This time around, beating Oklahoma might be vital for the Irish just to get into a decent bowl.
Notre Dame doesn?t have any direct bowl ties, and while some minor postseason game will happily break its contract and find a way to make it happen, that?s not exactly the goal coming off a 12-1 season. Like early on last year, the Irish haven?t set the world on fire, but this year includes a loss to a suddenly-shaky Michigan team that doesn?t look so hot. Follow that up with a rough win over a horrible Purdue squad and a dogfight with a Michigan State team that can?t play a lick of offense, and there?s reason for concern. With Arizona State next, USC to follow, Navy, Pitt, BYU and Stanford still a part of the fun, a loss to Oklahoma could be devastating.
Meanwhile, the Sooners could become this year?s out-of-the-blue national title contender. They haven?t been tested yet -- beating ULM, West Virginia and Tulsa -- but the defense has been fantastic, the offense appears to have settled in with Blake Bell at quarterback, and the Big 12 schedule ahead doesn?t look that bad. Beating Notre Dame for the first time since 1956 wouldn?t get the college football world buzzing about a possible BCS championship, but with TCU and Texas up next, this could be a big stepping-stone game for a team trying to move up the rankings.
Oklahoma isn?t a good fit for the Irish offense. Notre Dame doesn?t/can?t run the ball effectively, and it doesn?t utilize a dangerous scrambler at quarterback who can make things happen on the move. Tommy Rees has been excellent so far, but dropback passers aren?t really a problem for this OU secondary that?s ninth in the nation in pass efficiency D. The relatively unsung Sooner defensive front gave up 169 rushing yards to West Virginia, and Tulsa got in a couple of scores, but for the most part nothing is consistently getting through, which bodes well for the Sooners.
Oklahoma?s offensive balance won?t explode on the solid Notre Dame defense, but it?ll do just enough to get by on the road. The Sooner running backs will be better than the Irish linebackers, and Rees won?t be able to pick up the slack for the lack of a steady running game.
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Just Ouch
