Notre Dame Football: Will Army Game be One of 2010's Toughest?

That's right, I said it.  Will the Army game be one of the toughest on Notre Dame's 2010 football schedule?  I didn't say team, I said game.

I don't know if this game will be tough or not, but one might say the Fighting Irish would hope that's the case on Nov. 20.  That's the day the two will meet in Yankee Stadium to play the first football game that building's ever hosted.

Now stay with me, it's not that complicated: Notre Dame ended up 6-6 last year, but they lost their six games by a total of 28 points.  The Irish lost six games, to teams with a combined record of 50-25, by 28 points.

A couple of bounces here, a call going the other way, and 6-6 might have been 8-4.  Of course Charlie Weis would have kept his job and I don't know if Irish fans would have liked that.

Brian Kelly leaves Cincinnati to take over the Notre Dame head coaching job and brings along a 34-6 record compiled with the Bearcats and his high-powered spread offense.

Irish fans across the country have new hopes based on Kelly's reputation and what they consider an overwhelming amount of talent that Weis never developed.  Their expectations are high.

There's talk about Notre Dame winning eight, nine, or even 10 games in 2010.  Some folks have mentioned the words "BCS game."

Let's say that the Irish live up to their loyalists hopes and are sporting a 6-3 or 7-2 record when they host Utah.

Utah's going to be a good team this year.  Last year they went 10-3 and they won them all in 2006.  

Utah has two punishing runners who are going to run the ball down as many of their opponents throats as they can.  They also have a good passing game.

The Utes are ranked in everyone's 2010 preseason top 25, but let's say Notre Dame beats them in a real dog fight.

That would leave the Irish with a 7-3 or 8-2 record, with Southern Cal standing between them and a possible invitation to a BCS bowl game.

Oh, I forgot! There's something else standing in their way—Nov. 20, Yankee Stadium, a meeting with Army.

This is what's classically referred to as a trap or sandwich game. It's a game where Notre Dame could be a three touchdown favorite, but if it's focusing too much on USC, it could get more than it wants—it could blow the season if it's not careful.

Trap games are "easy" games sandwiched in between two huge games.

In 2007, West Virginia had won a big game against a 9-2 Connecticut team and were one win away from gong to the National Championship game.  All they had to do was beat a 4-7 Pittsburgh team, at home no less.

Needless to say Pitt won 13-9 in what might considered the worst moment in the history of West Virginia football.

It happened to USC the year before.  They had just defeated a 10-1 Notre Dame team and were one win away from a title shot.  All they had to do was beat a 6-5 UCLA team—a team that hadn't beaten them in eight years.

USC lost to UCLA 13-9 and ended up going to the Rose Bowl, instead of the National Championship Game.

If Notre Dame finds itself in a position of playing Army in a trap game, the coaches are going to preach hard and long to their players about not taking Army lightly.  It's not going to work.

New York, Yankee Stadium, USC in the wings, and a chance for a possible BCS bowl game. That's going to be a lot for a bunch of 21-year-olds to not think about.

And what about Army?  They think they have a chance to break a 17-year bowl drought in 2010.  They may not lay down.  They may like the idea of spoiling someone's season.

It's a scenario that might play out.  It's a scenario that Notre Dame would like to find themselves in—9-2 and a chance to play in a BCS game.

If it happens, they'll just have to keep their eye on the prize for four quarters.