I posted this in response to a question I was asked by fan82 on another blog, so I'll repost it here...

...I have a strange hunch that this Saturday against Stanford, The Irish will bounce back and win.  Why?  Several reasons:

First, because they are not as bad as the 1-2 record they have right now...a couple breaks the other way would have them 3-0. 

Second, last year in Palo Alto, the Cardinal barely beat the Irish WITH Toby Gerhart and he's gone now.  Yes, they still have Andrew Luck at QB and he's damn good, but I have the feeling the Irish will be ready for him.

Third, while Stanford may be 3-0, that is against Sac State (an FCS team, and a shitty one at that), UCLA (lower-tier Pac-10 team), and Wake Forest (not exactly dominating the ACC).  Notre Dame, meanwhile, has beaten Purdue (will make a bowl somewhere), but lost to both Michigan teams narrowly (both are now in the top-25). 

Lastly, ND gets Jamoris Slaughter back from an injury this week and that will help the pass defense, while Stanford may/may not have their best reciever in Ryan Whalen available due to an injury, as well.

...Then again, I could be wrong about all this.  GO IRISH!!!  nonetheless. 

Today marks the 30^th Anniversary of Syracuse University’s Carrier Dome. The Dome is the largest of its kind on any college campus and the largest on-campus basketball arena with a capacity of 33,000. For football the Carrier Dome holds 49,250.

Syracuse University use to play their home games at antiqued Archbold Stadium. The seventy year old stadium originally seated 40,000 people, but due to fire code violations was reduced to 26,000. It was in the late 1970s that Syracuse University was under pressure to improve its football facilities in order to remain a Division I-A school.

It was debated for a while on what type of Stadium would be built on the campus. A domed Teflon coated, fiberglass inflatable roof which would fit well in the cold of Syracuse, New York was selected.

“The Dome” was built on the site of Archbold Stadium from April 1979 and September 1980. The football team played the entire 1979 season on the road with so-called Two “home” games in the Meadowlands, Two in Buffalo and One at Cornell. It cost $26.85 million, including a $2.75 million naming gift from the Carrier Corporation (makers of air-conditioners). A $15 million grant in 1978 was given for the Dome’s constructions from the State of New York.

When opened on September 20^th, 1980 in front of 50,564 its nickname became “The Dome,” but it was also clear how loud it was inside that the nickname of “The Loud House” also was coined.

The Dome has been upgraded several times throughout the past 25 years. Most recently the University installed a LED video display system with 2 video boards (15' x 25') that are located on the east end and northwest corners of the 3rd level, along with 58 color TVs for the back rows of the 2nd and 1st levels. The inflatable roof was also replaced in 1999 at a cost of $14 million. Field Turf was installed at the beginning of the 2005 football season, replacing the outdated AstroTurf. Additionally, the Dome also received orange paint and banners between its decks, and its corridors were lined with historic photographs.

There is no air-conditioning in the dome. There is no need for it since the Carrier Dome is primarily used from August-May which the outside temperatures rarely go above room temperature.

“The Dome” is host to the Football program, Men and Women’s Basketball and the Lacrosse teams. Big East Conference men's basketball tournament was held here, as were the 1988 and 1991 Division I NCAA Men's Lacrosse Championships. The Men's NCAA Basketball Tournament East Regional semi-finals & finals have been held at the Dome six times (1983, 1997, 2000, 2002, 2005, and 2010).

As mentioned before, the Carrier Dome is the largest domed stadium of any college campus and the largest domed stadium in the Northeastern United States. Also, it is the largest on-campus basketball arena in the nation, with a listed capacity of 33,000, however this limit has been easily exceeded several times. Consequently, Syracuse University's Men's Basketball per-game and single-season attendance numbers are usually annual contenders for the top rank in the nation. Lacrosse crowds are not as large, but the venue allows Syracuse's lacrosse teams to play home games throughout the February-May regular season.

 The Dome has thus seen many of NCAA basketball's largest crowds. On February 27, 2010, a new on-campus basketball attendance record was set, at 34,616 as the Orange routed the Villanova Wildcats 95-77. The game officially sold out on February 3, more than three weeks ahead of the game. Officials resorted to selling tickets in sections of the Dome that are not normally open to basketball games yet nobody had an obstructed view of the court. The previous attendance record to fall was also at The Dome, on March 6, 2006, when 33,633 came to see the last regular-season college game ever played by Syracuse guard Gerry McNamara, in a 92-82 loss to Villanova. That figure broke the previous record of 33,199 set in Syracuse's 60–57 win over Notre Dame at the Dome on February 5, 2005. On March 19, 2007, a new NIT attendance record was set, at 26,752, in the second-round men's basketball game against the San Diego State University Aztecs.

Many Artists have performed at the stadium. They include Bruce Springstein & The E Street Band, The Police, Van Halen, Bon Jovi, Prince, The Revolution, Apollonia 6, Sheila E, Elton John, The Rolling Stones, Gensis, Garth Brooks, Duran Duran, Foreigner, David Bowie, Billy Idol, Rush, Frank Sinatra, Billy Joel, Grateful Dead, Rod Stewart, Neil Diamond, U2, The Who, ZZ Top and Pink Floyd. Billy Joel played a special sold-out concert on March 25, 2006, to help mark the Carrier Dome's 25th anniversary. All tickets were sold for $39.50, the same price as his last solo appearance in Syracuse in 1998.

Info: Syracuse.com, The Daily Orange and Wikipedia

So let me get my egotistical ranking out of the way.  I'm ranking the conferences:

9. Big East.  Cincinnati losing to NC State?  My man BlackBandit20 can't be happy about that.  UCONN to Temple?  No shame in Louisville losing to Oregon State, and the only team that comes up big is West Virginia.  Sorry Felber, but Syracuse ain’t helping this league.  If West Virginia doesn't win this league, there should be no football for Morgantown for a century - THIS LEAGUE SUCKS!!!

8.  WAC.  Boise State alone is enough to rank this league above the Big East.  Nevada beating an uninspired Cal helped too.  Add Fresno State to the mix, and there's no doubt that the WAC is better than the Big Least!  Idaho beating UNLV?   How the hell does Hawaii lose to Colorado?  That had to have been a travel issue.

7.  Independents.  Uh, Beeze come down off the ledge my man.  It took balls of steel to do what Michigan State did to your beloved Irish.  Army is looking very competitive this year, and Navy might have beaten La Tech, but the Middies better figure things out.

6.  ACC.  What a mixed bag here.  Florida State beats BYU, and Georgia Tech is a Jekyll/Hyde team.  North Carolina can't be judged because half their team is still out, NC State beating Cincinnati doesn’t tell me much, and Clemson losing to Auburn had to have hurt.  Nice to see Virginia Tech make it to the winners circle.  Wake Forest – 68 points to Stanford?  Really? 

5.  Big 10.  Quite frankly a boring league that is so easy to read.  Iowa was way overrated and Wisconsin still barely beating teams they should be beating up – what else is new?  The Badgers will get punked in league, probably against  Ohio State plus an upset thrown in (Northwestern?).  I will say that Michigan State was exciting.  I’m not excited about Penn State, and what was Michigan doing giving UMASS any hope in the Big House?  Biggest question – why does Minnesota suck so bad?

4.  MWC.  Yeah Wyoming got blown out by Boise State, but San Diego State and Air Force gave the Big 12 a good fight.  TCU and Utah did what they were supposed to do, but what the hell was going on with BYU losing to Florida State and UNLV getting slapped by Idaho?  You lose style points for that boys!

3.  Pac 10.  If ever there was an overrated team in College Football, it’s Cal -  losing to Nevada?  U$C has the wrong coach at the wrong time.  Washington, please!   Arizona State has to be heartbroken.  Did I see Washington State lose to Southern?  I’m OK with the SWAC, but for a Pac-10 team to lose to them?   What the hell is going on with UCLA?  Arizona was pretty impressive as was the state of Oregon, but Stanford has had a cakewalk so far.  Where is their challenge?

2.  SEC.  I’m not drinking the kool-aid.  Florida is still struggling, and when Alabama @ Arkansas next week is a marquee game in the supposed best league out there, you got problems.  Hey Georgia, where the hell are you?  Why is South Carolina playing Furman, and why was the Tide playing Duke?  LSU beating Miss State was a mild surprise to me.  Auburn could be the sleeper of the league – and Alabama better be ready for these boys because they’re gonna come hard.

1A.  Boise State.  So I’m an ass, sue me.  The Broncos ran all up in Wyoming, a team that Texas struggles with. 

1.  Big 12.  I’ll give Texas credit for going into hostile Texas Tech and pulling out the win, while Oklahoma State and Nebraska dominated again, but Oklahoma struggling with Air Force?  Missouri needing a seriously lucky break to pull out a win against San Diego State?  Kansas losing to Southern Miss?

As Cris Carter would say "C'MON MAN!!!".

Allrightie now Syracuse is 2-1, as they beat Maine 38-14 in front of 37,500 fans. QB Ryan Nassib threw for 5 TDS and 4 receivers caught TDs (Lemon had 2, Chew, Provo and Cruz had 1 each. Carter ran for 63 yards and it looks like the Nassib's favorite receivers will be Lemon and Chew.

Next game is against Colgate.

 
I'm pretty sure that's what Coach Brian Kelly said to Michigan State head coach, Mark Dantonio after the Fighting Irish's loss to the Spartans Saturday Night...Why? Let me tell you...

It seems for the past ten years, every game between these two teams is a down to the wire battle...Always a back and forth, whoever has the ball last wins type of game...Saturday's game was shaping up to be the same...

The Irish got on the board first with a touchdown pass from Dayne Crist, to Michael Floyd...The Spartans answered back in the second quarter and even though both teams moved the ball pretty well, the game went to halftime tied at 7...Then the 3rd quarter happened...

MSU's Edwin Baker scored on a 56 yard run...Crist answered back with a ten yard strike to Tight End Kyle Rudolph...Then MSU freshman running back Le'Veon Bell took one in for 16 yards...The Irish drove back down again, and Crist hit Theo Riddick with a 15 yard TD pass...Riddick had a nice game, 10 receptions, for 128 yards and the TD...

Then the Irish defense nutted up and held serve...(Look at that, I just used a Tennis term) In the fourth quarter Crist hit Floyd again on for a 24 yard TD pass...The Spartans responded with a 24 yard TD pass from Kirk Cousins, to B.J. Cummingham...The Irish got the ball back, and were stopped on a fourth and one on their side of the 50...I really thought that call was going to cost ND the game, and make me truly hate Brian Kelly...The Notre Dame defense has had trouble closing games, and now they needed to make some big plays, and they did...Shutting down the Spartans and pushing them back into their own end of the field...Both teams would get the ball one more time and exchange punts...Then it was on to overtime...

Notre Dame got the ball first, and the Spartan defense stepped up again, and made them settle for a field goal...Now the pressure was on the Irish defense again...Now I'm pacing around the living room...trying my best not to wake the rest of the house...Win or lose, I'm going to make some kind of noise...

So what happens...The Irish defense shows up big, and pushes the Spartans back...Now they are lining up for a 46 yard field goal, with an inexperienced kicker...The call that Dantonio makes next can only be described as the 'I have balls 10 times bigger then you' call...FAKE FIELD GOAL...Holder, Aaron Bates takes the snap, takes a couple steps right, pulls up, and throws a 29 yard pass to tight end Charlie Gantt for the game winning touchdown...And I puke in my soup...

My hope of the Irish winning a minimum of 8 games is quickly slipping away...Turning the ball over 3 times and giving up 477 yards(274 passing, 203rushing) is going to beat you more times than not...

Crist finished with 369 yards passing, and the 4 touchdowns...He completed 32 of 55 passes...Floyd had 6 receptions for 81 yards, and 2 TD's...Rudolph caught 8 for 80 yards and 1 TD...Armando Allen caught 6 passes for 70 yards, and carried the ball 13 times for 71 yards...

There is plenty of talent on the offensive side of the ball, but the defense keeps getting beat for big plays...Some on the ground and some through the air...The corners are good, but the safeties seem to get beat deep...The biggest problem the defense has had is finishing games...Well they played well in the 4th and OT, but got beat down in the 3rd...So now the goal has to be for the defense to play a complete game...

Seriously, I need to puke...I don't know if I can handle another long, painful, season...Oh, and Mark Dantonio, great call...I hate you!

Later, The Beeze.