If I didn't feel sick enough watching USC's John David Booty throw two early touchdowns against a Notre Dame defense that couldn't cover Charlie Weis on a 15-yard out -- let alone Dwayne Jarrett -- I hit rock bottom when ABC channel 9 suddenly went out midway through the first quarter.

Nothing but static. No game. No announcers. Nothing.

God probably didn't want me to be tortured by watching the final three hours of the game.

After speeding to a local bar only to discover the game was back on, I rushed back home to see the Irish cut USC's lead to 21-10. That was as close as Notre Dame would come to victory.

It's painfully obvious that Notre Dame won't compete for a national title until at least 2008. That's when the team has a softened schedule, Weis will have his own recruits and the team will hopefully have what it's lacked the past 12 years. Speed.

The defense simply cannot cover anyone. Booty isn't that great of a quarterback but he had three touchdowns before I could drink two beers. The defensive line once again got no pressure on the quarterback and the defensive backs once again failed to pop an opponent's wide receivers at the line of scrimmage. Add in Chinedum Ndukwe's injury forcing rookie David Burton into the lineup and it's easy to see how the Trojans scored 37 points against the Irish defense.

I could go on and on about the poor play of the offensive line, the unforgivable drops by Rhema McKnight which probably changed the entire course of the game, or the awful kick coverage. But there's no point. The bottom line is that Notre Dame is still at least a year away from truly contending for a national title. The schedule next year is brutal and the Irish will be breaking in a new quarterback, two new receivers, and four offensive lineman. The defensive line is gone, as are several linebackers. On top of those losses, Notre Dame starts its season with the following schedule: Georgia Tech, at Penn State, at Michigan, Michigan State, at Purdue, at UCLA, Boston College and USC.

Ouch.

Now the Irish will go to a BCS bowl game they probably shouldn't be in with the real chance of being maimed by another top-tier program. But even if the Irish lose another bowl game, I won't be too upset. Weis has done a great job with some poor players. Yes, Tyrone Willingham gave him Quinn, Walker, McKnight, and Samardzija (who had zero touchdowns in two years under Tyrone). But he also gave him absolutely no offensive lineman, no defense and no place kicker. The media pundits keep crediting Willingham with giving Weis the players to win. Maybe at the skill positions, but not anywhere else. This team still needs some time. Two years ago, I would have been thrilled with a 19-5 record and two BCS bowl appearances. I'm not going to start complaining now.

The one bright spot on Saturday was watching Quinn. The senior piled up 350 total yards and three touchdowns despite no defense, no one to protect him in the pocket and no running game. I'd love to see Troy Smith in the Irish offense and Quinn with Ohio State's, just to see how the two would perform.

In other news, Kip Wells signed a $4 million deal with the defending World Series champions. By the way, he was 2-5 with a 6.60 ERA and a 1.85 WHIP last season. And don't forget he's getting pins removed from his foot this week. How bad is this deal? Let's just say no one in my fantasy league will draft Kip Wells next season. Not even Jason Hummel.

I'm going to tell you a little story about Dave. Dave is a .263 career hitter. Dave has never played a full season. Dave is 33 years old, hit more than 20 home runs in a season once, has never reached the 65-RBI mark, struck out 121 times in 2005 and boasts a .208 career average against left-handed pitching.

His name? David Dellucci. His market value? 3 years, $11.5 million. And I wonder why the Indians haven't won a World Series since 1948.

We now live in a world where Adam Eaton makes $8 million to pitch a baseball. The same Adam Eaton who posted an ERA above 5 and WHIP higher than 1.50 last season. I'm speechless.

At this point, baseball is completely out of control. You've got the rich teams bidding over the right to talk to a player. You've got players losing 13 games and pitching in the deciding game of the National League Championship Series (Oliver Perez, who isn't even available in Yahoo! fantasy leagues). You've got players getting cut by a team only to be picked up by another and then pitching and winning World Series games (Jeff Weaver). And you've got players recovering from elbow surgery that kept them out almost the entire 2005 season banking $8 million to play in Los Angeles (Randy Wolf).

This brings me to my new goal as I head into adulthood. It's a simple three-step plan.

Step 1: Somehow figure out a way to procreate left-handed boys.

Step 2: Make as many as I possibly can.

Step 3: Teach them to pitch.

The best part is I don't even have to completely succeed with step 3 and I'll still be rolling in the money by the time I'm 45. The way Major League baseball is paying crappy players, my boys won't even have to be good. They'll just need a left arm, fingers, a hand, and the ability to throw above 67 mph.

Apparently, those four things are the only criteria required to make big money in the Majors these days.

Back from the Bend. This weekend's games gave us one certainty and a whole bunch of questions marks.

Let's start out with the easy part: Ohio State is definitely the best team in the nation after beating Michigan 42-39.

Beyond that undeniable fact, everything is clear as mud.

Looking at the contenders:

Michigan: The Wolverines are still No. 2 in the latest BCS poll and there's exactly where they shouldn't be. There is absolutely no way Michigan deserves another shot at Ohio State. For three reasons:

1.) Michigan isn't even the best team in their conference. To play in the national championship game, shouldn't you have to be the best team out of the other 10 in your conference? I'd put USC above Michigan here simply because USC won the PAC-10. Michigan's the Big Ten runner-up.

2.) It's grossly and completely unfair to Ohio State. Um, what happens if Michigan somehow wins the title rematch? Now they're the best team in the country? We're just all gonna forget about the first game? Pretend it didn't happen? Give Michigan the mulligan?

Just so I have this straight, let's recap. If Ohio State beats Michigan twice, the Buckeyes are national champs. If Michigan splits the two games, the Wolverines are national champs. Seriously, great system we've got here in college football.

3.) Losing late in the season is more costly than losing early in the season. Sorry, Wolverine fans, this is reality. Whether fair or not, if you lose early, you have time to reconcile that defeat. If you lose in the last game of your season to your biggest rival, you're cooked.

So if Michigan doesn't deserve a title shot, who does?

Notre Dame: Even if the Irish beat USC, the fact remains they still lost to Michigan by 26. There's no reason to think Notre Dame would beat Ohio State if Michigan couldn't. The pollsters haven't liked the Irish all season, so don't expect it to begin now.

Florida: I'm sorry, but if you get out-gained by the Vanderbilt Commodores and need two blocked kicks to beat South Carolina, you're not the second best team in the country. Florida has also stumbled down the stretch, squeaking by Georgia, Vandy, and South Carolina -- all by a touchdown or less. But if the Gators can beat Arkansas in the SEC Championship Game, those close losses will be viewed in a different light.

Arkansas: The Razorbacks have played exceptionally well en route to going undefeated in SEC play thus far. If they can finish off LSU and Florida, Arkansas could have a very legitimate chance of making it to Glendale. Oh wait. Nevermind. The Razorbacks lost to USC 50-14. That's a 36-point loss if you're scoring at home.

USC: The Trojans can claim wins against California, Oregon and Arkansas. They also have a chance to knock off Notre Dame. Those wins will impress the voters enough to move the Trojans to No. 2. Is that fair?

Remember USC did lose to an unranked Oregon State team. At least Notre Dame lost to the No. 2 team in the country. If Notre Dame beats USC, the Irish will still not be considered for the national title game because of its blowout loss to Michigan. But USC can lose to Oregon State and it's ok? How is the Oregon State loss "better" than losing to No. 2 Michigan? By that logic, would the Irish have been better off losing to unranked Michigan State and beating Michigan? I'm so confused.

Rutgers: Welcome back to reality! We all missed you here. It just wasn't the same without you.

So, what to do? Without the obvious best answer (a playoff system), we're stuck with a cluster of one-loss teams, none of which has a strikingly impressive resume which puts it above the rest. If USC wins its last two games, the Trojans will go to the title game. If Notre Dame wins, then it's likely that Michigan gets a second chance. If Florida wins out and USC loses a game, the Gators could sneak in as well.

The only thing we do know is that Ohio State is a notch above everyone else. And all this debating probably won't make much of a difference.

On January 8th, the Buckeyes will likely beat whoever shows up.

I had a funny feeling last weekend when I checked the scoreboards. Washington versus an 0-for-the-season Stanford squad. At home. On Senior Day. A game the Huskies should easily win. A game they got blown out in 20-3.

I can't say I was too surprised. This is the essence of a Tyrone Willingham coached team. Win a few games you shouldn't, lose a lot more you shouldn't. Just when you want to believe in the guy after a 4-1 start and near upset of USC, he rips your heart out, stomps on it and then uses his 7-iron to knock it into the rough by losing 6 straight. Haven't we seen this before? Begin career at new school 8-0, lose three of four in an embarrassing fashion to finish the season. Lose to BYU, beat a top-10 Michigan squad. Win the Pac-10, finish the next year around .500.

There's actually a word for when something happens over and over and over again. It's called a pattern. And if you can't see the pattern of a Tyrone Willingham coached team, then you shouldn't be operating heavy machinery.

I really feel bad for Washington fans at this point. They're stuck between a bad coach and a PR disaster. If they keep Willingham, they continue to lose. If they fire him (a la Notre Dame) they will be called "racist." It's a very unappealing position to be in.

On top of the horrible defeat to the Trees, Willingham did not allow several players, including two starters, to gain fifth-year eligibility prior to the game. How does this make sense? It's not like Washington is turning down recruits at the door. They need all the help they can get. Cutting two starters for unspecified reasons seems like a poor decision for a team that is already young and inexperienced.

I still find it funny that so many writers rushed to Willingham's side after he led the Huskies to a 4-1 start. These journalists were so intent on making Willingham look good, they somehow lost sight of the obvious: He isn't a good coach. Never has been. Never will be. I've met the guy on many occasions when working at Notre Dame and he was always nice to me. I liked him. But facts are facts. He's never been a consistent winner. Ever. Not at Stanford or Notre Dame. He was also never a defensive or offensive coordinator, positions that almost every head coach has had at some point during their careers. This is a very important and often overlooked fact about Willingham. Coaches use their learning experiences as defensive and offensive coordinators to figure out how to game plan and scheme for opponents. Almost all Division I head coaches have toiled in the top coordinator positions.

Willingham has not.

Knowing this information, it's easy to understand why Willingham has struggled and been inconsistent. He simply hasn't had the same training as other head coaches. Hasn't learned the ropes. Hasn't been through the game-planning wars. Therefore it's unreasonable to think he can out coach most Divison I head coaches. In hindsight, it was unfair for Stanford to hire him without coordinating experience. He wasn't ready. Still isn't.

Now Washington fans are the next group to cope with the roller coaster tendencies of a Willingham coached team. And in a year or two, the fan base, players, and administrators will be tired of the poor execution, questionable decision-making and mounting losses. Sure, Ty might pull out a nine-win season one year to save his job for a little longer, but the success won't last.

How do I know?

It never does.

A few random thoughts before I head off to South Bend to watch Brady and Company play their final home game for the Irish.

Am I the only one who finds it interesting that every Notre Dame critic this season seems to point to the team's "easy schedule" as being a negative factor when considering the Irish a national championship contender as well as Brady Quinn a Heisman Trophy front-runner? If you actually look at the facts, Notre Dame has played a much tougher schedule than most people realize. BCS expert Rick Tellshow has Notre Dame's strength of schedule at an impressive 11th. Troy Smith and the Buckeyes? They're 41st.

I watched the replay of Bob Knight's love tap on Michael Prince's chin during a timeout of the Texas Tech/Gardiner Webb game Tuesday night and I had one simple reaction. Nothing. Maybe teaching in the ghetto of Alabama has changed me, but it didn't look outrageous to me. We all know Knight is close to crazy at this point. So he smacked a kid in the chin to get his attention. Big deal. The kid said it wasn't a problem. The parents said it wasn't a problem. Knight said it wasn't a problem. The Texas Tech AD said it wasn't a problem. To me, that means it wasn't a problem. Did ESPN really need to make it the top headline last night and this morning as well as run three separate articles about it? Is that necessary? If Bruce Pearl did that, would it make national headlines? Absolutely not.

Speaking of ESPN, how bad has that network/Web site gotten the past couple years? It's atrocious. Talk about falling from the top. Remember when it had the Olbermann, Patrick, AND Kilborn? Now the main anchorman is Stu Scott. He hasn't even mastered the English language yet. I have to Tivo each segment he's in and replay it so I can find some level of understanding. It's like trying to understand the guy who works for Delta airlines customer service department. You KNOW he lives in India working for 6 cents an hour, but here he is, pretending to be "Charles Thomas". Listening to him stumble through a sentence is almost painful. You just want it to be over and wish you'd never have called in the first place. That's the world I live in when Stu Scott does a segment on SportsCenter. Would Olbermann have ever screamed "Booyah" after every other dunk? I think not.

The Web site might be worse. The front stories are either about Barry Bonds, Terrell Owens, the BCS mess or how Barbaro's foot has healed enough that he's become interested in the philly horses living three stalls down. Here's an idea, how about a story about something relevant? One time fellas? Think about it?

And how in the hell is Linda Cohen still getting paid to work there? Is it like in Office Space when Inatech accidentally keeps paying Milton even though he was supposed to be fired three years ago? Isn't that the only viable explanation for Linda Cohen still being on ESPN? I mean, there's got to be someone better out there. Can't we get Suzy Kolber in the studio? Please?

Question for you: If you have a quarterback who has thrown for 1,300 yards, recorded an 11-to-1 touchdown to interception ratio and kept your team in the playoff race, would you bench him for a veteran who nearly got killed during Week 1 in one of the nastiest hits in recent memory and hasn't seen the field in several months with your playoff hopes riding on winning the next couple games? Me neither. But, then again, neither of us is Herm Edwards.

I am a little surprised Ohio State is a 6.5 favorite against Michigan this Saturday. The Wolverines have played with a chip on their shoulder all season, overcoming doubters since Week 1. Hearing the Buckeyes are decided favorites can only add fuel to that fire. It's going to be an interesting game, for sure. Ohio State has won convincingly in every game this season except Penn State and Illinois, garnered the undisputed No. 1 ranking, and tout having perhaps the "best" player in the country. But everyone keeps forgetting, Michigan's defense will easily be the best unit Ohio State has faced all season. By far. No question. The Buckeyes schedule has seen them beat an overrated Texas team breaking in a freshman quarterback in early September, an ugly win over Penn State, and a convincing victory against 6-5 Iowa. None of those defense are in the same stratosphere as Michigan's. Am I the only person who thinks the Wolverines are going to present major problems for the Buckeye offense?

One last note on this game: If you've watched Mike Hart run at any point this season, you've seen one pissed off guy. I mean, he looks like someone who lost his girlfriend to another man and has been taking his anger out on any collegiate defense he can find. Goof grief, is he a hard runner. Every time he runs, he's got the same look Rudy had when he's getting ready to hit the tackling dummy in his last high school practice. Except, Hart's actually good.

Finally, I expect the Irish to play well as they complete their trifecta with the service academies. I always get a little nervous when Notre Dame plays Navy, Air Force, or Army simply because all three of those teams play their best games against the Irish. Or Notre Dame plays its worst games against the academies. Either way, here's hoping for a comfortable tune up before the showdown with Southern Cal on the 25th.

Be back Sunday. Go Irish.

So, a lot happened while I was flying across the country from Seattle to Atlanta last weekend.

First, Auburn showed the nation what I have been preaching for weeks -- that the Tigers are grossly overrated. The only thing that surprises me about the thrashing Auburn took at the hands of Georgia is the fact that so many people were shocked. You mean Brandon Cox isn't a good quarterback? Really? We just figured this out in mid-November? All this time I thought having a one-dimensional offense was a good thing.

Let's just say this: If Florida was a cat, it would be on life 8 right now. They had to block an extra point AND a field goal to hold off 5-5 South Carolina? That's not good. At all. And I thought Urban Meyer was bringing an exciting and electrifying offense to the SEC. This team has gotten worse offensively every game. On top of that, the Gators face powerhouse Western Carolina this weekend. The same Western Carolina team that got shutout 21-0 to Liberty. Let that sink in a minute. I know Notre Dame faces the service academies this season, but Western Carolina is on a whole other level of awful. Florida should be placed on probation for scheduling this game.

Then there's Texas. Sure, you can blame the Longhorns loss against Kansas State to quarterback Colt McCoy injuring himself early in the game. That's fine. Do it. Go ahead and think that way if it makes you feel better. However, I'm going to go out on a limb here and blame the Texas defense, which surrendered an amazing 45 points to the Wildcats.

45 points. To Kansas State. And it's Colt McCoy's fault for being hurt? That makes sense. I'm going to go bathe in broken glass now.

I'll say this about Louisville, West Virginia, and Rutgers: Just because you're the smartest retard, doesn't mean you're smart.

When I fell asleep on the plane, somewhere around Idaho, California was up on Arizona 17-3 at half. I woke up a couple hours later and the Wildcats somehow came from behind to pull off a 24-20 upset. I promptly proceeded to high-five all passengers around me.

So now that four one-loss teams have fallen, somehow, someway, whether-deserving-or-not, Notre Dame has risen back into national championship contention. The Irish have a very conceivable route to the big game. Obviously, they must beat Army and Southern Cal, and also hope the Trojans win next weekend against the Golden Bears. Next, they need either OSU or Michigan to win by more than a few points. And finally, they don't necessarily need Arkansas and Florida to lose, but it surely doesn't hurt.

I am well aware that it is too early to even think about ND making the title game because 1.) Too much can to happen still and 2.) ND has not gotten past a very good USC team.

Still, it's too enticing to pass up. Assuming ND beats USC, does Notre Dame deserve a chance at the national title? Here are some reasons for and against that scenario:

Pro: Notre Dame will be 11-1 -- The Irish will have just one loss, albeit a bad one, to the No. 2 team in the nation. The Irish will boast wins against GT on the road, a blowout of a respectable 7-4 Penn State squad, and a victory on the road against a top 5 BCS team late in the season. Questions of whether Notre Dame is legit should be buried with the conquering of Troy.

Con: Notre Dame is 11-1 -- While that record is very good, the Irish completely stunk against Michigan. I was there and it was embarrassing. It's hard to argue that a one-loss ND team should get a second chance against the Wolverines when Michigan absolutely thrashed the Irish the first time around. Arkansas could also be 11-1 and have a flawless record in SEC play. The Razorbacks surely have an argument for making the title game. And don't forget about Rutgers, who might be sitting a perfect 12-0 assuming the Scarlet Knights defeat West Virginia.

Pro: Notre Dame is a sexier matchup than other one-loss teams -- If you want ratings, the Irish are your team. Because Notre Dame stirs so much emotion in college football fans, the Irish will draw a gigantic fan base to watch the title game. Would Arkansas, West Virginia, Rutgers, or anyone else make the national championship contest must-see TV? Probably not. Sponsors are on ND's side.

Con: That's an unfair way to choose the national championship opponent for the OSU/Michigan winner -- I agree. I hope ND gets picked for its merit on the football field and not for outside reasons. The strongest candidate, if it wins against LSU and Florida, is Arkansas. The Razorbacks are flat-out nasty and have played so well since the USC debactle that people are starting to say that game was 'closer than the score', as Mark Schlabach from ESPN.com said in a recent chat. By the way, the Trojans won that game 50-14.

Pro: There is no outstanding one-loss team that separates itself from the pack -- If Notre Dame beats USC, it's going to be hard to pick a team, such as Arkansas (who lost to the Trojans so badly early in the season) over the Irish. It will also be difficult to choose a Florida team that has looked unimpressive as of late and hasn't beaten anyone since its Tennessee victory in September.

Con: The Irish nearly lost to Michigan State and UCLA, they can't be the best one-loss team -- A win over the Trojans makes those close victories seem better. However, critics will argue that a team that should have lost to the Spartans and the Bruins has no right to be in the title game.

As strange as it sounds, if Notre Dame beats USC ( a big if, I know) they will probably go to the title game. Why? Because they will jump Florida, (who no one thinks deserves a shot,) hold off Arkansas (who got blown out by the same Trojans earlier this year) and push away Rutgers (name one team either the Scarlet Knights, Mountaineers, or Cardinals has beaten, besides themselves this season). It might seem unfair, uncanny, or unbelievable, but it's likely the scenario for the Irish.

We'll have a much better idea in the next 12 days.