Notre Dame is six wins away from BCS

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Don’t laugh. Yes, I know the Irish are unranked — or more precisely, if one looks at their “others receiving votes” placement, they’re effectively ranked #26 in the AP poll, #28 in the Harris poll, and #30 in the coaches’ poll. Yes, I know the remainder of their schedule is against largely unheralded teams. Yes, I know ND is #34 in Jerry Palm’s unofficial BCS standings, or #32 if you do the math a little differently. Admittedly, that’s a long way from #14.

But mark my words: if Notre Dame wins six straight games, the Irish will rise, albeit largely by attrition, into the Top 14, thus making them eligible for — and, because this is Notre Dame we’re talking about, virtually guaranteed of — an invitation to a BCS bowl.

Don’t believe me? Believe Jerry Palm. Or better yet, take a look at history.

Going back over the last seven seasons, from 2002 through 2008, the only two-loss teams that have finished outside of the Top 14 in the final BCS standings have been either: (1) mid-majors like BYU and Boise State or (2) teams that suffered a November or December loss. Nationally prominent two-loss teams on multi-game winning streaks are not ranked below #14 at season’s end. It just doesn’t happen.

There’s one exception, sorta kinda, which I’ll discuss after the jump. But, suffice it to say, it would be totally unprecedented for a team as high-profile as Notre Dame to finish its season on a six-game winning streak, end up with a 10-2 record, yet be ranked so low that they’re ineligible for BCS consideration. It’s never happened before, at least as far back as 2002, and I see no reason to believe it will happen this year.

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