Worth a 2nd Look

Everyone who knows me knows that I usually allow a celebration on the Monday after a big game and then it’s on to the next opponent. However, with the win on Saturday, so much happened that to go through it in its entirety would have taken a lot of space and maybe not everyone wants to read the gory details, especially our Domer (JEEZ I HATE THESE GUYS!) brethren. But for those that simply can’t get enough of this memorable victory over the much hated rivals of South Bend, here’s some more by the numbers:

1. Michigan is still the best damn program on top of College Football in all the land. With a winning percentage of 0.73982, followed by the much hated Domers with 0.73639 and Texas with 0.71785. And that includes Domer wins over schools that no longer exist and “High Schools” from around Chicago. The NCAA has reviewed and reviewed this and has let the victories stand, but statisticians around the country have removed some of those wins and Texas is a whole lot closer or even ahead of the Domers in winning percentage when you take those out.
2. Total Wins and Games Played….To say that I am extremely pleased that the Wolverines move the Domers down a notch on this list is an understatement:

Rank Team Won Lost Tied Played
1 Michigan 872 295 36 1203
2 Texas 832 317 33 1182
3 Domers 831 284 42 1157

So the Domers lose out by a game to Texas for Games Won. I am sure that the faithful are looking at that and the 30-22 record for Wuzzles (that’s .580 in percentage terms) and the hate is growing…but I could be wrong.
3. Michigan Defense – While I knocked them pretty hard for Saturday’s performance, I wasn’t aware that Cissoko was as banged up as he was. In addition, when you look at the front O-line of the Domers, we were outweighed by nearly 35 lbs. on average. Yes, they gave up 490 yards, but I think the Domer offense has improved in the last year since we played them. Time will tell, but the Domers might surprise some people, including the Rubbers. They will need that win big time to Save the Wuzzles – if that’s the plan.
4. Brandon Minor. I’m glad he’s back. He quietly rushed for 109 yards and could have rushed for more as I saw holes in the Domer’s front line that we weren’t exploiting nearly as much as we should have. But I digress from the true hero….
5. Tate Forcier. I really don’t know what to say about this wunderkind that hasn’t already been said. Who does he remind me of? Doug Flutie comes to mind. But in Michigan’s lineage, I don’t know that we ever had a wiry, scrambling, passing attack like the one we have right now. Leach? Harbaugh? Henson doesn’t qualify as he didn’t play long enough…Demetrius Brown and Michael Taylor – but not like this… And he’s doing it as a Freshman. I am more impressed with the game presence (Poise is so over-used) then I am with the actual ability...And if he’s this good this early, where does he go from here? Don’t sweat the INT late in the 4th – upon review that was a Matthews misread on the defense. And the Savoy drop was the only incompletion in that last drive. Living with the last minute finishes is going to be a little easier with Forcier in there...and he knew that the 4th down field goal would tie the game and take it to OT, so he was playing with somewhat of a cushion. Except that we didn’t have a proven kicker that could make the clutch kick, so I was glad it turned out the way it did.
6. The Tuna (Wuzzles) has a losing record against the arch Rivals – Michigan, USC, and MSU. Go away Purdue and Navy. Granted, those are rivals and bad losses, but you are measured by Michigan, USC and MSU. And right now, Wuzzles sucks. Should the Sparties pull off the upset, well, I can’t imagine that Wuzzles makes the Presser on Monday. If he does, than it all comes down to October 17th when USC visits South Bend. So Circle October 18th as a possible “Announcement Day” when the “Tuna gets Canned”. Of course, all bets are off if MSU, Purdue or Washington pull off upsets or a combination of those teams manage to squeak a victory away from the Domers – then it could all get accelerated.
7. The game stats are still surprising. Notre Dame, similar to what Michigan did last year, beat the Wolverines in practically every category except Yards rushing fumbles lost and kick-off return yards. And of course the final score….
8. Hee-hee……MMQ’s brother just sent an e-mail asking if it was bad to take satisfaction in the fact that either Sparty or the Domers will be 1-2 on Saturday night…I said, yes, because then you are stooping to their level.
9. But in this particular case, it’s okay.
10. I can’t stop laughing and smiling to myself– is that a bad thing?
11. JEEZ I HATE THESE GUYS!

So, to give the Domers a little something to chew on in this post, let’s can the Tuna right now. Sorry, Charlie. Your yesterday’s news. The AD obviously isn’t running the show or it may have already happened. But the real question here is:

Who will they get? And what, MMQ, are the odds on those individuals?

25-1 Peterson – Boise State. Has to be the number one guy on several search lists and Notre Dame might be one school he seriously looks at, but he has turned down numerous other offers.

30-1 Wittingham – Utah. This guy is young and keeps making the BCS with good teams out of the MWAC. But he might be eyeing a PAC 10 job when the right one comes along – I know he was rumored for the UCLA gig but politely declined.

30-1 Kelly – Cincinnatti. I don’t know what is with this guy, but the schools that have hired in the last couple of years have really taken a hands off approach. Maybe he’s told them that he wants an out in the contract for Notre Dame? With a name like Kelly, he has to be interested…But are they interested in him?

35-1 Skip Holtz – East Carolina. An obvious legacy and another candidate for top schools – but no offers. Is he holding out for the Notre Dame job?

Long Shot: 100-1 Urban Legend Meyer. Stop Laughing - Now. The Reasons? What else can he do at Florida – assuming they win it all again this year? And Tebow is gone after this year. Granted, he’s as much a part of that University as Spurrier ever was, but he might want to fix the school that can’t be fixed and take on the challenge. The pros simply aren’t an option for Urban….Midwest boy Saves The Domers….What a story, eh? And the Domers would pay dearly to have Urban Legend roaming the sidelines. Only Urban's Ego can keep him at Florida and away from the Domers. If he starts feeling full of himself, well, he may go to see what he can do.

Whoever it is, I have a feeling that for the Domer faithful, it can’t happen soon enough. But, to continue banging the drum – Notre Dame can’t fix the problem when it HASN’T recognized, or rather, refuses to recognize what the basic problem is: No Conference affiliation.

The fire Charlie and pro Irish websites are all of the belief that a new and “forward thinking” coach can make everything right again inside the hallowed halls of South Bend. And while that might be true for a short period of time, the absence of having a conference allegiance will eventually doom Notre Dame to 2nd tier Bowls and continued mediocrity. I have stated the reasons before and they still hold true now. But the arrogance and stubbornness of the Domer elite will eventually be its long term downfall.