Michael Floyd Begins His Heisman Campaign on Saturday

When Notre Dame opens its season Saturday against South Florida, it will be the start of the final season of one of the all-time great wide receivers at Notre Dame:  Michael Floyd.

Floyd already holds some school records, including most touchdown catches in a season. That is already quite an accomplishment considering this school has already produced all-time greats such as Tim Brown, Raghib "Rocket" Ismail and Golden Tate.

If Floyd has the season Notre Dame fans think he is capable of, he could be the first Heisman Trophy winner in South Bend in a long time.  Brown won it in 1987.

The only real candidate for the Heisman in recent years was Brady Quinn. Prior to that, Ismail came close to winning it before BYU's Ty Detmer beat him out. The best award a Notre Dame receiver has won in recent years was the Biletnikoff award by Tate two years ago.

It is an exciting time for Notre Dame fans, who have big expectations for the team, and that they could actually have one of the best players in the country. Floyd is arguably the best receiver in the country. He is known for his great catches, big plays and finding the end zone.

Unfortunately, he is also known for another thing, too. While there may not be a defense that can stop Floyd, he can do that to himself. Floyd has had his trouble with the law and has gotten a couple of DUIs. He was very close to not even being allowed to play. Brian Kelly set up conditions he had to meet first.

Thankfully for the Irish, Floyd complied with what Kelly requested. Whether or not he would be allowed to play was one of the questions Irish fans had since March, as well as who was going to be the quarterback. But Floyd's uncertain future was the top of concern for Irish fans.

For me, I did have a preference for who I wanted to be the quarterback, but I really did not care all that much. I knew that whomever was the quarterback, the key was to get the ball to Floyd, so my top concern was getting Floyd reinstated.

The other way Floyd can stop himself is by is own incredible ability. Floyd is known to make catches from very awkward positions. He will sacrifice his body to make the catch. While we as fans love that, it has caused him injury in the past including a broken collarbone.

Now that Floyd is back, hopefully he can stay focused on being the guy all of us fans have come to love these past three seasons. If Floyd stays healthy and out of trouble, there is no defensive back in the country who can cover him. If Floyd has the year we expect, that game at the end of the year could be a battle for the Heisman with Floyd and Andrew Luck.

Based on all this, as Irish fans we must pray for the health and good decision-making of one Michael Floyd.