Last week Michigan State, at home, could only manage to put up 3 points against Notre Dame. MSU head coach Mark Dantonio has done a superb job in returning that program to prominence after the follies of a couple of his predecessors. The Spartans had aspirations of national recognition this year, and some who had hopelessly overdosed on the green koolaid even mentioned the possibility of a, gasp, national championship. Please. I've said it before but perhaps it bears repeating. Give them all the tequila, moonshine, LSD, whatever, they want, but for God's sakes keep them away from the koolaid. There's something VERY WRONG with that stuff. Nevertheless, putting up a mere 3 points while getting thrashed all over the field at home won't get them there. It gets them OUTTA there. But anything's gotta be better than former coach John L. Smith. Checked him out lately? He's at Arkansas, a preseason #10 team, and everybody but the Campfire Girls are roasting the Razorbacks of Fayetteville come game day this year. One would think even hogs have a certain degree of pride, but maybe not.
The not-so-mighty maize and blue of Michigan, has fared no better. They were ranked in the Top !0 going into the preseason. Predictably, they were obliterated by a vastly superior Alabama team in their opener, barely survived Air Force at home, and beat patsy UMass, also in the Big House. Patsies don't count. Then on to South Bend to face the same Fighting Irish the Spartans did a week ago. End result? 6 points. Like MSU -- OUTTA there. But anything's gotta be better than former coach Rich Rodriguez. RichRod, which is an appropriate nickname for the ridiculous millions UM paid him, took a once proud program and sunk it faster than the Titanic, and deeper than Atlantis. Checked him out lately? Me neither. Who cares? Good riddance.
So if my math is right, the two major football "powers" in the state of Michigan have both played Notre Dame, and racked up a grand total of 9 points over 2 games between them. This is not exactly the stuff that gets a state national kudos. Then again, could it that Notre Dame's really that good? Maybe. Their defense has given up a total of 36 points over the first 4 games. Averaging that out is pretty simple, and 9 is an equally impressive number when used in that regard in the world of big-time college football.
I think it has to do with their new coach. Sure, Notre Dame has as storied a football history as anybody, but consider who some of their most successful coaches were.
Everybody's heard of Knute Rockne and how he's associated with the famous speech about winning one for Ronald Reagan, or something like that. Rockne might sound Irish, but he was born in Norway. Frank Leahy also compiled a very impressive record many decades ago. Not sure about Leahy's ancestry, sounds Irish, but he was born in Nebraska, Cornhusker territory. Ara Parseghan had a good run, but that name certainly doesn't sound Irish. He was born in Ohio. A Buckeye, of all things. Lou Holtz? He's omnipresent. From being a member of Augusta National (home of the Masters), to more coaching stops over his career than Captain Kirk visited planets, to being a motivational speaker for whoever will pay his fee, to constantly popping up as a talking head on various sports telecasts, especially all the ones affiliated with the 4-letter network. The dude's everywhere, but Holtz doesn't sound like an Irish name to me either. He was born in West Virgina. The thought of Lou Holtz once being a mountain man is a very difficult concept to get one's mind around. He never looked anything like those guys in "Deliverance".
But now Notre Dame finally has Brian Kelly as their head football coach. Kelly was born in Massachusetts into an Irish Catholic family, went to St. John's prep school, and was a 4 letter winner at Assumption College as a linebacker. Considering all that, Kelly becoming the head coach at Notre Dame goes way beyond a good fit -- it's almost a holy thing -- blessed -- sacred-- sacrosanct -- and what comes after sacrosanct anyway? I don't know, but whatever it is, I dare say it's not to be taken lightly.
In short order, the two major teams from Michigan have seen the light. OUTTA here.
But in the end, at least as far as college football this year is concerned, none of this matters. Michigan and Michigan State were overrated and put in their places by Kelly and Co., but even the Pope himself roaming the sidelines and calling all the plays for the Fighting Irish would be no match for Nick Saban's boys at Alabama. Sometimes the heathens are just overwhelming.
All that aside, and even after a noteworthy day of college football, which included a few upsets, tomorrow brings another NASCAR "chase" race, a full slate of NFL games (Houston at Denver should be dandy), and Tiger Woods and Rory McIlroy once again neck and neck on the leaderboard in a PGA tournament that could potentially be worth $10 million to whoever wins it. Will Tiger finally get back over the hump, or will the Irish (that seems to be a recurring theme) kid triumph yet again? Perhaps someone else?
Gee. I assume the Detroit Tigers played today, and will likely play tomorrow. Pretty sure they're still in a close race for the AL central division championship. Just don't have the time to check them out lately. Way more interesting things going on.
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