There really isn't much comparison to any other game in the last 20 years----The USC 2005 game was huge but we had already lost and were playing to make a point not to win a title.

 

You have to go back to 1993 to find games where NATIONAL TITLE CONTENTION was at stake. The previous 30 years before 1993 there were MANY MANY big games with national title implications---but since the mid-90s we have been trying mostly to find a signature win, to just claw are way back to respectability.

 

BUT THIS GAME IS A TOTALLY DIFFERENT ANIMAL---

 

We are playing to keep our very strong shot at the TITLE GAME alive---an undefeated ND team , given the obstacles facing the four teams ahead of us, is highly likely to get its shot at the TITLE.

 

Coach Kelly deserves the lions share of the credit----he took a program that was TANKING----and has put us LEGITIMATELY BACK into title contention. He has recruited well--has developed players well--has made his own personal adjustments--has been attentive to the staffs development---has built a DYNAMIC defense that has been lacking for many years.-----

 

This is why we pay him the big bucks----not to go 8-5 --not to recruit OK---but to put us back into the role we used to have--AS A TRUE PLAYER ON THE NATIONAL STAGE!

 

This weeks game is what we have all been waiting for---yes its a little scary---but for Gods sake--we have been losing over these last years to so many SKETCHY TEAMS---HAD SO MANY SKETCHY SEASONS___THIS IS WHAT WE HAVE ALL WANTED---OUR CHANCE TO COMPETE AT THE HIGHEST LEVEL, WITH THE HIGHEST STAKES IN THE BALANCE___ITS A BEAUTIFUL THING___

 

It is a first i believe in college football that half way through a season--an undefeated team is UNDERDOG BY A HIGHER MARGIN THEN OUR AVERAGE POINTS ALLOWED___WOW!

 

Give 9.4 points a game & underdog by 10.5---thats never happened before and the major reason is our recent history----WE HAVE NOT ONLY LACKED SIGNATURE WINS , BUT FRANKLY WE HAVE RARELY EVEN BEEN IN A TRULY NATIONAL BIG GAME SINCE CHARLIES TEAM GOT TROUNCED A FEW TIMES BY USC/LSU/OSU etc--(that OSU game was closer then it looked)--and even those games had "nothing" to do with that national title.

 

Make no mistake fella's a win over oklahoma, as diificult as that appears--will put us ONLY ONE MAJOR OBSTACLE AWAY FROM PLAYING FOR THE NATIONAL TITLE----

 

We should be grateful to Coach Kelly to giving us & our team this special opportunity, and doing it without a seasoned QB.---NONE OF US EXPECTED TO BE THIS CLOSE TO SO MUCH GLORY IN 2012!----

 

Congrats coach kelly for the meaningful games and the thrills of the season so far.

 

Cngrats to our players for playing tough & physical, doing what was necessary, and letting the "LOSER MONIKER" slide away with the past.

 

WIN OR LOSE ITS GOING TO BE GLORIOUS!!____

 

aloha's go irish!

Sorry dude...FSU 1993 was bigger...

If you read the post "dude" i say the biggest SINCE 1993----The biggest game since the FSU game and the 1993 season-- i'm sure you must have figured that out----19 years--20 years ( poetic liscence)----the last time we played with LEGIT national title implications was TWO DECADES AGO!--We have our share of posters who were toddlers the last time we played a game with true title hopes on the line---thats a long FREAKIN TIME AGO!

 

aloha's

Edited October 24, 201212 yr by hawaiiirish

la la la la la. I'm not listening. This thread should be locked so no Irish players accidentally wander on to it.

 

NO pressure or anything, but 20 years of fan frustrations are riding on your trip to Norman. Here's your vomit bag.

totally disagree Hawaii

 

we win this week and next week is all the more important, only differences are the date and our opponents uniform.

 

Really, if BK is the ultimate savior of the program, the biggest game for ND in the last 20 yrs wasn't even an ND game, it was Tex-Nebraska in Big12 championship a few years ago....if UT didn't win, Cinci in title game and who knows who our coach is right now.

This might be one of the two or three most hyped games since 1993, but certainly not the most pivotal. When Ty opened the year 8-0 and ND was a top five team, every game thereafter was crucial. Same holds true now.

 

One could argue that our 4-1 team's game against USC in 2005 was bigger than this one, by the way. Think about this: USC had two Heisman trophy winners on its offense, plus Dwayne Jarrett. ND had Brady Quinn, Szmardija, and Zbikowski, all guys who established their legend that season. In this weekend's game, the only true star is Te'o. Landry Jones is overrated and guys like Stephon Tuitt and Louis Nix haven't quite hit their prime.

The USC match up in 2005 was not in this category for one simple reason---we had already lost to MSU and were not in title contention---yes we were underdogs---yes USC in 2005 was a better team then oklahoma 2012----but we were not in the national championship picture in that game.

 

The bush push game was a game to prove charlie could get it done and that ND was not heading into the abyss---charlie proved that with his SIGNATURE GAME AN IRONIC SIGNATURE LOSS!

 

The texas/nebraska game and its indirect implications about our coach , is an intresting anecdote but is a game NO ND FAN will ever think of again and has no real bearing on our hopes for any national title---if kelly had not won the MAC title maybe he doesn;t get the cinci job then doesn't end up here -so clearly his last season at central michigan was the biggest season for ND----NOT!!

 

The ONLY GAME that could even compare to this was # 6 ND against # 11 FSU in 2002--the last game before the roof fell in on TY permanently.

 

Oklahoma is considered by many the best one loss team around at #8 and we are at # 5---unlike ty's 2002 team this team WILL NOT LOSE TO BC the following week__

 

WE ARE THE #2 DEFENSE--#3 IN THECOMPUTER--# 5 IN THE POLLS----

 

AGAINST ONE OF THE BEST OFFENSIVE TEAMS IN THE COUNTRY----Both teams ranked higher then they were in 2002---We do not have pat dillngham pulling the trigger and have not won with smoke & mirrors---we have won with an ELITE DEFENSE--NOW GOING AGAINST AN ELITE OFFENSE!

 

THIS IS WITHOUT DOUBT THE BIGGEST GAME SINCE 1993___THE BIGGEST OPPORTUNITY AN IRISH TEAM HAS HAD AT WINNING A NATIONAL TITLE SINCE 1993___

 

IF WE WIN__WILL THE USC GAME BE BIGGER?-GIVEN THE RISING STAKES__IT LIKELY WILL BE AS THE LAST BARRIER TO 12-0___

 

But for now---i can say looking back on over 35 years of ND games---THIS OKLAHOMA GAME IS THE BIGGEST SINCE THE 1993 RUN BY MCDOUGAL & HOLTZ AND THE LAST GREAT ND TEAM!____

 

THIS TEAM HAS ITS CHANCE TO JOIN THAT CLUB---It doesn't get bigger in game 8----

 

aloha's go irish!

Sorry dude...FSU 1993 was bigger...

 

2005 USC was bigger than this.....

2005 USC was bigger than this.....

 

This is subjective, but I am going to agree with you on this one. While 93 had a bigger NC implication seeing as how ND lost to MSU in 2005, we were struggling, once again, to prove that we were relevant and dealing with all the hype and crap.

 

This game had an epic lead in and was an epic game. Epic disappointment too. In '93 we were at the height of NCAA glory, I feel 2005 had a bigger meaning.

 

But again, purely subjective.

I'd say in order 93 FSU, 05 USC, and then this week.

If you read the post "dude" i say the biggest SINCE 1993----The biggest game since the FSU game and the 1993 season-- i'm sure you must have figured that out----19 years--20 years ( poetic liscence)----the last time we played with LEGIT national title implications was TWO DECADES AGO!--We have our share of posters who were toddlers the last time we played a game with true title hopes on the line---thats a long FREAKIN TIME AGO!

 

aloha's

 

Then you suck at math or picking thread titles...

2005 USC was bigger than this.....

 

No way...not close.

2005 USC was bigger than this.....

 

No, it is not.

Hawaii is quite correct in his assessment of this game.

In 2005 we were the hunter.

My how things have changed!

In 2012, we are the hunted!

Go Irish!

2005 USC was bigger than this.....

:rofl:

 

Not even close.

No, it is not.

Hawaii is quite correct in his assessment of this game.

In 2005 we were the hunter.

My how things have changed!

In 2012, we are the hunted!

Go Irish!

 

Some of you have short memories...

The 2005 game very realistically could have gotten us to the National Championship game if I remember correctly

No way...not close.

 

You're nuts. #9 on the way up. #1 squad absolutely demolishing teams. Playing a powerhouse juggernaut while riding a tidal wave of offensive firepower as the underdog. 2005 included an irish punt return and a dramatic last minute scoring drive. Throw in a last minute controversial score to decide the game and its already better than the game we are playing Saturday.

The 2005 game very realistically could have gotten us to the National Championship game if I remember correctly

 

Yes, it could have. Not that we belonged there, but 2005 USC was way bigger than tomorrow in Norman....

You're nuts. #9 on the way up. #1 squad absolutely demolishing teams. Playing a powerhouse juggernaut while riding a tidal wave of offensive firepower as the underdog. 2005 included an irish punt return and a dramatic last minute scoring drive. Throw in a last minute controversial score to decide the game and its already better than the game we are playing Saturday.

 

They haven't even played Saturday man. What if we win on a last second TD? That beats a near loss. Hell, if we win Saturday in any fashion it's a bigger game. You can't look back with nostalgia in a losing effort on a team that dropped to 4-2 and finished the season having beaten zero teams that finished ranked and only one team with a winning record, a 7-5 Michigan team.

 

We're not #9 on the way up, we're number 5 and undefeated.

For me, this is the biggest game since '93 FSU for sure.

 

1993 FSU was bigger by far....#1 vs. #2 @ ND in November...no contest.

2005 USC was not close to this for the reasons stated earlier (ND already lost, etc.)

2002 FSU was big but its so hard for me to clear the disappointment of what followed from the build-up to that game (or the immediate afterglow from it). I believe that my mind has willfully blocked it out completely.

 

I am dying here that its only WEDNESDAY...shouldn't it already be FRIDAY by now?!?!?!?!

They haven't even played Saturday man. What if we win on a last second TD? That beats a near loss. Hell, if we win Saturday in any fashion it's a bigger game. You can't look back with nostalgia in a losing effort on a team that dropped to 4-2 and finished the season having beaten zero teams that finished ranked and only one team with a winning record, a 7-5 Michigan team.

 

We're not #9 on the way up, we're number 5 and undefeated.

 

Well then it should be clarified whether we are talking about the hype or the game itself. For the hype, this one might be bigger only because we are actually being given a chance to win. No one thought we could hang with USC in 2005.

 

I realize that this one hasnt been played yet, but if we win on a last second TD on Saturday, Im just saying that it wouldnt compare to a last second TD against the #1 team in the country that probably couldve beaten a few NFL teams. We are ranked higher so if we win....we should have. USC was legendary back then. Oklahoma already has a loss.