I find it funny watching ESPNU this morning how nobody is giving Notre Dame a chance this Saturday against Oklahoma. One of them actually said that Oklahoma was superior to Notre Dame. I will be the first to admit that this is not the same Notre Dame team as last year. I was pleased with the defensive effort last week.
But the problem I have with that statement that Oklahoma is superior to Notre Dame is this. They may or may not be superior to the Irish. However, the Sooners have done nothing to show that so far this year. They opened the year by beating up on Louisiana Monroe. WOOPIE!!
Then they scored one offensive touchdown to a West Virginia team that got blown out by Maryland. That is nothing to write home about either.
The Sooners then dominated Tulsa. This is not the same Tulsa team that traveled to South Bend and shocked the Irish 3 years ago. They have struggled. They got blown out to Bowling Green and barely beat Colorado State.
The fact is that Notre Dame is in the exact same situation it was in last week with Michigan State. They face a team that is unbeaten but has faced inferior opponents and have had uncertainty on who the quarterback is. Blake Bell will get the start this week after he threw for over 400 yards and 4 touchdowns against Tulsa for the injured Trevor Knight.
That is not to say that Oklahoma won't be a tough opponent. They have two tailbacks in Brennan Clay and Damien Williams who have rushed for a combined 423 yards. But again, it was against inferior competition. Their defense has also been good but I don't believe they are as good as Michigan State's defense.
Oklahoma has had two weeks to prepare and I am sure revenge is on their mind. There is no doubt they will come ready and will give the Irish all they can handle. And maybe they will prove to be "Superior," but make them prove it on the field before you declare that.
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