I don't understand how an Irish fan can honestly say this team is deserving of a BCS bid. We got waxed by the only two top 20 teams we faced. We survived against a 21-25 type school. That's our big win. We're not particularly good.
W/ the Pac-10 and Big Ten winners in the NC title game, 5 of the other 8 spots are gonna go automatic as follows: SEC champ, Big XII champ, Big East champ, ACC champ, Boise State. What 3 teams deserve the final spots so much more than the Irish? Here are your choices:
Michigan-will definetely get picked by the Rose Bowl, so they're in.
Florida-Arkansas loser OR LSU-One of these teams will definetely get picked, so there's team #2, but both cannot b/c 3 teams from the same conference can't go, leaving one more spot.
Cal-3 loss team
Texas-3 loss team, lost to Kansas State and Texas A&M
Oklahoma-Nebraska loser-3-loss team w/ no win on its schedule anymore impressive than Georgia Tech or PSU
G. Tech-Wake loser-will be a team that either 1.Lost to Notre Dame, or 2.Lost to a team that lost to Notre Dame.
A 2nd team from the Big East-Now here's where it get's interesting.
If Rutgers were to beat WVU on Saturday, they'd get the automatic bid as conference champs, leaving Louisville sitting right there at (probably) 11-1.
I'd say if Rutgers wins Saturday, then there will be a team (probly Louisville, maybe Florida or LSU depending on the Florida-Arkansas outcome) w/ a legitimate gripe.
But if Rutgers loses, I have no problem w/ ND getting a bid when looking at this list. Rutgers would have 2 losses, one being to Cincinatti. WVU would have 2 w/ one to unranked USF. I don't think the 2nd team in any conference other than the Big Ten and SEC deserves it all that much more than Notre Dame either, and you can't take the 3rd team in any conference, which means no Wisconsin and either LSU or the Florida-Arkansas loser has to sit it out too. So it all depends on that game to me.