Purdue coulda’, but didn’t. Northwestern shoulda’, but stumbled. Illinois woulda’, but was stopped just short. Notre Dame, though, managed just fine.
A team that had been deemed dead and buried before the current college football season had even been born, the 7-2 Fighting Irish continued their renaissance Saturday with a 28-16 victory over Boston College.
On a weekend in which Rose Bowl hopefuls Purdue and Northwestern both lostgames they were favored to win, and Illinois continued its descent, the Irish sneaked ever closer to securing a berth in a Bowl Championship Series game.
While the Big Ten has little to do with the BCS this season, four teams are tied for first place–Purdue, Michigan, Ohio State and Northwestern. Purdue can earn a Rose Bowl appearance by defeating Indiana Saturday. Northwestern can earn one by beating Illinois at home if Purdue and Ohio State lose.
Notre Dame remained at No. 11 in the Associated Press writers’ poll Sunday, and moved up one spot, to No. 11, in the ESPN/USA Today coaches’ poll. But its BCS standing, 12th going into the game, could rise as high as 11th with the losses by ninth-ranked Purdue and fourth-ranked Nebraska. The Sugar and the Fiesta Bowls covet Notre Dame, whose national drawing power will work in its favor against other BCS-eligible teams.
The Fiesta Bowl has a particularly close relationship with the Irish, who won the national title in 1988 in Tempe, Ariz. And in 1994, the Fiesta extended the 6-4-1 Irish, unranked at the time, a berth.
From the start, coach Bob Davie has been telling his team that it should focus on playing well and ignore the polls and predictions.
“I think we are a better football team now than we were at the beginning of the season,” Davie said.
“We knew we’d have a chance at the BCS and that’s our goal right now,” Anthony Weaver said.
“We know that we have our destinies in our own hands,” added teammate Anthony Denman.
Wide receiver Joey Getherall said keeping the faith after starting quarterback Arnaz Battle was lost for the season after the Nebraska game was not easy, especially when the Irish struggled the next two weeks with tight-end-turned-replacement starter Gary Godsey.
“But everyone knew we had to [keep going],” Getherall said. “We weren’t going to let the season unravel for ourselves.”
Under current starter Matt LoVecchio, a freshman, the Irish have gone 5-0.
Rutgers (3-6) and Southern Cal (4-6) should not be significant roadblocks on Notre Dame’s drive to the BCS. But Northwestern’s 27-17 loss Saturday to unranked Iowa, which dropped it to 23rd in the writers’ poll and 24th in the coaches’ poll, provides a sobering glance at the perils of overlooking an opponent.
That, the Irish promise, is something they do not intend to do. “We’ve got a couple of tough road games ahead of us and we’re not going to take anything for granted,” Weaver said.
The memories of a 5-7 1999 season are too fresh.
“We’ve got a chance to go to a BCS bowl and I think that’s good for everybody. I think Notre Dame needs this,” cornerback Brock Williams said. “People have been down on Notre Dame and this has been a shocking year, a big turnaround.”
Illinois update: Illinois junior quarterback Kurt Kittner, who sustained a concussion against Ohio State, was held out of practice Sunday and his availability for Saturday’s game at Northwestern remains uncertain. Junior tailback Rocky Harvey also was injured Saturday (hyperextended right knee) but has been cleared to play against the Wildcats. Cornerback Bobie Singleton remains questionable with a knee sprain. Cornerback Anthony Hurd (torn hamstring) is out for the season.
AP TOP 25
First-place votes in parentheses
Rank, team rec pts prv
1. Oklahoma (70) 9-0 1,774 1
2. Miami 8-1 1,690 2
3. Florida State (1) 10-1 1,629 3
4. Florida 9-1 1,551 5
5. Oregon 10-1 1,490 6
6. Washington 9-1 1,429 7
7. Virginia Tech 9-1 1,328 8
8. Oregon State 9-1 1,263 10
9. Kansas State 9-2 1,124 16
10. Nebraska 8-2 1,101 4
11. Notre Dame 7-2 1,006 11
12. Ohio State 8-2 957 13
13. Miss. State 7-2 896 15
14. Texas 8-2 725 19
15. Texas Christian 8-1 679 18
16. Clemson 8-2 662 17
17. Purdue 7-3 603 9
18. Auburn 8-2 599 22
19. Michigan 7-3 543 20
20. Georgia Tech 7-2 469 24
21. Texas A&M 7-3 328 23
22. Georgia 6-3 322 14
23. Northwestern 7-3 284 12
24. Southern Miss. 7-2 238 25
25. South Carolina 7-3 121 21
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Others receiving votes: LSU 97, Tennessee 56, Louisville 49, Toledo 17, UTEP 14, Air Force 8, Colorado State 7, Iowa State 6, Mississippi 3, N.C. State 2, Western Michigan 2, Wisconsin 2, Boise State 1.
USA TODAY/ESPN POLL
Rank, team rec pts prv
1. Oklahoma (57) 9-0 1,473 1
2. Miami (2) 8-1 1,407 2
3. Florida State 10-1 1,357 3
4. Florida 9-1 1,297 4
5. Washington 9-1 1,196 6
6. Oregon 9-1 1,169 7
7. Virginia Tech 9-1 1,115 8
8. Oregon State 9-1 1,025 10
9. Kansas State 9-2 966 11
10. Nebraska 8-2 887 5
11. Notre Dame 7-2 812 12
12. Ohio State 8-2 802 14
13. Miss. State 7-2 726 16
14. Clemson 8-2 672 15
15. Texas 8-2 631 19
16. Texas Christian 8-1 563 17
17. Purdue 7-3 512 9
18. Michigan 7-3 449 21
19. Auburn 8-2 410 23
20. Southern Miss. 7-2 323 22
21. Georgia 6-3 297 13
22. Georgia Tech 7-2 261 —
23. Texas A&M 7-3 154 24
24. Northwestern 7-3 141 18
25. Tennessee 6-3 102 —
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Also receiving votes: Colorado State 91, South Carolina 77, Louisville 69, Louisiana State 39, Toledo 36, Mississippi 32, Texas-El Paso 24, Wisconsin 16, Iowa State 14, Western Michigan 8, North Carolina State 6, Michigan State 5, San Jose State 5, Air Force 4, East Carolina 2.
HOW BAGNATO VOTED
How Tribune college football writer Andrew Bagnato voted in Nov. 12 AP poll:
1. Oklahoma
2. Miami
3. Florida State
4. Oregon
5. Washington
6. Florida
7. Oregon State
8. Notre Dame
9. Virginia Tech
10. Kansas State
11. Nebraska
12. Ohio State
13. Texas A&M
14. Mississippi St.
15. Purdue
16. Texas
17. Northwestern
18. Michigan
19. Auburn
20. Georgia Tech
21. Louisiana State
22. South Carolina
23. Georgia
24. Texas Christian
25. Louisville
