Actually, A Good Yahoo Sports Article

[D-BOE34]

I don't think the administration would claim such a thing though. ND is pretty stringent with it's requirements for claiming a NC, they only claim 11 when they could claim much more, so I don't seem them claiming a NC if we finished #1. We signed up for the rules we are playing under so I just don't see us making that claim. I also don't see the AP not voting the winner of the NCG #1.

Agree... BCS or Bust(ish) would still be happy but not claim it.

 

[kmoose]

I think you missed my point. Pre-BCS, title controversy was common, but such controversy rarely created a definite loser. Multiple programs simply ended up claiming a title for that year.

Post-BCS, there is always a definite loser. So your point about ND having benefited from alleged pre-BCS pollster bias isn't really relevant to the post-BCS reality. Particularly after spending 19 years in the wilderness.

You missed my point: I wasn't claiming that ND got NCs because of bias, just that we enjoyed a certain "benefit of the doubt", in the polls.

"Hmmmm. I'm not sure who to rank 5th. Both ND and Virginia are 5-1. Well, I know that Notre Dame is a solid team who is going to finish with 2, maybe 3 losses at worst. However, Virginia is a relative unknown, and they could tank the rest of the season. So I think I will vote ND 5th, and Virginia can be my 6."

And ND has gotten some love, in the BCS era, as well. After the 2005 season, 9-2 Notre Dame got invited to the Fiesta Bowl over 10-1 Oregon. Oregon was ranked #7 in the BCS rankings, while Notre Dame was ranked #8. Now, we all know that ND is a cash cow in bowl games, and that probably was the most significant factor in their selection, but being ranked ahead of Oregon in the AP poll was likely also a contributing factor. (ND was #5, Oregon was #6) I'm not limiting the advantage that ND had, in the polls, to simply National Championships. I think a lot of ND fans do, and that is why they are unable to comprehend the prevailing attitude amongst non-ND college football fans, that ND fans are arrogant and have a sense of entitlement.