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Once again, as it does about once a year, Notre Dame will attempt to "Wake Up The Echoes" this weekend.
You know, work some of that house-that-Rockne-built magic. Only this time the opposition is No. 1 Nebraska, and the "echoes" are in as deep a hibernation as the program has been since Bob Davie took over.
But of course, because the Irish topped Texas A&M last week and come in ranked No. 23, fans under the golden dome are calling this the game of the century.
Of course if you believe this is the game of the century then you probably think Faygo Moon Mist tastes better than Mountain Dew, or that the soybean burgers you ate in high school taste like the real thing.
Sorry folks, this is in no way the game of the century.
When the Goshen Motion Rick Mirer found Reggie Brooks on a snowy November day for a two-point conversion to top Penn State, or when Kevin McDougal led the Catholics over the Criminals in '93, or when the blue and gold beat 'Bama for the national title, those could be classified as games of the century.
Now Danny Wuerffel and Peyton Manning dueling it out for a national title, that classifies as a game of the century. As would Drew Brees squaring off with Michael Vick. But Notre Dame/Nebraska will most likely be suitably known as the Toilet Bowl.
Saturday the century will be 253 days old. Hey, this could be the game of the century. Nope, No. 4 Miami plays No. 15 Washington.
The Cornhuskers come in ranked No. 1 in the nation and 14-point favorites, and here are the Fighting Irish faithful, trying to somehow relive the past.
The way this is billed you'd think Joe Montana was throwing 75-yard bombs to Rocket Ismail. No, the Irish are stuck with Arnaz Battle and Joey Getherall.
Fans of the golden dome don't have Joe Theismann, Tim Brown, Angelo Burtelli, Leon Hart or Chris Zorich to turn to.
And yet with Tom Lopienski and Tony Fisher in the backfield, this somehow becomes the game of the century.
But Irish fans are quick to point out that Notre Dame has the best winning perentage (.757), has more national titles (11) and more Heisman winners (seven) than any team in history.
Need I point out that Notre Dame finished last season with a losing record and was unranked seven days ago.
Here you go Irish fans. Here comes your game of the century.
Paying huge amounts of money to see Nebraska dismantle Notre Dame Saturday would be like paying top dollar to see Andre the Giant grapple with Rip Rogers for the WWF world title belt.
And still, eBay was selling tickets for $200 dollars each Wednesday. The face value is $36.
Yes, Notre Dame is 3-3 when hosting No. 1 teams in its famed stadium. But overall, what most Irish fans won't say, is that Notre Dame is 8-13-1 against top-ranked opponents.
Somebody, please tell me what the classifications for a game of the century are.
Does it have to do with your name? In that case every time Michigan hits the field it's the game of the century.
Does it have to do with money? These two programs have combined to sell out their home games 384 consecutive times. Nebraska's 234 straight sellouts is an NCAA record.
Is it because these two programs won 1,438 games in the 20th century?
In terms of program success, this is a battle of heavyweights. As far as this weekend's game goes, it's just another game, just something for Notre Dame fans to blow out of proportion.
Hey, there's always next week. The Irish host Heisman candidate Drew Bress and Purdue. Ahhh ... game of the century.
