Weis is certain Irish belong

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STANFORD, Calif. -- Charlie Weis finds no reason to campaign for a Bowl Championship Series bid. As far as he is concerned, Notre Dame has done more than enough to show it deserves to be recognized as one of the country's top teams.

Three representatives from the Fiesta Bowl had an up-close view of the Fighting Irish's thrilling 38-31 victory over Stanford that all but wrapped up Notre Dame's first BCS bid in five years.

"When you get yourself into position to be picked one of the top eight teams in the country, that's a very strong statement for your program," Weis said. "I'm not into politicking. We're 9-2 and one of the best teams in the country, and we're going to be in one of the BCS games. I'm not worried about all those other teams, because we're going to go somewhere and we're going to make one of those games proud."

Assuming top-ranked USC and No. 2 Texas each win their games next week to set up a title-game clash in the Rose Bowl, the Fiesta Bowl will have the first choice among the other BCS bowls to pick an unattached team.

With No. 7 Notre Dame's national following and compelling story with Weis directing a turnaround season, the Irish appear to be an easy choice to play in Tempe, Ariz., on Jan. 2.

"It's a big step for us getting back into the groove, going back to a BCS game," cornerback Mike Richardson said. "Having all the media and the hype, Notre Dame's back. I'm just glad we put ourselves in this position."

The fans have been expecting it for weeks now, putting pressure on the Irish to reach the Fiesta Bowl -- sponsored by Tostitos -- by tossing tortilla chips onto the field after a 34-10 victory against Syracuse on Nov. 19.

Stanford took a 31-30 lead Saturday night on T.C. Ostrander's 4-yard touchdown pass to Matt Traverso with 1:46 left, but the Irish efficiently went back to work.

Irish quarterback Brady Quinn calmly led Notre Dame down the field, and Darius Walker scored the winning touchdown with 55 seconds left. Then, the Irish defense kept the Cardinal from staging another comeback try.

Walker finished with a career-high 186 yards on 35 carries and Jeff Samardzija had nine catches for a career-high 216 yards and two touchdowns -- extending his school record for TD receptions in a season to 15. Maurice Stovall had seven catches for 136 yards and a TD.

Source: Indianapolis Star