Updated 7:21 p.m ET: As expected, No. 3 Notre Dame took care of business and beat Wake Forest 38-0 on an emotional senior day.
The Irish looked as good offensively as they did against Miami and Oklahoma. Since it’s against Wake Forest, we’re not going to make a huge deal out of it and assume it’s better than the alternative (that is, not looking good against a bad opponent).
But whether Notre Dame won convincingly or not, Brian Kelly‘s team is still in the same position it was before today: they need either Oregon or Kansas State to lose. And now that USC is sliding, there’s just not much to gain for Notre Dame going forward even if it finishes undefeated.
That’s been the weird narrative for Notre Dame all season. The preseason schedule looked daunting, but Michigan State, BYU, USC... they’ve all struggled more than expected. Certainly that’s not Notre Dame’s fault, but when you add in the fact that voters aren’t as enamored with the Irish as they are with Oregon and K-State, well, the Irish are in the wrong spot this year.
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With the 2012 season winding down, the national conversation has switched to the remaining schedules for the three unbeaten teams competing for the two slots in the BCS championship.
For No. 3 Notre Dame, that means a home game today against Wake Forest and a season-finale against No. 21 USC. The general belief is that the Irish would be left out of the title game if they, Oregon and Kansas State all finish undefeated. While it’s yet to be seen if that turns out to be the case tonight -- remember when we (the media) thought Alabama was invincible? -- the only thing Notre Dame can do is win out.
It looks like Notre Dame will do just that against Wake Forest -- at least for this week -- and yes, that is me covering my behind in the event of a comeback. It’s a 31-0 game at the start of the second half and Notre Dame’s offense looks as good as it has all season. Everett Golson already has over 300 yards passing and three touchdowns.
At this point, the BCS conversation often becomes about “style points”, but I’m not sure even beating Wake Forest (or USC, perhaps) by 40 is going to change anything for Notre Dame since the computer averages don’t take margin of victory into consideration, and the voters just aren’t as in love with Notre Dame as Oregon and K-State.