Mark Blaudschun's Blitz: Is Stanford the New Notre Dame?
For years, we've heard the mantra coming from South Bend and the Subway Alumni: Schools strive to be like Notre Dame.
It used to make sense. All those wins, all those national championships, all those All-Americans, all those Heisman Trophy winners. And a 93 percent graduation rate to boot. Who wouldn't cast an envious eye toward South Bend?
But as Stanford comes to town Saturday, might Notre Dame be staring across the field at a challenger that's become the better version of what it aspires to be?
.jpg?w=256 "Ohio State Team Doctor")
Yes, Stanford, the suddenly flourishing program that has beaten the Irish in four of the last five years, a span in which Notre Dame's golden dome has been tarnished with incidents that are most un-Irish-like.
As recently as 2009, there was talk about the Cardinal de-emphasizing football on the heels of the ill-fated Buddy Teevens and Walt Harris eras (16-40 combined record, no winning seasons and no bowl games).
"There was a movement in that direction," Rod Gilmore, an ESPN college football analyst who played defensive back for the Cardinal in the 1980s, told Bleacher Report. "The feeling was that Stanford shouldn't get caught up in the arms race with new football facilities. Then Jim Harbaugh came in and changed the culture. Stanford started recruiting in the Southeast, which it had never done before. It started going after the same players that Notre Dame was going after."
And it worked. Harbaugh set the tone, and David Shaw has picked up the baton. In the past four years, Stanford has passed Notre Dame on the football field. Four straight Top 10 finishes in the BCS rankings, compared to the Irish's one. Four consecutive BCS bowl games, to one for Notre Dame. And it hasn't come at the expense of lofty academic standards, as the Cardinal mirror the Irish's graduation rate.
During Stanford's rapid rise to national prominence, Notre Dame has experienced its ups and downs. While the Irish played in the national title game two years ago, it has finished in the AP Top 25 just twice in the last four years. Meanwhile, a string of off-field incidents, including an ongoing academic fraud issue, have led to questions about the character of student-athletes the Irish have pursued.
So has Stanford become the gold standard for not only Notre Dame but all of college football when the total package is examined?
| Overall record | 49-9 | 41-15 |
| BCS bowl game appearances | 4 | 1 |
| Head-to-head record | 3-1 | 1-3 |
Pac-12 Network broadcaster Ted Robinson, a Notre Dame alum who spent 13 years as Stanford's radio voice, isn't so sure.
"There is no question that the past five years have been the best sustained period in Stanford history," Robinson told B/R. "And Notre Dame has not done as well. But Notre Dame is still my school, and I think that while they truly have a common bond with Stanford, they have their own set of standards, which has nothing to do with competing with what Stanford has done.
"And there is also a difference. Football is part of the Notre Dame campus culture. At Stanford, I think football is just another sport."
The state of the rivalry following Saturday's game will be telling. For two programs with College Football Playoff aspirations, the showdown in South Bend has high stakes.
Recess is over for No. 9 Notre Dame, whose 4-0 start doesn't include a win over a program with a winning record. With road games against Florida State and USC looming, a big Irish win to kick off the crunch part of their schedule would offer plenty of validation.
And Stanford, after an early 13-10 loss to USC, can ill afford another defeat. But the 14th-ranked Cardinal are surely bolstered by their recent successes against Notre Dame.
An Irish win would effectively eliminate Stanford from playoff contention and tilt the rivalry back east.
But if the Cardinal win? It's time we give credit where credit is due.
Stanford would officially be the new Notre Dame.
This Week's Grades
A—Arizona: With a 31-24 win over No. 2 Oregon on Thursday night, the Wildcats went from spoiler to predator. Rich Rodriguez's team can basically eliminate USC from title consideration next week in Tucson, and an Arizona win could set up a Pac-12 South showdown at UCLA on Nov. 1. In two-plus years, RichRod has steadily built a Wildcats contender that could be looking beyond a Pac-12 title sooner rather than later. Hmm. Why can't Michigan get coaches like that?
B—Baylor: The Bears have been impressive, averaging more than 50 points per game while racing to the No. 7 AP ranking. But could Baylor go 12-0 and be shut out of the College Football Playoff? The Bears don't have a quality win in their weak nonconference schedule (SMU, Northwestern State, Buffalo). And the lack of a Big 12 championship game could hurt them when their brethren in the Pac-12, Big Ten and SEC are facing tough opponents in their title games. First things first—the Bears need a double-digit win over Texas on Saturday to maintain their status. The guess here is that they get it.
C—Northwestern: The Pat Fitzgerald-led Wildcats had dropped out of sight for the past year, losing their first seven Big Ten games last season and starting this year with losses to Cal and Northern Illinois. But last week, they got a satisfying boost with a 29-6 win at Penn State. Take the grade and run, guys. Big Ten bad boy Wisconsin is coming to Evanston this weekend.
D—Southern Methodist: SMU is 0-4 this season and has been outscored 202-12. Unbelievably, the Mustangs have not attempted one extra point this season. Even when they scored their only touchdown (in a 43-6 loss to North Texas), there was no respect. The TD came on the final play of the game, and the officials waived the extra point as it did not affect the outcome. Ouch.
F—Brady Hoke and Dave Brandon: Come on, it's one thing for once proud Michigan to be inept on the football field. But how does letting quarterback Shane Morris back on the field with a concussion last weekend against Minnesota slip through the cracks? In his best Cool Hand Luke imitation, athletic director Brandon called it a "serious lack of communication." The people running the Big House need to clean house.
Picking the Playoff Teams
My Final Four...
1. Oklahoma—OU has the easiest path to the final four: no championship game and all tough games at home.
2. Alabama—The SEC civil war starts this week with Ole Miss hungry for the Tide's visit to Oxford.
3. UCLA—The Brett Hundley-led Bruins are looking Rose Bowl-ready.
4. Florida State—The Seminoles flirted with disaster the last two weeks and have lots of defensive holes.
On the Outside Looking in ...
5. Michigan State—Invincible other than one half vs. Oregon, but will be hurt by Ducks' loss to Arizona.
6. Auburn—LSU visits in the Battle of the Tigers, with winner moving on, loser dropping out.
7. Baylor—Great debate: Who's the best team in Texas—the Bears or A&M?
8. Oregon—Stunning loss to Wildcats may cost Ducks a playoff spot and Marcus Mariota the Heisman.
People of Interest
Mack Brown: Capable of rebuilding the reputation of the Maize and Blue if Brady Hoke is shown the door.
Charlie Weis: Please, no more head coaching gigs after his Kansas ouster.
Lane Kiffin: Hot coach-in-waiting if Tide offense takes off and Alabama rolls into the playoffs.
Jeff Driskel: In desperate need of a big game against Tennessee to right the Gators and keep his job.
Brad Bate and Warde Manuel: Boston College and UConn ADs could soon get a call from their alma mater Michigan.
Weekend Predictions
1. Alabama's Amari Cooper becomes a Heisman front-runner with a 200-yard game in a one-sided affair against Ole Miss.
2. Greg Schiano joins the next Michigan coach rumor mill after former program Rutgers beats the Wolverines. But maybe he's eying the NFL and the Raiders?
3. Michigan State thumps Nebraska to snuff out the Huskers as a playoff team and put Sparty back in prime position, especially with the SEC powers starting to beat each other up.
4. Baylor emerges as sheriff in the Lone Star State by putting up 50 points in beating Texas, while A&M is upset by Mississippi State.
5. Tennessee wins by three TDs over Florida, sealing Driskel's fate and increasing the heat on coach Will Muschamp.
Mark Blaudschun covers college football as a national columnist for Bleacher Report. He has more than three decades of experience covering sports at a variety of newspapers in New Jersey, The Dallas Morning News and The Boston Globe. Follow him on Twitter @blauds.
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