Five Reasons the Stanford Cardinal CAN'T Overlook Notre Dame
Notre Dame is tough to beat. Ask Michigan and Michigan State—the Irish always seem to put up a good fight, even in defeat.
In fact, the Domers' last eight losses have all been by a touchdown or less, including last year's season-ending barn burner against Stanford.
Nobody knows how hard beating ND is better than Stanford. The Cardinal haven't won in South Bend since 1992 and had lost seven straight in the series prior to last year.
That said, the tables have turned this year. Stanford is becoming a national powerhouse, while Notre Dame has a first-year coach and a 1-2 record. It's the Irish that are underdogs—so much so that it's tempting for Stanford fans to look ahead to next week's Oregon showdown.
This, of course, would be a mistake.
Here's the top five reasons why beating Notre Dame won't be easy.
5) History
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As I mentioned originally, Stanford's history with Notre Dame has not been particularly successful. The Cardinal are 7-17 overall and just 1-7 since 2001.
Combined with Stanford's never-ending struggles in South Bend (no wins in nearly two decades), it doesn't paint a great picture for the Cardinal.
Notre Dame, as I'm sure you've heard once or twice (or 1,000 times if you watch NBC), is also quite a storied program. They've got the tradition and the winning mentality and can be quite intimidating to smaller programs. You better believe that ND's tradition and history give it at least some advantage.
Then again, Jim Harbaugh's boys "bow to no program." They've won at SC and UCLA (and almost at Oregon)—why should Notre Dame be any different? The answer is it shouldn't...but it still might.
As long as Stanford believes it can win, there won't be a mental block.
Added Difficulty Factor (from 1 to 10): 4
4) The Passing Game
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Surprising fact of the day: Stanford leads the country in pass defense. Not in the bad, "giving up tons of yards" way, mind you—but in the good, "actually defending the pass" way.
Seriously. Stanford has given up a measly 90 yards per game through three, and that particular statistic is the best in the country.
So what's the deal? Have the Cardinal really become an elite pass-stopping team? More likely it's because Sac State, UCLA, and Wake Forest can't pass worth a damn. The true test comes vs. Notre Dame.
Led by Dayne Crist's arm and Brian Kelly's high-octane schemes, the Irish boast the nation's eighth-ranked passing game. We'll see how sturdy the Cardinal defense really is against one of college football's best aerial attacks.
But again, this isn't a major problem for Stanford...as long as Vic Fangio has the defense well prepared. The Cardinal secondary may or may not be elite—but it's certainly not bad.
Added Difficulty Rating: 5
3) Home-Field Advantage
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There are two reasons home-field advantage is a big deal on Saturday: Notre Dame plays better at home, and Stanford plays worse on the road.
While they may be obvious in principle, you'd be surprised how much of a difference they make.
First, let's look at Stanford. The Cardinal have been fantastic at home since the start of 2008—going 12-2 at Stanford Stadium in that span.
But the road has been less kind. Stanford is a mere 4-10 away from home, including disappointing losses to Wake Forest, Arizona State, UCLA, and TCU (to name a few).
Who knows why Harbaugh's squads fare better at home (could it seriously be the crowd?), but it's clear that they do.
Notre Dame's home-field contrast is less stark (9-6 at home since '08), but there is an important fact to note: All six of ND's home losses since 2008 have been by a combined 20 points. Not a single one was by more than a touchdown. Notre Dame just won't be blown out at home, making the Card's challenge all the more difficult.
Regardless of which factor is more important (I'd say probably Stanford's road struggles are bigger), there's very little question that home-field advantage will play a part in this one. It's not impossible to overcome, but it certainly is a hill for Stanford to climb.
Added Difficulty Rating: 7
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2) Revenge
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Ask Jim Harbaugh what he thinks about the revenge factor. You think Stanford laying down 10 touchdowns on Wake Forest was an accident? Hardly.
The Cardinal were avenging last year's devastating last-second road loss, and it showed in the results.
In this game, it'll be Notre Dame looking for revenge. The Irish went into Palo Alto at 6-5 last year, riding a three-game skid and looking for a good finale (and subsequent bowl berth). It was already likely to be Charlie Weis' last game, and Jimmy Clausen's sending-off party to boot.
Notre Dame led by eight points late in the game, and then the momentum shifted. Stanford pounded the rock with Toby Gerhart, who carried the Cardinal all the way to a dramatic 45-38 victory. Not only did he make the highlights by pulverizing a hapless DB, he even passed for a touchdown on a fourth down conversion.
Weis left unceremoniously, the Irish didn't play in a bowl game, and Clausen exited college football on a four-game losing streak.
But Brian Kelly wasn't there! What does he care for revenge? He cares because his players care. It's hard to get a team motivated every week. It's not hard when they already want to pummel the living daylights out of their opponents. Notre Dame had a whole offseason to think about that loss. There's no doubt that the Irish will be itching to make Stanford pay.
Added Difficulty Rating: 8
1) Desperation
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This is an easy one. The Irish are desperate—no ifs, ands, or buts about it.
They're 1-2, have a new coach who can't afford to alienate the fanbase already, and have suffered consecutive horrendously painful losses.
Notre Dame is better than its record and will be very eager to prove it on Saturday.
Why the players are desperate: Dayne Crist needs to prove he can succeed as Jimmy Clausen's replacement. Michael Floyd is a potential Biletnikoff candidate who needs a team that wins games. Nobody wants to be part of "that team" in Notre Dame history.
Why the coach is desperate: Kelly needs to prove he can win at Notre Dame. Ty Willingham and Charlie Weis weren't exactly given long leashes despite great success in each's first year. If Kelly fails this year, he may be even more short-lived. While he's a long way from being fired, Kelly no doubt understands what beating a ranked opponent would do for his reputation—and how being 1-3 would harm it.
Why the fans are desperate: Aside from the usual too-high expectations, Notre Dame fans just need a break. Their team has lost six of seven games, all by a touchdown or less. The program looks promising but can't get any results. A win vs. Stanford might save the season, but defeat would mean all is lost. At least, that's how it seems to the Domers. If that isn't cause for desperation, I don't know what is.
Added Difficulty Rating: 10
.jpg?w=480 "Ohio State Team Doctor")
