Keys to Victory: A Look Inside The Matchups For 5 Key Notre Dame Games

During the BCS era of college football, every game matters.  A single loss can cripple a team's hope of playing in the National Championship game.  As the Notre Dame Fighting Irish attempt to return to the championship picture, several obstacles stand in their way on the schedule.  We'll take a look at five of the games and break down the in-game battles that might have the biggest bearing on determining the outcome.

The Irish start the season at home on September 5th against the University of Nevada.  The average college football fan might be tempted to overlook The Wolf Pack, but the Irish certainly should not.  Nevada is a program on the rise, and the player that the Irish defense has to be worried about is Jr. QB Colin Kaepernick.  Kaepernick is the reigning WAC Offensive Player of the year, with good reason.  A true dual-threat QB, Kaepernick is one of only 5 players in NCAA history to amass over 2,000 passing yards and 1,000 rushing yards in a single season.  The task of containing Kaepernick will fall to the Irish DEs and linebackers.  Big things are expected from DE Kapron Lewis-Moore.  It will be his responsibility to get to Kaepernick before he has the ability to hit an open receiver or tuck the ball and run.  The Irish linebacking corps is relatively inexperienced, but full of promise.  Freshman linebacker Manti Te'o surprised many recruiting experts by choosing Notre Dame over USC, he'll be given every opportunity to see the field this year.  Zeke Motta is another heraled recruit who could see significant time this year.   The inexperience of Notre Dame's defense might be exposed by the play of Kaepernick, but if they can contain him and limit the number of big plays, the Irish should be able to win their season opener.

On September 12th, Notre Dame travels to the Big House to take on Michigan.  The Wolverines had a down year in 2008, but figure to be improved in 2009.  Michigan's offense sputtered in 2009 while they adjusted to Rich Rodriguez's spread system.  The defense wasn't much better, but DE Brandon Graham is one of the best players in college football.  In 2009, Graham recorded 10 sacks and tallied 20 tackles for loss.  Controlling Graham and the rest of the DL will be a challenge for the Irish offensive line.  Senior LG Eric Olson is an All-America candidate and the anchor of an experienced offensive line.  LT Paul Duncan missed last season after undergoing hip surgery, but he has the inside track to join fellow seniors Olson, C Dan Wenger, RG Chris Stewart and RT Sam Young on an experienced offensive line.  If the line can give QB Jimmy Clausen time and keep Graham and company out of his face, the Irish stand a decent chance of winning in Ann Arbor.

Coach Charlie Weis won't admit it, but there's no team on the schedule that Notre Dame should fear more than the Trojans of USC.  A perennial contender for the National Championship, the Trojans are always loaded with talent.  This might be the year, however, that Notre Dame is able to take down the powerhouse.  For that to happen, the Irish need to outgun the Trojans and use their two most dynamic offensive weapons, WRs Michael Floyd and Golden Tate.  Tate and Floyd are both threats to score every time they touch the ball.  While USC's 2008 defense may have been the best ever, graduation and the NFL draft created a lot of holes that need to be filled.  Trojan safety Taylor Mays is one the best DBs in the game, but Trojan CBs Kevin Thomas and Shareece Wright might not be physical enough to contain both Floyd and Tate.  The Trojans present the Irish with their toughest challenge, but Notre Dame can be victorious if they can limit USC's big plays while coming up with a few of their own.

Boston College comes to Notre Dame Stadium on Oct. 24th.  The Irish struggled running the ball in 2007 and 2008.  They'll have to improve this year if they want to return to the title picture.  The running back picture is still a bit cloudy, but Jr. Armando Allen was on top of the depth chart following spring practice.  Allen should find plenty of success this season running behind a veteran offensive line, but the Irish will certainly be challenged against Boston College's Mark Herzlich.  The Sr. LB was the ACC's Defensive Player of the Year in 2008, if the Irish want to establish a ground game, it will be imperitive that they account for Herzlich on every play.

The Irish will be looking for revenge when the travel to Pittsburgh on Nov. 14.  The Panthers beat the Irish in overtime last year and figure to challenge for the Big East title in 2009.  Pittsburgh might be the toughest road test for the Irish in 2009, in order to beat the Panthers, they'll have to give QB Jimmy Clausen plenty of protection.  Clausen has matured into one of the better QBs in college football and he has plenty of weapons at his disposal.  If Notre Dame wants to beat Pitt, it will be crucial that Clausen takes care of the ball.  Errant throws could easily find their way into the hands of Pittsburgh defenders.  The Panthers secondary remains virtually the same as last season and as a group, they intercepted 16 passes last year.  In order for the Irish to win in Pittsburgh, Clausen has to be wary of turning the ball over. 

Notre Dame has the makings of a team that's ready to return to the Top 25 rankings.  The talent and coaching appears to be in place, if they can put it all together this season, the Fighting Irish could find themselves back in a BCS bowl once again.