Game of the Week

Is Notre Dame out of the chase for the national championship? Far from it. Despite Saturday's humbling loss to Michigan, the Fighting Irish have plenty of time to get back in the hunt. Nine games are left and Notre Dame should be favored in all but one — Nov. 25 at USC. And in what could be a good omen for the Irish, a rainbow appeared over the Golden Dome on Wednesday morning (thanks to Brendan Loy). But nemesis Michigan State is next, and going 0-2 against teams from the state of Michigan won't get the Irish a ticket to the BCS title game. It's our game of the week, and fearless forecaster Mark Mathis — arguably the greatest scout team quarterback in Baylor history — will put his 3-0 record at risk. Let's see what the pigskin prophet has to say:

"Can a team from Michigan actually beat Notre Dame twice in as many weeks? ... Can the hangover from last week's game still be in the heads of the Notre Dame players? Trust me, it is!
Here is what the Notre Dame practice schedule was like this week. Coaches and players came in on Sunday, watched the film and analyzed the game. Coaches say 'that game is over and we need to move on.' Players are thinking bullsh--! Players never quite get over a loss until Wednesday or Thursday. Because of this, the players have missed a few days of practice mentally.
"Can the Irish recover? Is Notre Dame that much better than Michigan State? This kid seems to think the Irish are. Don't get me wrong, my two favorite teams are Baylor and whoever is playing Notre Dame. But, I'm going with Notre Dame to win at East Lansing, 38-31.
"Look for some scattered showers at kickoff. It's the first time the game of the week has seen some rain. The temperature will be hovering around 67 with a light north wind when they tee it up."

Al Lesar, South Bend Tribune: Legend has it that Crewcut Charlie Weis said, "We will never lose to Michigan State again on my watch."

Blue-Gray Sky: The Notre Dame blog breaks it down, including the Spartans planting their flag at midfield after last season's victory at South Bend.

Detroit Free Press: Michigan State's captains are sending emails to students urging them to act responsibly on Saturday.

Joe Rexrode, Lansing State Journal: Motivational games often don't live up to the hype.