ShareThisBy JOHN TUCKER
W-a-a-a-y too much blather about Notre Dame, Charlie (three Super Bowl rings) Weis and the "Mighty Quinn'' recapturing college football's Holy Grail this season.
The hype docs must be working around the clock.
No doubt those Weis revival meetings in South Bend are awe-inspiring affairs _ "win just thirteen for the Gipper.''
And by now, Notre Dame's "9-3 isn't good enough'' slogan has probably been instilled in the mind of practically every "Touchdown Jesus'' worshipper across America.
After the previous decade of mediocrity, 9-3 isn't good enough?
The bigger question is, will 11-2 be good enough? Cause that's about as good as it's going to get for the Irish in 2006-07. Especially with their killer schedule: back-to-back home games against Big Ten powers Penn State and Michigan, followed by a road trip to Michigan State _ all in September.
Then there's Purdue, UCLA and then there's that season-ending trip to Southern Cal.
Oh, yeah, before all that, Notre Dame opens at Georgia Tech Saturday night, and the Yellow Jackets won't be pushovers.
Over the years, the leprechaun has provided many undeserved fortunes for Notre Dame _ exclusive NBC contract notwithstanding _ and the Irish have capitalized to the Nth degree.
But luck has its limits... And 617 yards of offense yielded to Ohio State in last year's 34-20 season-finale Fiesta Bowl loss to the Buckeyes was way over the limit.
Bad news for the Irish: nine starters are back from that sluggish defense.
Notre Dame is back among the elite, for sure. But the Irish are still a few notches below a championship-caliber team. They'll be better, more experienced, but not good enough, not fast enough. Unless Weis has reinvented his defense.
America's college team hasn't won a bowl game since 1993, yet the Notre Dame hype doctors have the Irish poised to win the biggest of 2007.
That's akin to Ohio State fans believing their Bucks will win another national championship with a defense that lost nine starters, six of whom will be playing on Sundays, including all three linebackers.
Sorry Buckeye fans, but if you couldn't win it all with THAT defense AND with wide receiver Santonio Holmes, one of five Ohio State NFL first-rounders, well...
The Unbalanced Line has already eliminated a couple of the top contenders, and they haven't even played a game. Other teams picked by the preseason polls and/or pundits to be crown contenders, but lack the right stuff:
Oklahoma looked real good, especially on the defensive side of the ball, until quarterback Rhett Bomar got kicked off the team for some financial indiscretions.
Phil Steele, no doubt, would love to take back his magazine pick of the Sooners to win it all. But tailback Adrian Peterson, as good as he is, won't be able to carry the offense.
Even without their sensational quarterback, Vince Young, Texas still looks like the class of the Big 12. The Longhorns return 14 starters, including a fleet of top-flight running backs. Their offensive and defensive lines are among the best in the country.
But winning a national title with a redshirt freshman quarterback, even if he was one of the most prolific passers in Texas high school football history, is too tall of an order. So give Colt McCoy, a break.
Cut Southern Cal quarterback John David Booty some slack, too. He takes the reins of an offense that lost two Heisman winners, quarterback Matt Leinart and tailback Reggie Bush, plus 1,300-yard rusher LenDale White.
If USC makes it to, and wins, the BCS title game after losing 11 players to the NFL, Pete Carroll ought to be heralded as the greatest coach of the decade.
As for the speculation that West Virginia _ with its star-studded backfield of quarterback Pat White, tailback Steve Slaton and fullback Owen Schmitt _ belongs in the national championship mix... With nine starters back on offense and a relatively weak non-league slate, the Mountaineers definitely have the path of least resistance to the BCS title game.
Other than road trips to Louisville Nov. 2 and Pittsburgh Nov. 16, there are no obvious stumbling blocks on West Virginia's schedule.
With a couple Heisman candidates in quarterback Brian Brohm and running back Michael Bush, Louisville probably has the best shot of knocking off the Mountaineers. Get by Miami Sept. 16 at home, and the Cardinals may start to garner Cinderella crown status. But a slipper needs to be discovered for the defensive foot.
So West Virginia goes unbeaten, do the Mountaineers get to play for the national title?
Not necessarily. Power rankings and polls, which are expected to factor in strength of schedule, could jump a couple one-loss teams over an unscathed West Virginia.
Scratch West Virginia in the quest for the Grail. Too many mountains to climb.
Who does have the right stuff... the right balance on both sides of the ball, to win those tough road games and every game at home?
There's a temptation to take a long hard look at those Florida teams: the Miami Hurricanes, the Florida State Seminoles and the Florida Gators. Seems every few years, at least in modern history, one of them manages to latch onto the crown.
Florida, laden with senior talent, definitely has championship potential. Quarterback Chris Leak will excel in year two under coach Urban Meyer, who'll probably modify his spread offense a little to accommodate the Heisman-caliber quarterback. The Gators' running game remains a question mark. But their biggest problem is a road schedule that takes them to Tennessee, Auburn and Florida State. SEC championship game appearance, maybe. BCS bowl, iffy.
Bobby Bowden, the winningest coach in college football with 359 in the bank, may be making another deposit on Labor Day, even though banks are closed.
The Seminoles are in Miami, and the Hurricanes again have the kind of defense that wins titles... Add a top-five quarterback in Kyle Wright, a legit All-American tight end Greg Olsen, and things looked pretty good. Until all those suspensions. FSU wins Sept. 4, but Miami gets retribution in the ACC title game.
That might be good enough to get the Hurricanes to the BCS title game.
It won't be good enough to beat the 2007 national champion Auburn Tigers, who feature a complement of running backs as good or better than ever, including Heisman candidate Kenny Irons. Quarterback Brandon Cox led the top-scoring offense in the SEC last year, and he kept getting better as the season progressed.
Auburn faces Florida and Georgia in Jordan-Hare Stadium, perhaps the greatest home advantage in the SEC. So the Tigers win the Holy Grail they should have had an opportunity to win two years ago... Poetic justice.
Unless, a dark horse like Virginia Tech or Penn State sneaks in and unexpectedly seizes it... Which could happen.
(Contact John Tucker at jtucker@unionleader.com)
