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Whenever teams go to Colorado Springs to face the Air Force Academy, there is always the issue of altitude. Falcon Stadium stands about 6,000 feet above sea level and the air is a lot thinner than what teams are accustomed when their home base is lower.

Charlie Weis was quite clear on Tuesday what he thinks about the rarefield air.

"Don't even bring it up with the players because they're not going to talk about it."

Weis related that when he was in the NFL and his teams played in Denver there were two ways to approach the higher altitude. One was to head west two days in advance to adjust. But the Broncos usually won so the regimen was changed.

New England went to Denver on a regular schedule and played just as if it were a game played in Kansas City, Seattle or Minneapolis.

Weis also mentioned that any effects of the higher altitude does not come into effect until a person has been at that altitude for at least 48 hours.

So the Irish will head out on Friday afternoon, play Saturday afternoon and come back to campus Saturday night.

Have any of our readers had an experience watching a game or participating in higher altitudes ? Let us know

This is the time of the college football season when the surprises pop up week to week and the teams that avoid the pitfalls gain momentum. Such is the case of Notre Dame and Air Force.

Yes, the Irish should win this game but don't think a blowout is the order of the day for this coming Saturday. The Falcons are 4-4 and lost to Navy by seven at home. Notre Dame crushed Navy by 24 on the road.

Here is what is scaring about Air Force. While it's a spread option team, quarterback Shaun Carney can throw the ball very, very well. His running backs are shifty and know the offense inside and out. Carney is not called upon to throw very often, but when he does, it's a shock and he has excellent accuracy.

Air Force faced Army on November 3rd and the Falcons were about ready to go down by a touchdown, but returned a fumble 98 yards for a score. In the second quarter of that game, the Falcons hung 36 points on the Cadets. 36.

If that doesn't get an opponent's attention-they will likely suffer the consequences of overconfidence

I say it without really thinking too much about the numbers - Brady Quinn on the day Saturday goes 23-for-35, 346 yards, 4 td's and no ints.  Quinn hasn't thrown a pick in 204 passing attempts - closing in on an NCAA record.

These are great numbers - but we're used to it - after seeing Quinn do this for four years - we are no longer impressed as much as we used to be.  It reminds me of Michael Jordan back in the 90's - Michael lost a couple MVP's for this very same reason - people began to expect greatness - and the novelty seemed to wear off a little.  Michael averages 32 pts - hits a couple game-winning shots - no big deal - he's Michael Jordan - what else would he do?

I keep hearing that Quinn needs to light up USC and OSU quarterback Troy Smith has to struggle against Michigan on the final Saturday for Quinn to win the Heisman Trophy.  But I continue to hear from Charlie Weis that his quarterback is the guy all the NFL guys are talking about as the first pick in the NFL draft.

If the NFL says they're taking Quinn over Smith - that's good enough for me - I hope it's good enough for the Heisman voters.

North Carolina played probably its best game of the season last Saturday and still lost to Wake Forest. The Tarheels didn't get a close call on a fumble and then threw an endzone interception that would have tied the game with seconds remaining in regulation.

John Bunting won't be back coaching his alma mater after this year and Carolina's only win was against 1-AA Furman. It should be a walkover for the Irish but to hear Charlie Weis on Tuesday he was sounding the alarm.

Why ? Because college football is as unpredictable as any sport and on any given Saturday anything can happen. Just ask USC.

Now it's not likely because the game is at Notre Dame Stadium. That's where the Irish have not played as well as they have on the road. Of the four losses Weis has had in his tenure, three have come at home (MSU and USC in 2005 and Michigan in 2006).

It's not likely but the team that fails to prepare, prepares to fail. I think I saw that on a Burma Shave sign, but I could be mistaken

I know it was a long shot - but it's always more fun when you have a chance - The talk was - if the Irish could run the table - get some help - they may have a shot to play for the National Chamionship.  But with 3rd-ranked USC losing over the weekend - even if Notre Dame beats the Trojans to close out the season on November 25th - it won't matter.

USC is now ranked 9th - so even if the Irish end with 1-loss - the Irish would still be looking up at a couple SEC teams with 1-loss, maybe even an undefeated Big East team.  Hello Orange Bowl - certainly not the end of the world.

Nothing has been decided in the 2006 World Series but what has transpired in the first three games is a little shocking.

The St. Louis Cardinals, picked by very few if any, to win the Fall Classic stand only two games away for the title. The Birds won game three Tuesday by the score of 5-0 as Cy Young Award winner Chris Carpenter allowed only three singles in eight innings.

An argument could be made that sweeping the Oakland A's is hurting the Tigers. Detroit had a week off and Tuesday's starter, Nate Robertson had not pitched in two weeks. To be honest, Robertson did not pitch poorly allowing only two runs. The Tigers were again hurt by shoddy fielding by their pitchers as Joel Zumaya threw wildly to third on a potential double play in the seventh.

Game four will feature Jeff Suppan starting for the Cardinals while Jeremy Bonderman goes for the Tigers.

How do you think the rest of the Series will go ? Leave a message.

The incredible win by the Irish Saturday was a different type of comeback. Unlike the Cotton Bowl of 1979 or the Penn State win in 1992, Notre Dame only needed one score to make history. The miracle in Dallas saw the Irish rally from a 34-12 deficit while JoePa's team led by seven. Notre Dame had to have the touchdown and the two-point conversion to win.

Charlie Weis said he would not feel miserable about the win nor should he. The win over UCLA (which played a smart, physical and intelligent game) showed what happens when a maligned defense makes a critical stand and a team has a quarterback who refuses to give up and transmits that feeling to his teammates.

A big factor in the game was that UCLA was never able to pull away from the Irish and that any reasonable time on the clock is enough for Brady Quinn. But 80 yards away and no timeouts and barely a minute left ? C'mon, even leprechaun magic has limits.

It was very similar to the game against Stanford in 2005. Notre Dame knew it had to have the win and got it.

But let's be honest, the problems that have plagued this team from week one have resurfaced if they ever really went away.

The offensive line was "served" all day long. UCLA ran through and around the Irish to the tune of five sacks. If you'd ask a defensive coordinator on any team if he'd take five sacks against Notre Dame, he'd light the victory cigar right there. The problem with the o-line is that, while the pass blocking is not good, the run blocking is even worse. This was a Pac-10 defense which by its very nature should be vulnerable to the run. It wasn't. 

While the obvious reason the Irish won was the offense, the defense made the critical stop and throughout the day stopped UCLA from running the ball. There is a standard rule in college football if that a defense can hold an offense to 17 or fewer points, that team should win.

Again, Charlie Weis has a lot of work to do with this team just as he has had to do since returning from Georgia Tech. The great thing for Notre Dame is that the work begins again with a 6-1 record which is not all bad.

If anyone thinks that the game of baseball is not exciting, get a copy of game seven of the NLCS and just watch the faces and body language of the fans at Shea Stadium.

For the record, the Cardinals won the game 3-1 when Yadier Molina homered off former Irish star Aaron Heilmann in the 9th inning. The final was 3-1. The 2006 World Series starts Saturday at Comerica Park in Detroit.

Game seven was full of twists and turns and high level drama in nearly every inning. To be honest, neither the Mets nor Cardinals matches up well with Detroit but winning a pennant is nothing of be ashamed of.

There were some weird stats from the game and from the series. Who would have thought that the Cardinals would have even gotten to game seven with Albert Pujols having only one RBI ? Who would have thought Mets starter Oliver Perez (who had the worst seasonal record of any game seven starter in baseball history) would get the Mets to the late innings having given up only one run ? Who would have thought the Cardinals with only 83 wins in the regular season would still be playing after October 20 ? Who would have thought that the teams in the fall classic faltered so badly down the stretch that both teams were in danger of not even making the post-season ?

So who's your pick for the 2006 World Series champion ?

Leave your predictions here and we'll discuss as the Series get's rollin' !

It may be a little hard to believe but at one time, UCLA was the college football team in Los Angeles. At the heyday of Terry Donahue's coaching tenure, the Bruins regularly beat USC not only on the field but in most of the big recruiting battles.

But since the affable Donahue retired, the Bruins have been a maddening mix of pretty decent teams with post-season success and a collective group of underachievers.

Karl Dorrell has done a decent job as the head coach but there is no sizzle now around the Bruins program. All the media attention in a town driven by media attention is squarely focused on the boys from Troy. It ultimate insult to the Bruins last season was when USC trounced the loyal sons of Westwood,  66-19.

So what team will invade Notre Dame Stadium on Saturday ? It's hard to say but gonig back to one of the absolute truths about Irish football means that UCLA will play its best game of the year and will require the Irish to meet the challenge.

It's funny - all the talk you heard at the end of the baseball regular season was how the Tigers blew it.  Detroit had the best record in either league for most of the season, but fell out of first place on the final day of the reuglar season.

Tigers get the Wildcard - instead of hosting Oakland - it's off to New York for a five-game series.  A lot of Tigers fans were saying, "It's over - what a choke job!" My have things changed.  Tigers lost the opening game, but won three straight over the Yankees and swept the Oakland A's in four games.

Does the magic continue? Does a week off hurt or help Detroit? Let me know your thoughts - Tigers over Cards in six games - you heard it right here.

There are plenty of big games that dot the college football schedule this weekend. So what do Irish fans do when their team is idle ? My idea is to lie around the house and watch other college football games. Of course, that course of action is subject to the whims and wishes of the household warden/wife.

What do you plan to do this weekend in relation to college football and the baseball playoffs. Leave a comment and join the fun

So what will the Irish do over the bye week ? The first order of business is to heal. Thtat's the case for nearly every team in college football. The win over Stanford may not have been impressive enough for many, but three defensive starters were held out as a precaution. Tom Zbikowski, Ambrose Wooden and Travis Thomas should all be back for UCLA on 21Oct06.

Since we had a lot of fun with the last blog entry how about another question to fan the fire a little bit.

Which Notre Dame player are you looking forward to seeing play in 2007 and beyond. Yes I know there are still plenty of snaps left in 2006 but just for yuks and grins, send in your respones.

Thanks

Why Not? The Bears Defense is one of the best - if not - the best in the NFL. And we're used to joking about the Bears offense - but they're putting points on the board.  Last year - they were good - this year - they're better.

I remember the Bears getting mopped in the '84 playoffs by San Francisco - it was a learning experience - it made them better - it was the start of what turned out to the 1985 Super Bowl season. 

So, when the Bears win the Super Bowl this season - they'll point to last year's playoff loss to Carolina as the beginning - I know it's only been five games - but the Bears look pretty darn good.  Bears and Colts for the Super Bowl.

I guess I'm spoiled.  I know covering a 5-1 team ranked 12th in the country should be exciting - it is - don't get me wrong.  But could we just speed up the next two months and get to the ND-USC game on November 25th.

This is what Tivo is for - Notre Dame beating Stanford, UCLA, Navy, North Carolina, Air Force, and Army is boring.  It's like watching Brady Quinn in practice.  I know we'll hear the standard, "one game at a time," and  "on any given day - any given team...yada, yada, yada.."

Those teams could combine everybody and not beat the Irish - It's not that Notre Dame is so good - these teams are so bad.  Wake me up for the USC game.

When it's halftime of Saturday's game with Stanford, it will mark the halfway point of the 2006 season. So what do you think the second half will hold. ?

Leave your comment and prediction and we'll discuss later in the week.

.No matter how good Brady Quinn is or how smart Charlie Weis is - you have to be able to run the football. The Irish were finally able to do that on Saturday. Notre Dame took an early lead and just kept running, and running, and running.

By day's end - Darius Walker finished the day with 31 carries, 144 yards, and 1 TD - Charlie says said earlier in the week, "if it were up to me - I'd run the ball 40 times a game" - but that usually means you're winning the game"

For the record, the Irish finished with 43 rushing attempts compared to 38 passing attempts - along with a 35-21 win. I think we may be on to something

Joe Tiller has got to be feeling pretty good about his Boilermakers. While you know Tiller would love to knock off the Irish on Saturday and completetly wreck the Notre Dame season, he's really playing with house money for two big reasons.

One, his young team has improved dramatically over the first month of the season. Granted, the wins have come over less than stellar competition but after failing to reach the post-season in 2005, what the Boilers needed were wins and they have them in the bank.

Since Purdue plays neither Michigan nor Ohio State, the road is pretty clear toward a bowl game even if the Boilers can't pull off the upset this Saturday.

Curtis Painter is doing a great job of managing the game at quarterback and Purdue has more than enough weapons to give the Irish trouble.As lopsided as last year's game was in West Lafayette, remember this. Notre Dame got a fumble on the one-year line, blocked a field goal, intercepted a pass in the endzone and gave up 28 points. Yes, most were after the game was decided but it just shows how a couple of plays here and there can change the outcome.

The most important thing for Notre Dame on Saturday is to get a quick start. There can't be anymore 17-point holes from which to dig out of in 2006. The Irish did it once, but can't be expected to do it again.

Some Irish fans may think the hard part is out of the way. The schedule would appear to lighten over the next two months. That's a very dangerous point of view to take if your wardrobe is primarily gold and blue with some green thrown in.

Notre Dame stands 3-1 having played the toughest schedule in the nation, so far. The only games that the Irish opponents have lost are to Charlie Weis' team and Ohio State. Purdue is the foe this weekend and is unbeaten at 4-0. It only takes a quick glance at the record book to show that the program of the Boilermakers has historically feasted on overconfident Irish squads.

The 2006 Notre Dame team has more holes to fill than a Swiss Cheese factory. The running game still needs major elevation  while Brady Quinn needs four quarters of play like the fourth quarter at Michigan State. The defense has played better than what the scoreboard says, but there have been way, way too many penalities, especially on special teams.

But having said all that, everything is now changed. For the Irish to be 3-1 with number three coming in such dramatic fashion alters perception which is over half the battle in college football. If confidence is not high, it is certainly back. At least for a week if Notre Dame decides to replay the four quarters of Michigan and the first quarter of State.

I wonder what life around Notre Dame Football would have been like had Notre Dame lost - wow. With only one loss - Notre Dame is still mentioned in the same breath with the top teams that could win a National Title. An Irish loss on Saturday would have stopped all that talk altogether and most likely knocked the Irish out of the AP Top 25 College Football Poll. And you have to figure - had the Irish lost - you couldn't even keep a straight face mentioning Brady Quinn and Heisman Trophy anymore.

So - now you figure Irish are favored heavily in their next seven games (Purdue, Stanford, UCLA, Navy, North Carolina, Air Force, and Army) - Move ahead to Thanksgiving weekend - it'll be 10-1 Notre Dame and 11-0 USC - wake me up on November 25th.

If Saturday's game between the Irish and Spartans holds true to form, there will be one or two plays that completely change the course of the game.

In 1978, the teams were locked in a tight one when Irish safety Jim Browner wrestled the ball away from a State receiver and took it the other way for a score to highlight the Notre Dame victory. It was very similar to the big steal by Tom Zbikowski in 2004 which turned the tide for the Irish win. That game also featured a goal line stand by the visitors that produced a fumble that sealed the Notre Dame win. On a humorous note, that was also the contest where Irish head coach Tyrone Willingham had to run from the Notre Dame sidelines to the locker room during the game, as apparently, nature called.

In 2000, Notre Dame had State down to one last play but Jeff Smoker hit Herb Haygood on a slant which was taken to the house for a touchdown that gave the Spartans a six-point win on the 68-yard completion.

It could happen again this year with two offenses that can score from anywhere on the field.

I didn't think a Charlie Weis offense could play like they did on Saturday against Michigan. I don't think it happens again. I'm still not sure exactly what happened - I've heard all the reasons - 5 turnovers, 11 penalties, 8 possessions of three-and-out, only 4 rushing yards - yada, yada, yada. But why?

I think Michigan is good - but not that good, come one? Maybe the Irish were guilty of reading their own press clippings, maybe Michigan was fired up after last year's loss to the Irish. This week - I go with emotion. Notre Dame's emotion - sticking a flag into ND's backyard isn't forgotten. And sticking up for their Head Coach won't be forgotten either. If Weis says, we don't lose again to MSU - his team makes sure of it. Notre Dame looks like they were supposed to last week - Notre Dame beats MSU 35-10.

Charlie Weis was very clear (crystal) on Wednesday that if there is any Irish player who only hopes to win against Michigan State and doesn't expect to win, that player will remain in South Bend this weekend.

You may think the coach is dealing in semantics but it's actually a vital point for a team that was soundly defeated last weekend. It's a bounce back game and the most important factor is a player having to confidence to show up and make everyone forget last week. It's probably not entirely possible but at this point in the season, with a lot of football left to be played, it's perfectly feasible.

If Notre Dame cuts down on penalities and mental mistakes, they will be in the game for 60 minutes. If not, it's going to be a long bus ride from East Lansing back to campus

In watching Michigan State's win over Pittsburgh last Saturday, there is one very obvious conclusion. Drew Stanton is one very, very good quarterback who can fracture a defense with his legs and his arm. His receivers are tall, fast and go get the ball. After trailing the Panthers, 10-0, MSU took control of the game by combining the run and pass to post a 35-23 win at Heinz Field.

State can pick and choose which way to go on offense as they demonstrated last year in the overtime win against the Irish. Stanton is adept at the option and can rifle or feather the ball. The running backs are not overly impressive but pound it inside and can scoot to the outside. Did I also mention they have the top punter in the nation ?

The key to defeating the Spartans for the Irish is to find what's been missing on offense in two of the first three games. The MSU secondary is good as are the linebackers while the front is still finding its way. The safeties are the top tacklers on the team. That's not usually a good sign for a defense.

The first team to 40 may get the win but with all the talk of it being a shoot out that means that it'll probably be a defensive struggle.

This a game for pride for Notre Dame and a win for MSU will put Sparty in the top 25. This is the week that provides a first for Charlie Weis. He must try and find a way to re-invigorate his team after a lopsided loss.

During his Tuesday press conference, Weis enjoyed a chuckle at a question and wondered out loud how he could still have a sense of humor after the 26-point loss to Michigan.

Maybe that's the best sign Irish fans have seen since last Saturday night

There were very few, if any, redeeming things to come out of the loss to Michigan for Notre Dame. The worst is not that it happened but the way it happened. When a team is blown out on its homefield in full view of the entire nation, that's devastating. If it had been a 14-point Wolverine win, well that's happened before and will probably happen again, but 47-21 and a team will be buried by fans, pollsters and everybody else.

So now Charlie Weis faces an entirely new situation. He must find a way to get his team re-focused to go on the road and face a team that is entirely capable of doing exactly the same thing to Notre Dame as Michigan did to the Irish. Michigan State is 3-0 and was very impressive in winning on the road at Pittsburgh. This is the first time a Charlie Weis team has been the victim of a blowout and it's a whole different set of circumstances to prepare a team coming off a lopsided loss than a win or a close loss. Heads hang, doubt enters the scene and any chance of salvaging the season is in the balance.

As I watching Michigan roll over Notre Dame on Saturday, I couldn't believe what I was seeing. Charlie Weis said on Thursday that the team had a good week of practice and the players seemed pretty calm - not getting caught up in any pregame hype. The Irish had made improvement from week one to week two - penalties, mental mistakes, and drops were down - and it seemed like the team was moving forward. What happened? Is Michigan that good? Was Notre Dame that bad?

Most seemed to think if the Irish were to lose - it would be because of the defense, but on Saturday it was the offense that failed. 5 turnovers, 4 yards rushing, 8 possessions when the Irish went 3-and-out or worse - that won't win too many games - certainly not against a quality opponent.

It was fun for a couple weeks - not that the season is over - there's still 10 games (bowl game included) - but in August when you're talking about a National Championship and a Heisman Trophy - anything less is going to be a little anticlamatic. How's that Army game looking on November 18th? - see what I mean.