Notre Dame football: Bowl picture only a little clearer

The absurdity of Notre Dame's bowl situation was underscored by the fact that both Boise State's upset loss to Nevada and a game between two hyphenated Louisiana schools on Saturday (UL-Monroe and UL-Lafayette) actually tinkered with their bowl picture.

Of course, the score that mattered most in the equation was the one the Irish were directly involved with - their rivalry renewal with USC at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum late Saturday night. Win, and the Irish were logically headed to the Champs Sports Bowl, Dec. 28 in Orlando to play an ACC team.

Lose and a 6-6 ND team was faced with sifting through leftovers of conferences who couldn't fill their designated allotment - many of which were games that were bad fits for the Irish.

Now imagine the same scenario with an 8-4 or 9-3 Irish team. That could happen sometime in the remaining three years of this bowl cycle. Once the Irish play the Champs Sports chip, they cannot return there during the length of the contract, which runs through the 2013 season.

In other words, it's BCS or dumpster dive.

The leftover bowls most likely to have been in play for a 6-6 Irish team or with a Champ Sports snub when regular-season play ends next weekend:

The Texas Bowl, Dec. 29 at Houston vs. a Big 12 team.

The Sun Bowl, Dec. 31 at El Paso, Texas vs. an ACC team.

The Las Vegas Bowl, Dec. 22 at Las Vegas against a Mountain West Conference team, most likely a Utah team the Irish already have played.

The BBVA Compass Bowl, Jan. 8 at Birmingham, Ala., against a Big East team.

The New Mexico Bowl, Dec. 18 in Albuquerque against a WAC team, and an option the Irish would surely turn down since their exams run through Dec. 17.

A Houston upset against Texas Tech late Saturday night would close the door on the Texas Bowl. A Georgia win over Georgia Tech would do the same with the BBVA Compass option.

Coaching numbers

Brian Kelly on Saturday night became the 15th first-year Notre Dame head coach to walk the sidelines in the all-time series with USC.

Coming into the game Irish first-year head coaches were 7-7 in their first meeting with USC. Lou Holtz was the last first-year head coach to upend the Trojans in the first meeting.

Holtz's 1986 squad finished up the season with a come-from-behind 38-37 victory. The Irish trailed 37-20 with just under 12 minutes left in the contest.

The other six coaches to knock off USC in their first matchup were Hugh Devore (1963), Joe Kuharich (1959), Terry Brennan (1954), Frank Leahy (1941), Elmer Layden (1934) and Knute Rockne (1926).

Bad to first

Looking for one of the best stories in college football this season? Take a gander at what's happening at Miami (Ohio).

Once the Oxford, Ohio, campus was the home to the "Cradle of Coaches." Guys like Woody Hayes, Bo Schembechler and Ara Parseghian are all part of the Miami tradition.

Recently though, it's been a place where coaching careers went to die. Notre Dame grad and former Irish assistant coach Mike Haywood may be changing that trend.

The second-year head coach turned a 1-11 debut into an 8-4 (7-1 MAC) encore that will be capped by an appearance in the Mid-American Conference championship game on Friday.

"It's a great opportunity for our football team, when you look at where we were last year to where we are this year," Haywood told the Oxford Press.

" ... I really do think we're playing some of the best football we've played since we've been at Miami. The players are buying into the system, trusting and believing in themselves, their teammates and their coaches. Our coaches have just done a tremendous job. Our guys have gotten better the entire year."

A 23-3 win over Temple earlier this week, coupled with Kent State's upset of Ohio, allowed the RedHawks to earn the bid to the title game and likely a bowl berth.

"I didn't think it would happen this quickly," Haywood said. " ... Behind closed doors our goal this season was to be a bowl-eligible football team and we've far exceeded that. We had a five-year plan and we're in year four already. Things are going in the right direction."

Bad to ?

Fellow former Charlie Weis assistant, Rob Ianello, landed in the MAC one year after Haywood.

He can only hope for a similar script.

Ianello's Akron Zips (1-11, 1-7) almost lived up to their nickname, but upended Buffalo in their regular-season finale on Friday, 22-14. Buffalo is coached by former Brian Kelly right-hand man, Jeff Quinn.

Even with the late victory, which meant the Football Bowl Subdivision would be devoid of any winless teams this season. Akron recorded a school-record for losses. The previous mark was held by Gerry Faust, who went 1-10 in his final season (1994).

Good to mediocre

After recording a 12-0 regular season under Kelly and almost getting a chance to play for the national title, Cincinnati clinched bowl-ineligibility Saturday with its seventh loss of the season, 38-17, to Connecticut on Saturday.

Squibs

Notre Dame came into Saturday night's game with USC with a higher national ranking in three of the four major defensive categories (pass-efficiency defense, total defense and scoring defense).

The last time the Irish were better in even one defensive category heading into the USC game was 2002. The last time they held an upper hand in more than one was 2000.

Irish junior wide receiver Michael Floyd's touchdown catch with 2:39 left in the first half was the 26th of his career, leaving him one shy of Jeff Samardzija's school record.

Notre Dame won the coin toss Saturday night, but changed its strategy. Kelly elected to defer instead of taking the ball first. The Irish had received the football in each of their first 11 games.

Game captains were Floyd and safety Harrison Smith. It was Floyd's team-leading fifth selection. Smith has been a captain four times, second-most on the team.

Backup safety Dan McCarthy, who has battled injuries for most of the season, did not make the travel roster.

Notre Dame ended up playing 10 bowl-eligible teams this season. The only two that didn't earn that distinction was Purdue, because of its record (4-8), and USC, because of probation.

No team in the FBS played more bowl-eligible teams this season.

By halftime Notre Dame's defense had extended its streak without allowing an offensive touchdown to 13 straight quarters.

Notre Dame's 16-play scoring drive in the first half was its longest since a 19-play drive against UCLA in 2006.