Friday Quarterback: So you're telling Notre Dame there's a chance ...

Game of the Century of the Week: USC at Notre Dame. Supposedly there's a "weird" vibe on Notre Dame's campus this week, which might better be described as "optimism." The Irish haven't had a realistic prayer of beating USC since the "Bush Push" game in 2005 -- even the 10-1, BCS-bound team in 2006 was a double-digit underdog against the Trojans, and lost by 20 -- and in that context, I don't think it matters that the Irish's chances Saturday are as much about USCs' possible vulnerability as Notre Dame's reascension to glory. Maybe more than any single game for any team this season, this is the game for ND; for the BCS, for long-lost national relevance, for Charlie Weis' tortured job security, this is the game that can throw off the burden of a decade-and-a-half of second-class status, and the fact that it even seems attainable may be a little overwhelming. And despite the horrors of the last seven years, it is attainabl...