Earlier this year, the Fanhouse noted the relative vectors of Texas and Notre Dame, suggesting that if ND was as epically bad is they appeared to be at 0-4, a ten-win-or-so year from the Longhorns could result in Notre Dame losing its hallowed spot as the team with the second-most wins all time (#1 Michigan remains 40-some games ahead of both chasers):As of now, the Longhorns are just four games behind Notre Dame for #2 all time. If Notre Dame goes 4-8, which looks like an absolute best-case scenario, Texas can pass ND if they go 13-1, which would require making the Big Twelve Championship game and either winning it or losing it -- not likely -- and winning their bowl game. If Notre Dame goes 3-9 or 2-10, things get considerably easier, ie: can-lose-to-Oklahoma-like-everyone-expects easier.Six weeks have passed since that post. Thanks to a stirring 21-point comeback that led to a 38-35 win over Oklahoma State, the Longhorns have gone 4-1 in that span. And thanks to a lot of hideous play on Notre Dame's part and some incredibly worse play on the part of UCLA's third-string walk-on quarterback, Notre Dame has gone 1-4.
Unless you're Charlie Weis, you can probably add (25 yard line + 17 yards = ??? 85?), but in case you are: that means this week could be the catch. If Texas beats Texas Tech (and the Longhorns are favored by 6.5) and Notre Dame loses to Air Force (and the Cadets are favored by three), Texas and Notre Dame be tied with 822 victories, and Texas would have a shot to pass Notre Dame as the season wraps up.
Texas, of course, would also have a shot at a bowl win, something that will elude Notre Dame unless the BCS hastily changes its bylaws to accommodate what's probably the best 1-8 team in the history of Notre Dame. And that's saying a lot.
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Reader Comments ( Page 1 of 1)
1. WHOCARES
Posted at 6:22PM on Nov 5th 2007 by dot-head
2. Notre Dame SUCKS. If you take out their wins against the academies, they drop like a rock in the stats.
Posted at 6:53PM on Nov 5th 2007 by Bobby Dodd
3. Where's Ty Willingham when you need him......
Posted at 7:11PM on Nov 5th 2007 by EskinSux
4. bobby, your argument about the academies is pointless. every team schedules cupcakes, but i don't see you discounting Texas' wins over the Baylors, sam huston states, north texases, or louisiana- lafayettes of the world. In any case, ND makes up for its longstanding series with the acadamies by consistantly having one of the more difficult schedules in the country. who else plays michigan and USC every year? noone...
Posted at 7:40PM on Nov 5th 2007 by BigRed84
5. And who else LOSES to Michigan AND USC EVERY SINGLE YEAR!!! I'll give you a hint - It's not Texas
Posted at 8:28PM on Nov 5th 2007 by moron
6. I am just glad my Navy team won, and broke the curse.
hated ND forever, may they never get better with that fat coach
Posted at 11:47PM on Nov 5th 2007 by tj
7. Man, you people who post here are mean spirited.
Too bad that you don't have the same passion about repairing these broken United States of America.
Posted at 8:51AM on Nov 6th 2007 by Buster Conway
8. Ohio State plays USC and Michigan next year, and the year after that.
Posted at 9:35AM on Nov 6th 2007 by OhEssYou
9. Every team schedules cupcakes, but ND schedules 2 or 3 academies PLUS 2 or 3 other weak sisters a year. Then they line up and get whipped by any ranked teams they face, get a BCS bowl bid and get whipped again.
This year they are getting payback for all the free rides. Enjoy it, because the rest of us that play in real conferences against real contenders are laughing every saturday.
You Golden Domers have a great New Years Day this year.
Posted at 10:09AM on Nov 6th 2007 by Bobby Dodd
10. Vegas is wrong then. According to both the University of Texas and the NCAA, Texas currently has 818 wins, while Notre Dame has 822. Unless Texas can win 4 games this Saturday, Vegas is wrong.
Posted at 5:01PM on Nov 6th 2007 by Jeffrey
11. I believe that forfeits make up the discrepancy between Stassen's records and the NCAA records. In '93, '94, and '97, opponents had to forfeit wins over Texas, which are now counted as wins by Stassen. (Texas Tech had to forfeit their '93 and '94 wins over Texas; Colorado had to forfeit its '97 win over Texas).
So Texas can catch ND this week in total wins-- if you count an opponent's forfeit as a win.
Posted at 5:21PM on Nov 6th 2007 by Kevin C
12. Texas Tech DID NOT have to forfeit their 93 or 94 wins against Texas. While they got called on for NCAA action, no games were forfeited and that was accepted by the NCAA. Texas Tech does not have forfeits listed, nor does Texas claim those wins (they couldn't if they wanted, which they don't). These forfeits are the product of someone's imagination. Plus, by NCAA rule, no team has to accept forfeits they don't want. This is why Texas and both 818 wins in their counts.
Regardless, when the NCAA releases their official record book next year Notre Dame will be listed with more wins than Texas. Who really what mickeymouse.com or wherever else has for their win totals?
Posted at 5:36PM on Nov 6th 2007 by Jeffrey
13. Notre Dame still has 11 National Championships.You can't take that away.Look at the teams ND plays.They want to play a hard schedule so when they win the National Championship they can say they beat the best.All you ND haters enjoy it while you can because you can't keep ND down forever.Look at the week schedule Ohio State is playing this year.My God,the BCS has got to be turning red in their faces about the Ohio State schedule.If they get by Mich.(which I don't think they can) the results will be the same as last year with LSU or the DUCK'S on top.
Posted at 5:58PM on Nov 6th 2007 by Gary Badders
14. Sorry about that I meant to type Weak schedule for Ohio State
Posted at 6:03PM on Nov 6th 2007 by Gary Badders
15. Notre Dame sucks, yes but Charlie 'Jabba the hut' Weiss' job is safe. ND will never join a confrence & play real competition,,, here is why: Last 2 years they played in BCS bowl games and were given 16 million for each. They shared that money with no one because they are not part of a confrence.
What a joke,, and they got blown out in both games.
Charlie is clueless, but he made the program 32 million in his first 2 years.
Join a confrence you greedy slobs.
Posted at 3:46PM on Nov 8th 2007 by john
16. ND decision to not join a football conference is motivated by several factors - financial being one. But not being in a conference allows them to play a much more national schedule -- games with usual Big Ten and Pac Ten opponents, and then games in the East and South as well. It contributes to the university's national appeal (or hatred for some). Joining a conference would mean only having three games outside one's region. The student body is intentionally from all parts of the country (and world)and its alumni are particularly spread out nationally. Because they play all regions of the country, alumni fans can see their team in their area much more often than a team devoted to a conference.
Posted at 5:20PM on Nov 9th 2007 by John