BCS Rankings 2011: Why Notre Dame Deserves to Be Ranked in BCS Poll

The Notre Dame Fighting Irish had a rough start to their season, but now they have the train back on track, and it's moving fast.

After a tough loss to USF in Week 1 and rival Michigan in Week 2, head coach Brian Kelly has resurrected a team that was written off for dead.

While I agree that Notre Dame shouldn’t be ranked this week, if they beat USC this week, they deserve a spot on the BCS Rankings as much as half the teams on there.

Notre Dame’s offense and defense are ranked in the low 30s in the nation, and the combination makes them at least a No. 23 team in the nation over a team like Auburn.

With Auburn going to lose to LSU this week, its Notre Dame’s spot to lose, and a win over the Trojans of USC means a one-way ticket into the top 25.

The key for the Fighting Irish will be sophomore quarterback Tommy Rees and his composure down the stretch, and whether Notre Dame can get the breaks necessary to make some noise.

While Rees looked terrible at best in first two starts, he only has two interceptions over the last four games as opposed to four interceptions in two games to start the season. Rees also has nine touchdowns and has looked more impressive than anyone though coming into this season.

Notre Dame has the talent on their team to be a contender in the BCS Standings, and the schedule to make a run statistically strong enough to impress the computers into giving them the credit they deserve.

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