ND clause is cause for alarm
By ANDREW SOUKUP
Sports Writer
The best thing to happen to Notre Dame this weekend would be to walk out of Colorado Springs with a win against Air Force. The second-best thing to happen to them would be walk out of Colorado Springs with a loss to Air Force.
In fact, if Notre Dame could pick a game it had to lose this season, that game would be Air Force.
That's because of a little-known clause built into the Bowl Championship Series contract commonly referred to as the "Notre Dame" clause. Or, more appropriately, the "Notre Dame is special and you're not" clause.
The way the BCS works is that the winners of the six major conferences — ACC, Big East, Big Ten, Big 12, Pac-10 and SEC — automatically advance to one of the four biggest bowls, where the payout per team is $10 million. The other two teams are usually at-large selections, and to be eligible for an at-large selection, a school must be ranked in the top 12 of the final BCS standings.
There's also wording built into the BCS contract that says any team which finishes in the top six but doesn't win their conference automatically earns an at-large selection. And here's where a shrewd Notre Dame administrator stepped in.
If a team from outside one of the six major conferences finishes in the top six, like Air Force, for example, they still get a free ride into a BCS bowl. And if that happens, and if Notre Dame has nine wins or finishes in the top 12 of the final BCS standings, the Irish are automatically in, too.
That's a load of ifs that have to happen. But the whole "Notre Dame" clause is basically a load in itself.
And that brings us back to Saturday's game against Air Force. A Notre Dame win will undoubtedly help them. A Notre Dame loss will turn every Irish fan into a Falcons fans. Because if Air Force finishes in the top six, and Notre Dame manages to win just three of its five remaining games, the Irish get to sneak into the BCS through the back door.
If you're a Notre Dame fan, you love this fine print. If you're not, then you've got one more reason to boycott NBC on Saturdays.
Admittedly, the chance of such a scenario developing seems highly unlikely. Air Force has to run the table and count on top teams in the six major conferences to start losing badly if it wants to crack the top six.
The fact that such a chance exists is ridiculous. And the only thing that benefits from such an arrangement is Notre Dame's coffers.
Sure, Notre Dame can creep in even with one loss, but they still have to face a pair of ranked teams in Florida State and USC. And Boston College isn't a guaranteed win, either. But the Irish could conceivably lose two of those games — finishing the season with a mighty .750 winning percentage — and qualify for a bowl game.
If that happens, Tyrone Willingham will be the first loser. For a man who pushes his team to win every game, every Saturday, getting into a BCS bowl with three losses would be a slap in the face. He'd have to field questions about whether Notre Dame really deserved the slot. And deep down inside, he might wonder if his team deserved the bid, too.
Notre Dame would lose next. For the players who spent the entire season restoring prestige to a long-dormant football program, they'd watch it slip away as soon as the Irish signed a contract to play in a BCS bowl. Then again, the players are on scholarship, so one more free ride might not hurt them that much.
Finally, college football loses yet again. No. 1 Miami and No. 3 Virginia Tech are slated to play each other the final game of the season in a game that will probably determine the Big East champion. Whoever loses will have the privilege of playing in a second-tier bowl on New Year's Day and will get back to their hotels in time to watch Notre Dame play in a BCS bowl.
Granted, a Vegas bookie would love the odds against such a scenario developing. A lot has to happen before Notre Dame gets its special clause invoked and more deserving schools watch their bids get revoked. And with a win Saturday, the Irish can put the whole debate to rest, sending the Notre Dame clause back into the corner with alien sightings, Kennedy rumors and other conspiracy theories.
But if they lose, watch for the Irish to start paying closer attention to a military school in the Rocky Mountains.
Many laughed at the possibility of Notre Dame and Air Force playing each other with perfect records on the line. Imagine what they'll do if Notre Dame gets into the BCS by holding onto Air Force's jet.
The opinions expressed in this column are those of the author and not necessarily those of The Observer. Contact Andrew Soukup a
asoukup@nd.edu.
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