Notre Dame Would Be No More Than a Bottom Feeder in the Pac-12

After four months of continual hype and ridiculous predictions by Lou Holtz, Notre Dame proved that it would be no better than a bottom feeder in the Pac-12.

Irish fans cannot deny that their team’s only meaningful victory came against Michigan State early in the season. The other victories came against Pittsburgh (5-6), Purdue (6-6), Air Force (7-5), Navy (4-7), Wake Forest (6-6), Boston College (4-8) and Maryland (2-10). These teams (with wins against 22 mid-majors or lower) had a combined win-loss record of 34-48 (41 percent).

For months, we have all heard what a great recruiting class Brian Kelly had last year. Some even predicted that Notre Dame would be a Top 10 team. Before the Stanford game, the polls and BCS ranked the Irish in the Top 25, bringing many of us to the point of laughter.

The ND mystique is so out of whack that linebacker Manti Te’o was FBS Defensive Player of the Week after 12 tackles in the Boston College (4-8) game, while linebacker Hayes Pollard of USC was ignored, despite 14 tackles and two sacks against No. 4 Oregon in Autzen Stadium on the road. Pollard might have had 20 tackles if he were playing against the likes of Boston College.

In previous years, we heard of the great Charlie Weis’ (35-17) recruiting classes and how this year they were going to challenge for the BCS crown. The simple fact was that Weis (10-2) won with players recruited by Tyrone Willingham (21-15), and then lost with the players Weis recruited. Kelly had no better success with the players Weis recruited either. It remains to be seen if the players he recruits do any better than past classes.

USC went to South Bend and faced an Irish team in new uniforms, with new music, hosting about 100 recruits, which was to be the hallmark of their season. ND expected to roll over USC and get its recruiting advantage back. The final score, 31-17, hardly evidenced the Trojans’ domination of the Irish.

Irish fans keep saying, "but for the fumble inside the 10-yard line," they would have won. The simple fact was that USC was on top the entire game and ran up 443 yards and controlled the ball for 40 minutes. The mighty Irish offense had a paltry 267 yards total offense, including only 41 rushing.

Against Stanford, Lou Holtz crowed that the mighty Irish defense would carry them to a victory while Mark May laughed out loud. Stanford jumped out to a 21-point first-half lead (without its best wide receivers and top tight end) and coasted in for a 28-14 victory after its subs gave up a concession TD. Stanford dominated the Irish from the opening kick-off until the reserves were put in at the end.

So, how would Notre Dame stack up in the Pac-12, where it could not play patsies like Navy, Boston College and Maryland? It would be a bottom feeder trying to improve its record at the expense of the lower-tiered teams such as Washington State, UCLA and Colorado. Do any Irish fans think their team could win a game against Oregon at Autzen Stadium?

This was a down year for the Pac-12, and based upon what I have seen, the Irish couldn’t beat USC, Stanford, Oregon or Washington and would not fare any better at Cal, Arizona State or Arizona. But to be a .500 team in the Pac-12, the Irish would have to amass wins against the bottom-tier teams and win at least two games from the upper-tier teams. After watching them play pass defense, teams like Arizona, Arizona State, Washington, Cal, Washington State and Utah would score at will.

In my youth, Notre Dame had the pick of players from Catholic schools around the country. Time, scandal and better TV exposure have broken Notre Dame’s hold on these recruits. In my youth, Mater Dei High School’s talented QBs, like John Huarte, went to Notre Dame and won the Heisman Trophy. Now Mater Dei’s star QBs, Matt Leinart and Matt Barkley, go to USC, where they can win the Heisman Trophy anyway.

TV has become the great equalizer in college football. Once upon a time, only the top teams could be seen on TV. Now, every team has exposure, and ESPN runs highlights of every play imaginable every Saturday afternoon and all through the next week. In a generation hellbent to be on ESPN, as part of the play of the day, players can achieve their goals almost anywhere. So why not do it closer to home where the family can watch or in sunny Florida or Southern California?

For all of those "Domers" who think it will get better in the future, it won’t. Despite sanctions USC will only get stronger, Michigan with its new additions will only get better and the BCS will sooner or later stop catering to a dying school whose importance has been greatly exaggerated for decades. This year, the team will probably play in the Champs Sports Bowl in Orlando. Notre Dame fans better get used to it. This is going to be as good as it gets for the next decade.