Andy

I suspect things like UCLA being ranked 7th by essentially a computer when they have a 35-0 home loss to Stanford on the resume is why the BCS powers that be started ignoring computers (which has been largely to their detriment, I think).

The Panthers aren't trading Williams. He's the only guy on offense worth anything right now.

Michigan will win by at least 10. This. As long as Denard Robinson doesn't get hurt, Michigan isn't going to lose to any teams like Indiana.

GR may be sick of me at this point, but seriously, no one could be more right than he is on this. Te'o leads the nation in tackles on a defense where he's constantly being keyed on because he's by far the best player. He's a monster.

The best team Michigan and Michigan State have combined to beat so far besides Notre Dame is UConn, who got beat handily by Temple, so I'm not sure how good those teams are yet. I do know that both teams made some silly mistakes/coaching decisions against ND that kept them in it when they were struggling. Stanford's really good, clearly, but I hope you'll excuse me for not talking up Michigan and Michigan State too much yet.

ok - first of all - UM fans were livid in RichRod's first year. If you don't think so, teleport yourself back to Michigan that year. It was unbearable. Lots of teams' fans get pissed when their unrealistic expectations aren't met. No one (except maybe Andy) is saying there's a mandate that ND be good every year. They've been treading water (or worse) since Lou left. Lots of people are frustrated. ND doesn't have average talent, which is the most frustrating part. They have youth and inexperience at some very key positions (QB and both OTs) and a couple key injuries (Crist in the UM game and the only FS on the team missed UM and MSU). But a large part of the frustration is the wealth of talent (based solely on recruiting star numbers, which is all casual fans really have to go on, ND is in the #2-5 mix with Florida and Texas, right behind the cheating juggernaut that is Southern Cal). Weis was not a player developer, outside QBs. He just didn't emphasize it enough and it might have been his biggest drawback. But he recruited really well. I don't really think ND is in that mix. Maybe at the glamor positions. If you can look at an Alabama/LSU/Ohio State/Oklahoma game and then at a ND game and tell me the talent level is fairly equal...I don't know what to tell you (not you, you, the casual ND fan or anyone else who would think that). Yeah, I watch Alabama run the ball in dominant fashion week after week and I'm not sure how in the world the talent ND is getting is in the same universe with them. I suppose it's possible that ND will do better with Kelly's players in the system, but it doesn't seem like it's there right now.

It's understandable to a point, but I'm just tired of being the catalyst of helping other teams while still being called irrelevant every week. For God's sake, we've won 3 Heismans for USC in the last decade and it was because of shredding our defense that Troy Smith got thrust to the top of the leaderboard for the Heisman that he eventually won the next year. Kelly is frustrating me too. He gave away 3 points against Michigan at the end of the half and then gave away 3 more against Stanford at the end of the half. The defense is marginally improved but still basically can't stop anybody. Where's the guy that wins everywhere he goes regardless of system? ND's schedule isn't that much better than the slate he romped through at Cincinnati last year. Like GR said, ND is young in all the wrong places and it's kicking them in the teeth consistently.

You guys are completely missing the point I was making. My point is that if ND is going to be trashed by fans and media outlets as being so overrated and all this jazz week in and week out, then I wish every team that beats them wasn't instantly jacked up the rankings and their star players thrown into the Heisman conversation. Those are the kind of things that should happen when you beat a good team, and Notre Dame quite clearly is a notch or three below good at the moment.

Boston College is benching Dave Shinskie and starting someone else next week. Given our track record with young/unproven/first-time starters, I'm guessing I know what this means.

Top 25 games ------------------------ (7) Florida at (1) Alabama (8 pm, CBS) (2) Ohio State at Illinois (12 pm, BTN) (3) Boise State at New Mexico State (8 pm, ESPN3) (9) Stanford at (4) Oregon (8 pm, ABC - Regional) (5) TCU at Colorado State (2 pm, The Mountain) (8) Oklahoma vs (21) Texas – in Dallas (3:30 pm, ABC - Regional) UL Monroe at (10) Auburn (12 pm, ESPNU) (11) Wisconsin at (24) Michigan State (3:30 pm, ABC - Regional) Tennessee at (12) LSU (3:30 pm, CBS) (16) Miami at Clemson (12 pm, ESPN2) (22) Penn State at (17) Iowa (8 pm, ESPN) Washington at (18) USC (8 pm, ESPN2 - Regional) (19) Michigan at Indiana (3:30 pm, ESPNU) Virginia Tech at (23) NC State (3:30 pm, ABC – Regional) (25) Nevada at UNLV (10 pm, The Mountain) Games of interest ------------------------ Texas A&M at Oklahoma State (7:30 pm Thursday, ESPN) Northwestern at Minnesota (12 pm, ESPN) Florida State at Virginia (12 pm, ACC Network) Kentucky at Ole Miss (12 pm, SEC Network) Kansas at Baylor (12 pm, FSN/CSN) Idaho at Western Michigan (2 pm, ESPN3) Washington State at UCLA (3:30 pm, FSN Pacific/Northwest) Ball State at Central Michigan (3:30 pm) Northern Illinois at Akron (6 pm) Duke at Maryland (6 pm, ESPN3) Texas Tech at Iowa State (7 pm, FCS Central) Louisville at Arkansas State (7 pm, ESPN3) Notre Dame at Boston College (8 pm, ABC – Regional) UC Davis at San Jose State (8 pm) Louisiana Tech at Hawaii (11:30 pm) Other nationally available games --------------------------------------- On TV BYU at Utah State (8 pm Friday, ESPN) Temple at Army (12 pm, CBS College) Navy at Air Force (2:30 pm, Versus) Georgia at Colorado (7 pm, FSN/CSN) Georgia Tech at Wake Forest (7 pm, ESPNU) Marshall at Southern Miss (8 pm, CBS College) ESPN3 games Ohio at Eastern Michigan (12 pm) Alcorn State at Mississippi State (12 pm) Vanderbilt at UConn (12 pm) Tulane at Rutgers (2 pm) East Carolina at North Carolina (3:30 pm) Florida International at Pittsburgh (3:30 pm) Florida Atlantic at South Florida (7 pm) UL Lafayette at North Texas (7:30 pm) I-AA games of interest --------------------------------- Fordham at Holy Cross (1 pm) Southern Illinois at Illinois State (2 pm) South Dakota State at Northern Iowa (5 pm) Nationally available games outside I-A ------------------------------------------------- Hampton at Delaware State (7:30 pm Thursday, ESPNU) West Liberty at Fairmont State (8 pm Thursday, CBS College) SE Missouri State at Eastern Illinois (2:30 pm, ESPN3) Cornell at Bucknell (3:30 pm, CBS College) South Carolina State at Florida A&M (6 pm, ESPN3)

Stanford leapfrogs up from 16 to 9 (passing LSU, Wisconsin, Utah and Arizona) after beating the bad/overrated/irrelevant/etc Notre Dame team on Saturday. Wish that standard would cut both ways.

Carson Palmer threw 2 interceptions in the first half plus 4 more that were dropped. And yet Carolina played significantly worse.

Ranked teams Alabama beat last year in regular season: 1.

Charlie Weis could've gotten his [expletive] ass kicked by Stanford just as easily as Brian Kelly can.

The Ireland game has been known for a few years, but today was the site announcement.

Serves me right for zoning in on only one of my leagues. I picked up Mark Sanchez so that won't happen again.

I caught the error earlier when putting together the schedule for the week after this one but it didn't click that it meant they weren't in this week's schedule. This doesn't look like a particularly interesting crop of games either, really, apart from Bama/Arkansas. But then last week had some good games when it looked underwhelming on paper.

I don't blame him - that's a pretty forgettable game for everyone except fans of both teams. I'm looking forward to seeing what Clausen can do with this team, though. I'm hoping he can move our offense up a level from 'morbidly depressing'.

Clausen starts Sunday. Update your fantasy team accordingly (kidding).

Everyone on the team has looked like crap except Smith and Kasay. The line is awful at pass and run blocking, so Williams and Stewart haven't done anything and Moore's been running for his life and making awful decisions. The defense looked hideous against Josh Freeman (who admittedly, seems like he might actually be pretty good). About the only thing they have been able to do is be decent at run defense. And Fox says he doesn't know who starts at QB on Sunday. For the love of God, don't pull a Quinn/Anderson on me. You yanked Moore from a game that was far from over with 8 minutes left. Please do not throw him back out there with a target on his back now. If the Panthers wanted Moore to keep playing, they should not have yanked him. The missiles are in the air now.

Top 25 games ------------------------ (1) Alabama at (10) Arkansas (3:30 pm, CBS) Eastern Michigan at (2) Ohio State (3:30 pm, ABC - Regional) (24) Oregon State at (3) Boise State (8 pm, ABC) (4) TCU at SMU (8 pm Friday, ESPN) (5) Oregon at Arizona State (10:30 pm, FSN/CSN) South Dakota State at (6) Nebraska (7 pm) UCLA at (7) Texas (3:30 pm, ABC - Regional) (8) Oklahoma at Cincinnati (6 pm, ESPN2) Kentucky at (9) Florida (7 pm, ESPNU) Austin Peay at (11) Wisconsin (12 pm, BTN - Regional) (12) South Carolina at (17) Auburn (7:45 pm, ESPN) San Jose State at (13) Utah (9 pm) California at (14) Arizona (10 pm) (22) West Virginia at (15) LSU (9 pm, ESPN2) (16) Stanford at Notre Dame (3:30 pm, NBC) Ball State at (18) Iowa (12 pm, BTN - Regional) (19) Miami at Pittsburgh (7:30 pm Thursday, ESPN) (20) USC at Washington State (3 pm, FSN Northwest) Bowling Green at (21) Michigan (12 pm, ESPN2) Temple at (23) Penn State (3:30 pm, BTN) Northern Colorado at (25) Michigan State (12 pm, BTN - Regional) Games of interest ------------------------ Toledo at Purdue (12 pm, BTN – Regional) Central Michigan at Northwestern (12 pm, BTN - Regional) UAB at Tennessee (12 pm, SEC Network) Miami (OH) at Missouri (2 pm) Army at Duke (3 pm, ESPN3) Wake Forest at Florida State (3:30 pm, ABC - Regional) New Mexico State at Kansas (7 pm, FCS Central) Fresno State at Ole Miss (7 pm, ESPN3) Northern Iowa at Iowa State (7 pm) Akron at Indiana (7 pm, BTN - Regional) Southern Miss at Louisiana Tech (7 pm, ESPN3) Southeastern at UL Monroe (7 pm) Baylor at Rice (8 pm, CBS College) Northern Illinois at Minnesota (8:30 pm, BTN - Regional) Other nationally available games --------------------------------------- On TV NC State at Georgia Tech (12 pm, ESPN) Virginia Tech at Boston College (12 pm, ACC Network) Florida International at Maryland (12 pm, ESPNU) Central Florida at Kansas State (12:30 pm, FSN/CSN) North Carolina at Rutgers (3:30 pm, ESPNU) Tulane at Houston (3:30 pm, CBS College) ESPN3 games Buffalo at UConn (12 pm) VMI at Virginia (1:30 pm) Colgate at Syracuse (3:30 pm) Western Kentucky at South Florida (7 pm) Georgia at Mississippi State (7 pm) Charleston Southern at Hawaii (11:30 pm) I-AA games of interest --------------------------------- Holy Cross at Georgetown (2 pm) Southern Illinois at Youngstown State (4 pm) UC Davis at Weber State (8 pm) Nationally available games outside I-A ------------------------------------------------- Mississippi Valley State at Jackson State (7:30 pm Thursday, ESPNU) American International at Central Connecticut State (8 pm Thursday, CBS College) Florida A&M vs Tennessee State – in Atlanta (3:30 pm, Versus)

The only thing more annoying than Notre Dame being bad is the fact that people are willing to ignore that fact long enough to rank the team that just beat them all the time.

Jimmy Clausen will be starting from now on. Matt Moore got pulled from the game today down 20-7 with 8 minutes to go (obviously not a game-over situation). You don't do that if you're going to pull a Cleveland Browns and go back to Moore. I don't know where the Moore from December 09 went but he's gone and he's not coming back.

I can say with some degree of certainty that it's been a while since I wondered what the hell a coach was thinking to the degree that I wondered it on Kelly's gem calls of an option play and a QB draw on 3rd and 2 and 4th and 1 back to back. Another heart-crushing loss. I'd say ND's used to that by now.

Bowling Green will make it 4. I think they'll be able to win at least two out of IU, Illinois and Purdue. I just watched Purdue half-ass their way to a 24-13 win over Ball State, and Michigan is better than them easily. Robert Marve can't throw a deep ball without firing it 10 yards past his intended receiver, making him a perfect matchup for Michigan's secondary. And IU is IU. So Michigan will be fine as far as a bowl game goes. I'm sure Robinson will single-handedly win at least one other game for them too.