Notre Dame’s Fans

From their loyal alumni to their rabid subway alumni rooters, nothing can compare to the Notre Dame fans. And the reason I believe their fans are the best is not only due to the alumni and subway alumni, but to the legions of heavenly Notre Dame fans as well.

If I am correct in considering that George Gipp, Knute Rockne and the rest have long been a vibrant part of the Notre Dame cheering section, then this year’s success could be largely attributed to the intercession of the new members of the Irish heavenly fan base, such as Te’o's grandmother, his girlfriend Lennay Kekua, and young fan Bridget “The Brave” Smith.

And of course, there’s the #1 Irish fan, Notre Dame Herself…

Related: Notre Dame Football: A Letter from Manti Te’o
Related: Manti Te’o to Play Saturday Despite Loss of Two Loved Ones

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Kirby Lee-US PRESSWIRE

Just when you thought it was safe for the Notre Dame Fighting Irish to travel to Southern California to take on the wounded Trojans, out pops “Mad” Max Wittek.

For the uninitiated, Wittek is the redshirt freshman, backup quarterback to beleaguered Southern California star Matt Barkley, who was named the starter for Saturday’s game against the Irish in lieu of Barkley’s shoulder injury.

Until yesterday, it appeared everything was going the Irish’s way regarding this rivalry, not only this week but all season. Whereas the Trojans started the season as number one with Barkley the odds-on Heisman favorite, Notre Dame came into this year unranked and without a Heisman candidate.

But those roles have been reversed, with the Irish now entering the Coliseum ranked number one with Manti Te’o a popular Heisman pick, and USC now unranked with Barkley’s Heisman hopes crushed by too many sacks and interceptions.

But just when you are about to count the Trojans down and out, here comes that cocky kid Wittek. Although he is the author of only nine passes this season, he strides into his first start predicting victory.

“We haven’t got the full game plan yet, but from what I can tell, we’re going to play our offense, whatever coach [Lane] Kiffin feels comfortable giving me,” says Wittek. “I’m going to go out there, I’m going to play within myself, within the system, and we’re going to win this ballgame.”

It’s nice to be confident, and as the third-rated quarterback recruit in the nation in 2010, there’s no doubt that Wittek has talent to match his bravado. But if USC coach, Lane Kiffin, calls it the “luck of the Irish” that Notre Dame “twice [comes] to the Coliseum with [Barkley] not playing in the game,” Kiffin will also live to regret the fact his back-up couldn’t keep quiet until after the game was over.

For if the Irish entered the game with luck, Wittek’s words insure that Notre Dame will be playing the game with fire.

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Matt Cashore-US Presswire

You keep blessing us Lord and we promise to make you proud and bring Glory to you!! #NDNation our time now!!

— Danny Spond (@Dspond13) November 18, 2012

As they took the field on this unseasonably warm November afternoon, the plan for Notre Dame was to take care of business against Wake Forest and then hope for the best.

Little did the Irish know that they would not only take care of “Wake” that day, but wake up the next day ranked #1.

First, though, they had to defeat the Demon Deacons, hopefully with some style points attached. And for once, the Irish used the home field (not to mention the Senior Day sentiments) to their advantage, storming out of the gate for three touchdowns in the first ten-and-a-half minutes, coasting to a 31-0 halftime lead, and emptying the bench in the third quarter after settling on the final 38-0 score.

Basically, nearly everything went right. There was Tyler Eifert catching six balls and setting the all-time reception record (130) for Notre Dame tight ends, and good ol’ John Goodman making yet another circus catch for a touchdown.

There was Cierre Wood (11 carries, 150 yards) breaking yet another long touchdown run, and making the case for more playing time. But there was also Theo Riddick, with several more spectacular catches out of the backfield, making a case why the running back slot should still be his.

There was Manti Te’o, more a maestro than a monster in this game, conducting the defense and joining in on the hit when necessary. And being Te’o, he somehow left his spirit on the field after an early fourth-quarter exit, ensuring that the subs would not allow a garbage-time TD and thus preserve the shutout.

But mostly, their was Everett Golson, finally mastering the quarterback position, using both his accuracy and escapability to throw for three hundred yards and three TDs in the first half alone. And yet, almost on cue, it was Golson who was also responsible for the day’s one downer, an end zone INT into double coverage that bordered on cocky.

It was almost as if the pedal to the metal red-shirt freshman was a kid again, and, after having mastered a new magic trick, decided to push it, by trying to pull off the same trick blindfolded.

But the players and the students on the Notre Dame campus were far from blind as to the potential impact of the dual BCS games going on Saturday night. After the suddenly defensive-minded Baylor Bears began to blow away the remarkably flat Kansas State Wildcats, remotes switched over to a game where a team known for defense, the Stanford Cardinal, pulled a “Notre Dame” by holding Oregon, the best offensive team in the country, to two touchdowns while scoring just enough points to edge out the Ducks in overtime.

“OMG” tweeted “Irish Chocolate,” also known as Irish nose tackle Louis Nix, “the Campus just erupted. We’re #1.” But back home, in the aftermath of the Stanford-Oregon game, I was thinking about how this classic back and forth game was decided by inches; by a Stanford OT field goal that stayed just inside the uprights, and an Oregon OT kick attempt that hit the uprights and bounced out.

How just a few weeks ago, I was sitting in the Notre Dame end zone stands watching a Pittsburgh OT field goal that came so close to ending the Irish championship hopes that half the stadium and the Panther sideline thought it was good—but I and the other half knew it was not. And, with that second chance, Notre Dame came back to win that game—and now sat at #1.

The luck of the Irish? Perhaps.

And yet, for the second season in a row with a second chance to play for the championship, the one-loss Alabama Crimson Tide must consider themselves the luckiest team of them all.

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Matthew Emmons-US PRESSWIRE

As quarterback Tanner Price and Wake Forest slip into South Bend on what the weatherman predicts to be a gorgeous November Senior Day, the question remains. Can the Demon Deacons use the senior’s sweet emotions to their advantage and upset the Notre Dame Fighting Irish?

At 5-5, Wake Forest is not only a mediocre team, but probably an over-achieving mediocre team at that. At 111th in rushing and total offense, 87th against the pass, not to mention 78th in total defense, it’s hard to imagine how the Demon Deacons even got to be .500. On the other hand, critics are equally amazed that the Irish (who have won their five home games by a mere 23 points) still haven’t lost a game.

In fairness to Wake Forest, QB Price (189-341, 1,965 yards, 12 TDs, 6 INTs), is not only a little bit better than mediocre, but one of the main reasons the Demon Deacons’ record is not far worse.

Still, Price completes only 41% of his passes away from home, and it’s difficult to believe he, with WF’s awful running game, poses much of a threat to the Irish’s number one scoring defense. Or conversely, that its bottom third defense could contain Notre Dame’s balanced-if-plodding offense for an entire game.

“The only thing we talk about in terms of a goal (is) they want to go undefeated at home,” the politically correct Irish coach Brian Kelly states. “That’s really important to this group.”

On the other hand, the realistic former Irish head coach, Lou Holtz, says about Senior Day sentiments, “It’s hard to block and tackle when you have tears in your eyes,” and one would tend to believe that nostalgia will be the more difficult foe for the Fighting Irish today than their opponent.

“We know what we have to do,” Irish center, Braxston Cave, summarized. “As much as people want to push it away, every guy knows what’s at stake.” With all the pregame Senior Day festivities, the Irish may stumble early, but should be able to not only regain their focus, but do it quickly enough that the Senior walk-ons get a chance to play.

Prediction: Sorry, Tanner, the “Price” is wrong. Notre Dame 34, Wake Forest 10.

Related: Walking the ‘Walk-on’: Notre Dame’s Senior WOPU
Related: Wake Up the ‘Forest’? Comparing Notre Dame and Wake Forest History

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Mitch Stringer-US PRESSWIRE

In its illustrious 125-year history in the sport of college football, Notre Dame has developed many legendary rivalries. Unfortunately, Saturday’s opponent, the Wake Forest Demon Deacons, are not among them. Playing for just the second time (Notre Dame won 24-17 last season) many Irish fans probably wonder if the Demon Deacons even have a football history. And, as it turns out, Wake Forest’s football history does rival Notre Dame’s—in some ways anyway…

For example, Wake Forest began fielding a college football team only one year later than Notre Dame: 1888 as opposed to 1887. Also, both teams quit the sport shortly thereafter due to the toll the then violent game took on its athletes, although Notre Dame’s return (the Irish “gave up” football in 1890 and 1891) was much quicker than the Demon Deacons (who did not play from 1894-1907). However, their respective histories diverge shortly after that.

Not that the Demon Deacons didn’t have any successes. As far as players go, most long-time football fans know the name of four-time Pro Bowl QB Norm Snead and Super Bowl wide out Ricky Proehl. And all Chicago Bear fans (and many movie fans as well) know the heart-rending tale of former Deacon Brian Piccolo. Of course, these few WF football alumni can’t begin to compare to the legion of football legends who played for Notre Dame. But the glaring difference between the two schools becomes even more apparent when we look at the respective coaching records.

Comparing the records of coaches for each school who have coached more than ten games, we find that Notre Dame has only one coach (Joe Kuharich, 17-23) who finished with a losing record. Wake Forest, on the other hand, has only had three with winning records, exactly the same number of Wake Forest coaches whose first two initials were W.C. Sadly, none of their last names were “Fields.”

D.C. ‘Peahead’ Walker-ELON.EDU

And even those Deacon coaches with good records did it during an era of great college coaches, especially at Notre Dame. For example, the WF coach with the best winning percentage, Hank Garrity at 19-7-1, coached during the mid 1920s, so he was just slightly overshadowed by a guy named Knute Rockne. And the Deacon’s winningest coach, D.C. “Peahead” Walker, went a very respectable 77-51-6 from 1936-1950. Unfortunately, Frank Leahy won four National Championships and went four years without losing a game during that time, so he was a bit more revered. Of course, maybe it was the “Peahead” nickname that worked against Walker…

At this point in the article, surely some diehard Deacon fan will bring up the name of current Wake Forest head coach, Jim Grobe. In fact, the 2006 AP Coach of the Year, the same year Grobe went 11-3 and brought the Deacons to their only BCS bowl, actually does have a winning record—at this hour. But by the time most Demon Deacons read this (and weep) his 73-72 record at the Tobacco Road school will slip back to .500, courtesy of you know who.

Personally, I do hope the gracious Grobe does break ol’ Peahead’s record for most school wins—just not against the University where success is measured not by seasons with a few losses, but those with none.

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Mark L. Baer-US PRESSWIRE

It wasn’t hard for me to decide. We weren’t doing so well, and yet still there were talks about legendary status. Just imagine if you’ve experienced a successful season what that would look like. –Manti Te’o, on why he came–and stayed–at Notre Dame

Since I’ve been focusing so much on Notre Dame‘s Senior Day in this week’s writings, I would be remiss if I didn’t also blog about the insightful Senior Day revelations of the Fighting Irish’s most famous (and legendary?) senior, linebacker Manti Te’o.

Actually, Te’o's first Notre Dame Senior Day experience came when he was still a senior in high school. The game itself, in which Charlie Weis‘ underachieving 2008 team was upset by lowly Syracuse, was a total debacle, and included fans pelting first the Orangemen (my companions were guilty of aiming a few at the silly Orange mascot) and later at Weis himself.

Needless to say, the Irish gained few high school recruits that day, but Te’o was not your average high school senior, either on or off the field. Somehow, Te’o not only felt “the spirit” of the school that day, but “could really feel” the players’ sadness.

“So amongst the cold and the snow and all that,” Te’o recalls, “I think the worst part of that [day] was to see the pain in the players’ eyes as they were crying leaving the stadium, not because they lost, but because that was their last experience playing under the dome.”

In other words, when he saw the players were sad about the loss not just for themselves or even their teammates, but for the place, he knew there was something special about Notre Dame.

Flash forward to last year’s Senior Day. Despite being just a junior, many scouts assumed Te’o would leave behind a mediocre Irish team and declare himself for the NFL Draft, where he was assured of being a first round pick—a move Te’o was seriously considering as well.

But according to Te’o, “the tipping point for me on whether or not I was going to enter into the draft or not [was] seeing just the joy in their parents’ eyes and see the joy in my teammates’ eyes…[whether they] ran out in full gear [or] came out on crutches…each of them had the same expression on their face: pure joy.”

“To see that, that was that moment where I said, ‘Yeah, I know what I’m going to do. That’s something that money can’t buy.”

So Te’o not only came to Notre Dame but came back to Notre Dame based on Senior Day, and an already stellar career became something special. When asked about his impact at Notre Dame, in typical Te’o fashion, his first response didn’t even touch on football.

“I don’t know to what extreme I’ve had an impact on people, but I just try to have as positive an impact on as many people as I can,” he replied.

“What I’ve learned is that people may not necessarily know your name or remember where you’re from, but they’ll definitely know how you made them feel. If I can make somebody feel important, make somebody feel included, I’m happy.”

Of course, that answer may suffice for a Holy Cross priest, but sportswriters don’t want to hear your feelings about happiness, but the Heisman.

“I think when my name is being tossed around as a national champion, that’s what I’m looking for,” Te’o answered. “You ask any Heisman winner that wasn’t a national champion what they would rather be, and I think they would rather be the latter, a national champion.”

“So that’s what I want [too]… I’d rather be holding a crystal ball than a bronze statue.”

But perhaps the most telling part of Te’o's interview, for it touched on both his humanitarian side and his Heisman hype, was Te’o's response to up-and-coming Irish football recruits.

“I always tell them that I love this school so I’m always going to be biased towards Notre Dame,” he explains. But then comes the line that perfectly summarized both Notre Dame and Te’o, for it perfectly summarizes what sets the two apart.

Matt Cashore-UND

“Then I tell them, ‘Hey, when you’re a champion at other schools you’re a champion. When you’re a champion at Notre Dame, you become a legend.’”

No matter what happens in his last three games for Notre Dame, few Fighting fans would argue that Te’o has already reached legendary status in his adopted home beneath the Dome. And fewer still would dispute Te’o's logic that a National Championship is worth more than any one man’s legend. But there are a few fans, that rare breed who remain loyal both to the Irish and Notre Dame, who believe that when a star Irish player discovers the source of the Notre Dame spirit (aka the Lady on the Dome) they transform from being a legend into an immortal.

If Te’o could see the Notre Dame Spirit below in that snowball loss to Syracuse, surely he could glimpse the Notre Dame Spirit above the stadium after his Senior Day win against Wake Forest.

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