Number 1

This is my drunkest blog post ever so I apologize if it doesn't make much sense.  Notre Dame is number 1.  This day was definitely one of the ten best in my life.  If we beat USC in a week, that will easily be the best day of my life.  And it will be bumped down to number 2 if we win the National Championship on January 7.

I am so incredibly happy for the seniors.  It was great seeing the first three touchdowns scored by Cierre Wood, Tyler Eifert, and John Goodman.  I wanted Theo Riddick and Robby Toma to get into the end zone as well, but I'll get over it.  I can't imagine ever liking a player more than I like Manti Te'o.  He deserves this.  He is an incredible human being.  I mentioned on facebook the story of Te'o taking the picture with the two little girls after the Oklahoma win.  I've read the posts on NDNation from the father of those two girls.  You could tell how much that meant to the whole family.  One of my friends from camp is a big Notre Dame fan.  Today he posted on facebook that he would buy a Te'o NFL jersey no matter what team drafted him.  I commented that I would do the same thing as long as he wasn't drafted by the Patriots, Dolphins, or Raiders.  Now I'm reconsidering that.  I might buy his jersey no matter what.  He will be missed. But he has two games left to win.

I've said before that I wanted Brian Kelly fired.  Unlike a lot of Notre Dame fans, it wasn't for his performance, it was for the uniforms we wore against Miami.  I hadn't given up on his coaching abilities, but still, I'm an idiot.  We haven't been 11-0 since Lou Holtz was the coach.  At worse, this is our best season since 1993.  And we're doing this with a quarterback who hadn't played a snap before this year.  Kelly is clearly our best coach since Lou Holtz (not saying much, but still).

As great as this year has been, you never know if you'll get back there again.  Lou Holtz won a National Championship in his third year and then never did again (although he was cheated out of it in 1993).  So let's win these next two games and win a championship.

We have two games left to win.  USC next week and then if we beat them, the SEC Champion. It feels right that we have to beat USC.  In my first year at Notre Dame, the Bush Push cost us a shot at the National Championship.  Now we have a chance to get to the Championship Game by getting through them.  Let's do it.

Many Notre Dame fans believed this day would never come again.  I believed that we could do it, but I never thought it would be this year.  My friend Jon is in law school at Notre Dame.  He sent me a text saying that he wished I could be there tonight.  Me too, but whatever.  I just want to be anywhere for a National Championship win.  I looked up flights for Los Angeles for next weekend.  I probably won't go, because we have one more game to win after that, and I'd rather go to that game.  If we beat USC, I will do whatever I can to get to Miami on January 7.  I will have no budget.  But first, we have to beat the Trojans.

How am I supposed to teach for three days this week?  I'm going to wear a Notre Dame tie every day.  My kids want a party.  Let's win the National Championship and make it happen.

I was very worried when Kansas State threw that interception at their own 1.  They were still up by 11 after Kansas State scored (I think), but I didn't feel good.  They actually dominated from that point and Stanford took care of business and now Notre Dame is number 1.

Manti Te'o deserves the Heisman Trophy.  I don't know if he'll win it, but I'll settle for a National Championship.

Go Irish!  Beat Trojans!