The last time Notre Dame won a bowl game, current Irish quarterback Brady Quinn was only 10 years old.
Since then, the Irish are a dismal 0-7 in postseason play.
Hypothetically, if a person was introduced to college football, or simply born, in the mid-to-late ’90s with no access to past records, he or she would believe that Notre Dame is an average at-best football team, considering its less-than-stellar recent performances.
It’s too bad most BCS officials are older than 10. It’s also unfortunate so many are enamored with Notre Dame’s distinguished tradition and loyal fan base. But the most disgusting aspect about the Irish is their “special” requirements. See, noted specifically on the BCS’s web page, Notre Dame needs to rank sixth in the final BCS rankings and have nine wins to automatically receive one of two at-large bids into a BCS game – exactly what happened this year, resulting in a Fiesta Bowl bid for the 9-2 Irish.
Take nothing away from Notre Dame – the Irish had a decent season. I say decent because they defeated only three teams (Michigan, BYU and Navy) with winning records and lost to a 5-6 Michigan State team at home.
Fortunately for the Irish, they can rest on their laurels to get them back into the BCS – a place they clearly don’t deserve to be. But with 11 consensus national championships (last one was 17 years ago), seven Heisman Trophy winners (last one was 18 years ago), and an alumni list that includes Knute Rockne, Lou Holtz and the Four Horsemen, it becomes obvious that the Irish have experienced more success than any other college football program in the nation – and keeping that past tradition alive is benefiting the Irish, as they are one of the BCS’s most coveted teams.
Now, with the Irish traveling to the Fiesta Bowl, I guess most will get what they want come the end of bowl season: The Irish will pocket $14.8 million, BCS officials will have higher-than-average ratings, and another team (Ohio State) will hang a leprechaun on its mantle of mediocre wins as Oregon State did after the 2001 Fiesta Bowl, routing the Golden Domers 41-9. How out of place have the Irish been in their last three bowl trips? Well, they’ve been outscored 107-36. Ouch. Tradition only gets you so far I suppose.
But, until the Irish actually play on Jan. 2, Notre Dame fans probably should hush up and lay low. In a recent poll on ESPN.com of whose fans, Oregon’s and Notre Dame’s, should “just shut up” regarding the inevitable BCS controversy this season, 35 states polled thought Notre Dame fans should shut up more than Oregon fans. That’s because the Irish’s biggest argument for leapfrogging a team like the Ducks is based solely on tradition and past laurels, factors that should have nothing to do with bowl game selections.
So, for now, Irish fans, just be thankful you root for the historically-but-not-recently most successful team in college football. And personally, having specific BCS requirements that benefit my team, would hurt my pride.

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