First of all, my prediction is that bama wins by at least 14 against ND..

so don't think I'm calling for an upset or anything, because I'm not. Bama will roll. However, I heard somebody say something about 2002 ohio state the other day and it got me thinking how this is a pretty darn similar situation if you think about it.

In 2002, Miami was the reigning national champ and cruised their way back into the national title game. Ohio State did NOT look very good all year, but they just kept on winning ugly. A last minute long bomb TD to beat a bad purdue team, an OT win against a bad illinois team, etc. They had a gritty defense and JUST enough offense to keep squeaking out wins. Nobody gave them much of a chance against mighty miami, but they just kept hanging around and ended up winning. Of course, McGahee getting injured helped, but still.

Now this year. Even though bama does have a loss, they've still arguably looked like the best team in the country all year and are the defending champs. Winning with a tenacious defense and enough offense. Then there's notre dame, who is undefeated but with some ugly wins. Squeakers against..BYU and Pitt? Yikes. Nobody is giving them much of a shot, but who knows..stranger things have happened. Just thought it was kind of an interesting parallel.