Laugh, Laugh: Holtz Picks Irish For National Championship Game

Lou Holtz has gone off the deep end again with his prediction last week that Notre Dame would play in the BCS national championship game, presumably against Florida.

You have to appreciate Holtz's love for Notre Dame, and someone needs to defend the Irish, especially when they get attacked every week on ESPN by Mark May, who remains bitter because Notre Dame had the audacity to fire Tyrone Willingham (How did the "molder of men" fare at Washington?)

The last coach to lead the Irish to a national title in 1988, Holtz remains a beloved figure in the Notre Dame community, even if he has become something of a cartoonish character. Actually, he is starting to look like a leprechaun.

Notre Dame does return all 11 starters on offense and plays only one team in the preseason top 37 (Southern California).

While the schedule - at least on paper - does appear easy, it's hard to take Captain Lou too seriously. He's like your eccentric uncle. You love him, and you put up with him, but you don't listen to much of what he says.

Even assuming a loss to USC, it's hard to imagine the Irish running the table in their other 11 games. They're going to get tripped up at least once. At best, we see Notre Dame at 10-2, possibly 9-3.