Notre Dame Football: Why the Tough Schedule Shouldn't Worry Irish Fans

When Notre Dame announced in 2007 that it would play a two-game series with Oklahoma in 2012 and 2013, it was assumed the Sooners would replace Michigan on the Irish schedule for two years after the contract between the longtime rivals ended following the 2011 season.

Then, later that same week, something interesting happened. Notre Dame extended its agreement with the Wolverines through 2031, with a two-year hiatus not occurring until 2018 and 2019. With annual opponents USC and Michigan State also on the schedule, the stars began to align for a gauntlet of a schedule in 2012.

With the later additions of Miami (FL) and BYU to the schedule and the recent resurrection of Stanford, this fall’s Notre Dame schedule is considered by many to be the toughest in the nation. There are three away games against teams that won 10 games in 2011, home games against two teams who played in BCS bowls and a transatlantic trip to Ireland.

BCS bowl hopes are slim for the 2012 season, but the schedule shouldn’t worry Irish fans. Notre Dame is not a BCS-level program – yet. There are too many concerns at the skill positions to expect a 10-win regular season. A magical season like 2005 is always possible, but that Irish team did not beat a team that season that finished better than 8-5.

Alas, Notre Dame fans should not be frightened by the road the Irish will face in the fall. The record might not be pretty this season, but Notre Dame will enter 2013, a year in which they’ll have the pieces to flourish, having been battle-tested.

While calling for a national title run in 2013 might be a stretch, one need look no further than the past three national champions to see what a difficult schedule can do for a team in the ensuing season. The Irish have a golden opportunity this year to become the program it has been trying to become ever since Lou Holtz resigned more than 15 years ago.

In 2010, Alabama had to face Arkansas, South Carolina, Tennessee and LSU, all on the road. While they escaped Fayetteville thanks to a pair of Ryan Mallett interceptions late in the game, the Crimson Tide were beaten by the Gamecocks and the Tigers. In addition, Alabama had to face eventual national champion Auburn in Tuscaloosa, a game in which the Tide saw a 24-0 lead disappear in a 28-27 loss. Alabama’s final six SEC games came against teams who had a bye week.

The Tide finished 10-3, a disappointment for a team ranked No. 1 in the preseason. However, a year later, Alabama claimed its second national title in three seasons with a 21-0 shutout of LSU in the BCS National Championship Game.

Nick Saban’s first national title at Alabama also came on the heels of an arduous schedule the previous year. The 2008 Crimson Tide faced No. 9 Clemson, No. 3 Georgia, No. 15 LSU and No. 2 Florida all away from home. The only loss came to the Gators in the SEC Championship Game. A year later, Alabama had won its first national championship since 1992.

Down the road in Auburn, the Tigers also benefited from facing a tough schedule in 2009 when they embarked on their eventual national title drive in 2010. Gene Chizik’s first Auburn team had to travel to Tennessee, Arkansas, LSU and Georgia, and hosted West Virginia and Alabama in Jordan-Hare Stadium. The Tigers' up-and-down season culminated with a triple-overtime win in the Outback Bowl to finish 8-5, and it would take until 2011 for Auburn to lose another game.

Yes, adding one of the most dynamic players in the history of the sport in Cam Newton for the 2010 season was a major factor in Auburn’s national title, but the Tigers matured during the 2009 season through a number of close games and difficult losses (they led Georgia and Alabama 14-0 before losing by seven and five points respectively).

Both Alabama and Auburn felt they had unfinished business heading into their eventual national title seasons. The challenge for Notre Dame is to make sure they have that same feeling. That means learning to win close games, something it hasn’t done under Brian Kelly. It also means not getting blown out on the big stage.

While Auburn let a golden opportunity slip away in 2009 to knock its bitter rival out of national title contention, it discovered in that 26-21 loss to Alabama that it could compete with the best teams in the country. Notre Dame hasn’t shown that yet in the Kelly era, and needs to do so this year.

USC physically dominated Notre Dame at the line of scrimmage last season, while Stanford kept the Irish offense at bay for the entire night in Palo Alto. When Notre Dame walks into Memorial Stadium in Norman and the Los Angeles Coliseum, the Irish need to battle for 60 minutes. Winning either of the games would simply be a cherry on top.

For those perpetual optimists with national title aspirations every year, it may seem inconceivable to consider a close loss a success for the most storied program in college football. However, after five straight seasons of at least five losses, we must consider where the program truly stands in comparison with the elite of college football.

Notre Dame showed on multiple occasions just how large the gap was between it and the top teams in the country. However, the roster is only a year away from having the depth, talent and experience to make some noise nationally for the first time in almost a decade.

This fall has the chance to be the springboard to future success for the Irish, but they first must rid themselves of the fragile mental state that has left a cloud over the program. That requires playing well when the lights are brightest and not throwing interceptions in the end zone or letting receivers get behind a prevent defense. That means winning one or both of the back-to-back games with Michigan and Michigan State. That means not getting run off the field by Oklahoma and USC.

Notre Dame fans should embrace the challenges the Irish face this fall. It might not seem like a schedule tailor-made for success, but in a way, it is. It just might come one year later.