Is Lou Holtz Really as Crazy as Everyone Thinks?

***WARNING!!! OBJECTIVE COLLEGE FOOTBALL POST FROM A NOTRE DAME FAN. GRAIN OF SALT AVAILABLE***

By now we have all seen/read somewhere that Lou Holtz believes that Notre Dame could be playing for the BCS National Title. Coincidentally, everyone who has seen/read this is calling for an immediate psychiatric evaluation for “Dr. Lou”. But is he completely off base with his thinking? He even said himself, Notre Dame won’t be the 2^nd best team in the country by any stretch at the end of the year. However, given their status and their favorable schedule, there is an outside chance that this could happen. Lets look at their schedule.

September 5^th vs. Nevada – 7-5 last season and only 5-3 in the WAC with powerhouses like San Jose State and Idaho. An experienced Irish team should have no problems here.

Setember 12^th at Michigan – Rich-Rod says he will start 3 QB’s in the Wolverine’s first game. What’s the saying; if you have 2 QB’s, you have no QB? What if you have 3; what do you have then? Notre Dame could struggle in the Big House but they should beat the inexperienced Wolverines.

September 19^th vs. Michigan State – The Irish struggle with Sparty, but without halfback Javon Ringer it could be a long day for Michigan State at Notre Dame Stadium.

September 26^th at Purdue – Notre Dame is better than Purdue. Period.

October 3^rd vs. Washington – Will Jake Locker be that dual threat QB to hurt the Irish? No. Irish win big.

October 17^th vs. USC – The big one. USC named true freshman Matt Barkley the starter at QB today, a risky move considering it’s never been done in USC history. Will he be ready to play in the shag carpeting at Notre Dame Stadium? Will he be burned out after playing Ohio State and Cal before heading to South Bend? Will he still be the starter by October 17^th? A lot of questions heading into that game, especially for a Pete Carroll squad. Should be a lot of fun to watch.

October 24^th vs. Boston College – Another team Notre Dame usually struggles with, but they are still a young squad taking on a fairly experienced Irish team. Could be close but it should be a win.

October 31^st vs. Washington State – Next.

November 7^th vs. Navy – The Midshipmen always play tough against the Irish, but they are usually a one trick pony on offense. Probably won’t fly against an improved defense.

November 14^th at Pittsburgh – Dave Wannstedt’s team will struggle to replace the offense that LeSean McCoy provided. The Panthers can play tough defense (see Sun Bowl vs. Oregon State). Could be a trap game, especially on the road.

November 21^st vs. UConn – Another squad trying to replace a big time running back heading into the season. Minus Donald Brown, this is a sub .500 team in a weak conference.

November 28^th at Stanford – Not a very good squad but that hasn’t stopped them from giving Notre Dame trouble in the past. Remember, it was only 3 years ago that Notre Dame needed a last minute drive to beat the Cardinal. That said, if this Irish team is as good as they should be, this should be another win.

Will Notre Dame win all of these games? According to me, no. I’ve got them going 10-2 and playing in a BCS game, but not the National Title game. But is it completely outlandish to believe that they could win all of these games and get a spot in the title game? Again, I say no. Theoretically, 2 of the biggest championship contenders, Texas and Oklahoma, will play an elimination game on October 17^th and Florida is in no way a lock to go undefeated in the SEC, despite a relatively soft schedule. There are several other teams that could crash the BCS party; Virginia Tech, Ohio State, Penn State, Alabama, Ole Miss (yeah, really). But think about what will go through the BCS committee’s minds if they are looking at an 11-1 Ole Miss team against an 11-1 Irish team for the title game; who is going to bring in more money and draw in more viewers. Sorry Rebels fans, Jevan Snead is good, but he’s not going out draw the University of Football.

So leave Dr. Lou alone, he’s not that crazy in his prediction. Plus, wouldn’t it be great to see the look on Mark May’s face if Notre Dame actually made or *gasp* won the National Title? Priceless.