Sporting News' Dave Curtis analyzes what Friday's buzz means to college football.

Another miracle

Navy returns to Notre Dame Stadium today for the first time since its 46-44, triple-overtime victory in 2007 snapped the Irish's 43-game series winning streak. With the Irish much improved over the past two seasons and focused on a BCS berth, a return to a Notre Dame-dominated series looks more likely.

"It's looking like a really tough matchup for us," said Ken Niumatalolo, coach of the 6-3 Midshipmen. "They're big enough to maul us if they want to run. They're full strength at wide receiver. I don't know how we match up."

Despite the win, Navy folks have maintained a reverential stance toward the Irish and their tradition. The Mids want to win, for sure. But they value the opportunity and exposure of the annual series to fret too much about getting thumped.

At least, Niumatalolo said, his players now believe they can win. And that's an improvement over the past. "After 2007, I know we were 100 percent committed," he said. "We know it can be done. But it is going to be hard."

Six is enough

A Big 12-sponsored proposal to tweak bowl-eligibility standards figures to pass at January's NCAA Convention. But a closer look shows the tweaking won't change very much at all. The legislation will give six-win bowl teams the same recognition as those with winning records.

In other words, there will be no more 7-5 TCU going to the Texas Bowl over 6-6 Iowa, as was the case in 2007. The new rule would seem to bump smaller-conference teams, especially from the Sun Belt or MAC, from bowl opportunities.

But with 35 bowls starting at the end of the 2010 season, three more than in '07, there should be enough slots for everybody except the 6-6 squads from smaller leagues.

"You have to wonder," Northern Illinois athletic director Jeff Compher said. "How often is this going to have an impact?"

Last season, every team with seven or more wins got to a bowl. The four that missed—San Jose State, Bowling Green, Louisiana-Lafayette and Arkansas State—all got left out at 6-6. If the proposed rule change had been in effect, the same end result likely would have come about.

Road Warriors

So Boise State can't find a team to play on the road. Maybe it should try overseas for a matchup. Travel doesn't seem to hinder these Broncos. After starting with two home games, the Broncos played their next five games in five different time zones—Bowling Green (Eastern), Tulsa (Central), a home game (Mountain), Fresno State (Pacific) and Hawaii. This week's trip to Ruston, La., will place BSU's football program at better than 15,000 air miles for the regular season. A bus ride to Logan, Utah, later this month will nudge the as-the-crow-flies distance up another 600 miles. And a potential bowl trip would boost things even more. So if the big boys stateside keep shaking off the Broncos and the WAC, maybe Myron Rolle can bring together a squad at Oxford. The Broncos at least could handle the flight there and back.

Dave Curtis is a writer for Sporting News. E-mail him at dcurtis@sportingnews.com.

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