ESPN College Football

2012 record: 12-1

2012 conference record: N/A

Returning starters: Offense: 6; defense: 8; kicker/punter: 1

Top returners

QB Everett Golson, WR TJ Jones, WR DaVaris Daniels, LT Zack Martin, LG Chris Watt, RT Christian Lombard, DE Stephon Tuitt, NG Louis Nix, LB Dan Fox, LB Carlo Calabrese, LB Danny Spond, LB Prince Shembo, CB Bennett Jackson, CB KeiVarae Russell, S Matthias Farley

Key losses

RB Theo Riddick, RB Cierre Wood, WR Robby Toma, TE Tyler Eifert, C Braxston Cave, RG Mike Golic Jr., DE Kapron Lewis-Moore, LB Manti Te'o, S Zeke Motta

2012 statistical leaders (*returners)

Rushing: Riddick (917 yards, 5 TDs)

Passing: Golson* (187-of-318 for 2,405 yards, 12 TDs, 6 INTs)

Receiving: Eifert (685 yards, 4 TDs)

Tackles: Te'o (113)

Sacks: Tuitt* (12)

Interceptions: Te'o (7)

Spring answers

1. Golson in charge of offense. Now in his second year as the starting quarterback, Golson is in charge of what Brian Kelly hopes will become a quarterback-driven offense. Golson has been much more vocal on and off the field since the 2012 season, and the hope is that he can help the offense dictate the pace of the game week to week this fall.

2. Jarrett Grace ready to step up. Te'o leaves a giant hole in the middle of the Irish defense after three-straight 100-plus tackle seasons, but Grace looks ready to step in and assume the starting role. Will he notch seven interceptions this season, like Te'o in 2012? Unlikely. But the staff has liked his progress from the get-go, and he has not been fazed by all of the hoopla surrounding the "Mike" position since Te'o's departure.

3. DB depth. Last season, the Irish entered the fall with two new starting cornerbacks. By Week 3, they were down Lo Wood and safety Jamoris Slaughter because of Achilles injuries. This year Wood is back, as is safety Austin Collinsworth, adding plenty of depth to a secondary that returns three starters. It will give the defense much more flexibility after the unit broke in three new starters in 2012. Several talented safety recruits are on the way, too.

Fall questions

1. Backfield answers. George Atkinson III is the most experienced of the backs, bulking up this offseason and readying for the closest thing to a No. 1 role that the Irish offense allows. Cam McDaniel has been reliable in limited action, and USC transfer Amir Carlisle impressed the staff before going down with another injury, this time a broken collarbone that kept him out for most of the spring. There is Will Mahone and a pair of four-star recruits on the way as well, but the bottom line is that none have handled a majority of the carries at the college level yet and are filling big shoes from last season in Riddick and Cierre Wood.

2. Receiver depth. Davonte Neal and Justin Ferguson transferred this spring, leaving the Irish with a bit of a numbers issue. C.J. Prosise has converted to a full-time receiver and could compete for the starting slot role for 2013, but a group already down four of its top six pass-catchers from 2012 can ill-afford another injury or defection, and will likely need some early production from a talented group of freshmen.

3. Defensive leaders. This isn't necessarily an issue so much as an unknown. Last year's three seniors were tremendous vocal presences, helping the defense become greater than the sum of its parts in finishing second nationally in scoring. This year's unit could be deeper and more talented, and if it can work together like last year's, it could see similar success in 2013. Jackson, Farley and Nix figure to emerge as front-runners for defensive captain spots this fall.

Enjoy the weekend.

Michael from Evansville, Ind., writes: Hey Matty Ice! Big fan of everything you do for the blog. Not sure if you've done this yet, and if you have, I'm sorry, but could you fill me/us in on the number changes and numbers given to the new players? I've been watching the practice reports not knowing who a lot of people are! Thanks.

Our series continues with the wide receivers and tight ends.

Starters returning: T.J. Jones
Players returning: DaVaris Daniels, Davonte' Neal, Daniel Smith, Chris Brown, Justin Ferguson, Luke Massa, Troy Niklas, Ben Koyack, Alex Welch
Players departing: Robby Toma, John Goodman, Tyler Eifert, Jake Golic
Newcomers: James Onwualu, Corey Robinson, William Fuller, Torii Hunter Jr., Mike Heuerman, Durham Smythe, Jacob Matuska

The breakdown: The biggest hole will clearly be left by Eifert, who broke a number of records at Tight End U. Watching the development of the converted linebacker Niklas, along with the growth of Koyack and recovery of Welch (ACL tear), is important to keep an eye on.

Still, Notre Dame has to feel pretty good about what they return among their pass-catchers, especially in light of the Discover BCS National Championship. Jones and Daniels were two of the few who brought their A-games on Jan. 7 against Alabama, and both look like legitimate go-to options heading into 2013. Expect to see plenty of Everett Golson-to-Daniels connections over the next three years.

Neal is an interesting prospect considering he spent the majority of his freshman season simply waving the fair catch signal. He was ESPN's No. 8 overall prospect for a reason, and he should have the chance to show off his athleticism in the slot more now with Toma out of the picture. Brown, meanwhile, made arguably the biggest offensive play of the year for the Irish and, because of his speed, is someone defenders need to keep a close eye on whenever he takes the field.

Onwualu and Robinson enrolled in January and should have a leg up on the other newcomers when fall camp commences.

Today we take a look at the one of the biggest offensive newcomers.

No. 17: DaVaris Daniels, WR

Making the case: If there was any bright spot to come out of the 42-14 title-game loss to Alabama, it was the play of Daniels, and the promise that he brings to the table these next three years with quarterback Everett Golson. Coming off a broken left clavicle that kept him out of the Irish's final two regular-season games, Daniels had a career-best 115-yard day on six catches. Despite being hobbled by an ankle injury early in the season, Daniels finished his first year of college action by recording 31 catches for 490 yards, and he could emerge as the Irish's No. 1 receiving threat next season. The redshirt freshman was instrumental in Notre Dame's Nov. 3 comeback against Pitt, hauling in a 45-yard pass late and netting 86 yards on seven catches.

Preseason ranking: 15

The countdown

No. 18 Chris Watt, LG

No. 19 George Atkinson III, RB

No. 20 Dan Fox, LB

No. 21 Matthias Farley, S

No. 22 KeiVarae Russell, CB

No. 23 Robby Toma, WR

No. 24 Kyle Brindza, K

No. 25 Chris Brown, WR

MIAMI -- The "Rudy" theme is playing over the loudspeakers. And when the Rudy theme is playing over the loudspeakers, it is usually playing late in a tight game to inspire Notre Dame to pull out one more thriller in a season full of them.

This was the case two months ago against Pittsburgh. The Fighting Irish defied everyone by winning at Oklahoma a week earlier, got off to a lethargic start against Pitt and fell behind 14. But this was Notre Dame and this was the Irish's year, and so the Notre Dame Stadium speakers blared that famous tune less than a minute into the fourth quarter. Notre Dame scored 23 of the game's final 29 points, won in triple overtime, extended its perfect campaign and marched onward.

Now the song is playing inside Sun Life Stadium, Notre Dame again needing another miracle. The Irish have just failed to convert on fourth down. Alabama has gotten the ball back. The Crimson Tide have had the ball plenty already, and they have scored every single time they have had it.

This is with 13 minutes, 20 seconds left in the second quarter.

This is with Alabama boasting a three-touchdown lead, well on its way to a 42-14 victory in the Discover BCS National Championship.

This is reality crashing down hard on a team amid a renaissance campaign, no history nor luck nor year-three magic on its way to the rescue.

"Maybe Alabama doesn't come back in the second half," an almost-resigned coach Brian Kelly says at halftime. "It's all Alabama. I mean, we can't tackle them right now, and, you know, who knows why? You know, they're big and physical; I guess I do know why. It's just that our guys have not tackled the way they have all year. We've got to go in there and we've got to get after it and play with some pride in the second half and try to get this thing closer so we can try to find a way to win."

Notre Dame gets the ball back first, and its offense finally gets something going. A 6-yard run here, a 21-yard pass there, nine more yards on a completion … and here the Irish are at the Alabama 36-yard line, the closest that they have come to the end zone all night.

Everett Golson takes a shot deep down the right sideline to DaVaris Daniels, and Dee Milliner is ready to pick it off, except he doesn't. No matter, because Ha'Sean Clinton-Dix is close enough to dive and catch the tip while falling out of bounds, one more blow to a Notre Dame team that has already taken all it can handle.

This was the case all night for the Irish, from a highly questionable kick-catching interference call on Matthias Farley that took away a chance for early momentum, to Manti Te'o's diving attempt at a second-quarter interception going just off his fingertips -- or the exact opposite of what happened to him in a season-defining pick at Oklahoma.

Breaks? There was Davonte Neal's fumble of a second-quarter punt return bouncing out of bounds, allowing the Irish to keep the ball. Or AJ McCarron's inches-too-long throw to Amari Cooper, who had outrushed two Irish defenders and fell just shy of a ball that would have accounted for a 59-yard score and a 28-0 Tide lead.

Instead, the Tide simply scored on their next possession to make it 28-0. They rushed for 265 yards against a defense that had allowed 92 per game. They had scoring drives of 82, 80, 97 and 86 yards; Notre Dame had not allowed one longer than 75 yards entering Monday night.

"I think Coach Kelly told us before the game that there are eight minutes that are very important in the game," said Te'o, whose legendary career came to a close. "The first two minutes of the game, the last two minutes in the second quarter, the first two minutes of the third quarter and the last two minutes of the game."

Alabama scored on the first drive of the game and on the last drive of the second quarter. The Tide picked off Notre Dame in the first two minutes of the third quarter, and by the last two minutes of the game the "S-E-C" chants were making their final appearance of the night.

Just before then, a pin drop could be heard on the Irish sideline, players staring everywhere and nowhere at once, the hopes and dreams of capping this magical season with a crystal football all but officially dead for three hours now.

"Pretty darned good football team," Kelly would say, "but not good enough."

Robby Toma walked off the field first, helmet on, a stoic stride into the tunnel. Everyone soon followed, and when the locker room opened Theo Riddick was crying all by himself in front of his stall. Roommate and backfield mate Cierre Wood eventually appeared, tapping his left hand on Riddick's head every now and then for comfort during interviews. Eventually the emotions of this season and a four-year, whirlwind career gave in, and soon a towel was covering Riddick's face in its entirety.

Kelly was the last to emerge from the locker room, his mission to fulfill the third-year destiny of great Notre Dame leaders falling short, the coach stopping to thank a couple of men in orange jackets for their hospitality while a fan's cry of "Get 'em next year, Coach" faded in the background.

There were 25 teams ranked ahead of his in the Associated Press preseason poll, and there were 23 mostly unfulfilling seasons preceding this year's outfit.

Loss No. 1 came four months later than anyone had expected, and it was on to 2013 and finishing the gap-closing that the 125th team in the history of Notre Dame football thought it was so close to completing.

"There are 121 FBS schools," Kelly's boss, athletic director Jack Swarbrick, would say, "and we're in pretty good shape relative to all but one of them."

DaVaris Daniels is back from injury and expected to help boost the Notre Dame passing attack.

DAVIE, Fla. — Everett Golson was much more vocal Thursday than he was in fall camp, naturally. That was one of the first things that jumped out during the media's first viewing of Notre Dame practice since August.

Here are a few other notes and observations from Nova Southeastern University — the practice facility of the Miami Dolphins — as media members were allowed to watch the first 15 minutes, which consisted mostly of tempo drills. (Defense was on an opposite field, so the offense received most of the visitors' attention.)

• DaVaris Daniels looks pretty much recovered from the broken left clavicle he suffered Nov. 10 at Boston College, as he was active throughout. Offensive coordinator Chuck Martin jumped on the redshirt freshman at one point, telling him if his running wasn't better on a particular route, then the Irish would have no chance.
• Freshman quarterback Gunner Kiel, normally No. 1, was wearing a No. 10 jersey to play the role of Alabama quarterback AJ McCarron on the scout team.
• Head coach Brian Kelly alluded to depth concerns on the offensive line, and he wasn't kidding. The second-team offensive line consisted, from left to right, of Nick Martin, Conor Hanratty, Mark Harrell, Bruce Heggie and an unidentified walk-on wearing No. 76. (Hanratty and Harrell were both wearing No. 65, too.) Tate Nichols (knee) and Ronnie Stanley (elbow) have been out, as has Matt Hegarty for a non-football medical issue.

FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. — Brian Kelly was the first off the plane, joined by Jack Swarbrick and both men's families. Kelly was greeted by a couple of men in orange jackets, and he looked out into a sea of orange blazers and shirts — and yes, the orange mascot — while taking in the number of cheers from a segment of fans who made the trip for Notre Dame's arrival here.

Then he walked the orange carpet and proceeded to a bus, stopping to kid that there was no way in the world he was squeezing into the small opening that the media pack had left for him before it crowded the Irish head coach even further.

Every Notre Dame player who should be here for the Discover BCS National Championship is here, Kelly said. DaVaris Daniels, seven weeks removed from a broken left clavicle, will play a role against Alabama, the coach re-affirmed. And even though the third-year Irish head man has stated that this is a business trip, he can appreciate the attention bestowed upon his program following a 24-year absence from a stage like this, and he hopes his players can, too.

"We want to have fun while were here, too," Kelly said. "It's a business trip; there's no question we're here to play the game. But I want our guys relaxed. They've done all the work. We got some practices that we got to take care of, but I want them relaxed and ready to play."

"We're going to get our work done and we're going to enjoy our time here," he later added, "but we're going to get the proper rest necessary. Look, you don't go 35 days and condition your team to come out here and blow it for three days, so we've had plenty of fun. We'll enjoy our time here, but we're here to win a football game."

The team playing for a championship Monday against the team that has won two of the past three will get an up-close look at another title winner later Wednesday, as the Irish players are going to the Miami Heat's home tilt with the Dallas Mavericks.

The other heat will await the Irish on Thursday, with temperatures expected to be near the 80s in the days leading up to the game.

Indoor practices in the frigid South Bend, Ind., winter have been the best the Irish can do until now, when the waiting has turned into something more tangible with the game just five days away.

"I'm definitely a little nervous right now," receiver Robby Toma said. "But if you don't feel nerves then something's wrong with you. This is a huge game. This is what you grow up for and what you want to play for when you're young."

Kelly saw a different look in his players' eyes in boarding this flight, their fifth and final one of the season.

"Absolutely," he said. "They're going to play the national championship game in Miami. It's not like any trip that they've had before. It's not like any trip that I've had before. So there was anticipation that when we got on the buses to the airport that they were really excited about this trip. It's something that you dream about when you play this game and when you coach this game."

SOUTH BEND, Ind. — Brian Kelly's spread offense at Notre Dame has yet to look like his spread offenses at earlier career stops. No matter, especially when you have the Irish on the doorstep of their first national title in 24 years.

But a ground-and-pound style can only take you so far against the nation's top rushing defense, and Kelly is aware that topping Alabama simply between the tackles Monday is asking a lot of any offense, let alone one that has steadily grown under a first-year quarterback.

"I think there’s a time and place for all of that," Kelly said. "Are we going to be exclusively in tempo? No. I like to pick our spots. Part of our offense right now will reflect more of that at times during the game. It won’t always be that way. We’ll pick our spots to use some tempo that we think can be beneficial for us.

"As you know, personnel, moving personnel in and out of the game, we’d like to try to match up to some of our guys that we think we could have a matchup problem with when you have multiple tight ends on the field."

The Tide surrender just 79.77 rushing yards per game, and 2.46 yards per carry. The Irish's rushing attack has risen from as low as 87th nationally after the season's first month (140.25 yards per game) to 29th now (202.5 ypg), and the emergence of Everett Golson is no small reason for that.

The redshirt freshman's rushing yards through September? Negative-11. His total in the seven games since? 316.

Look at the performance of the only quarterback who delivered Alabama a loss this season -- Heisman winner Johnny Manziel added 92 rushing yards to his 253 through the air -- and the closest thing to a blueprint for attacking the Tide's defense begins to emerge.

"I just think there’s a lot of things that you have to do," Kelly said. "If you go in there and say, ‘All right, we’re just going to play the game between the tackles,’ you’re in for a long day. So I think we have to utilize the 53 1/3 by 120. We’ve got to be attacking all areas and getting the kind of matchups that we need offensively. We’ve got to get big chunk plays. I’m just going to tell you that right now. They know that, we know that."

Facing a defense that ranks in the top-eight nationally in five different categories, the Irish will need playmakers in all shapes and sizes, making the return of a deep threat like DaVaris Daniels (broken clavicle) all the more important come Monday.

"We got a lot of guys that can fill in that role, so it's on all our shoulders," Daniels said. "Everybody has to make a play. We need all 11 guys to play to the best of their abilities."

SOUTH BEND, Ind. -- DaVaris Daniels was hesitant to go across the middle Friday. Then he got hit and got up, and it was all back to business for the redshirt freshman receiver.

"It was just almost like a confidence boost," Daniels said. "Because taking a hit, you kind of don't want to take it at first, but once it's over you feel about the same as you did before the hit, so it was kind of normal. I'm happy to be back healthy again."

So, too, is Notre Dame, which welcomed back arguably its best deep threat this past weekend -- on schedule following the roughly six-week prognosis that Daniels was given after suffering a broken left clavicle in the Irish's 21-6 win Nov. 10 at Boston College.

Daniels' first full day of contact came Friday, which was preceded by three weeks in a red, non-contact jersey and participation in some 7-on-7 drills to help him keep a rhythm going. (The Irish had off for Christmas break Dec. 21-27.)

As Daniels readies for the Jan. 7 Discover BCS National Championship against Alabama, the Irish are hoping he can continue the ascent he was on before suffering the injury, as the first-year contributor had 25 catches for 375 yards.

Daniels' breakout performance came one week before the injury, when he hauled in seven catches for 86 yards in helping the Irish overcome a 14-point fourth-quarter deficit against Pitt.

"He’s a really good player that understands that his reps are going to be based upon how he practices and how he performs," coach Brian Kelly said. "I’m certain that he’ll play a role in the game."

Daniels came down hard on his shoulder following an incomplete deep pass to the end zone in the third quarter of the win over the Eagles. He knew something was not right, but he did not know it could have ended his season.

Successful surgery followed the next day, with Daniels rooting on Notre Dame harder than anyone since the late game date maximized his chance to return.

"I'm feeling really good, getting better day by day," Daniels said. "It's not 100 percent, but I'm good."

Befitting a season seemingly from the past, Notre Dame made the theme for its Friday night awards banquet "The Echoes."

Seventeen "Echoes" were handed out at the DeBartolo Performing Arts Center by the entire Notre Dame staff, including the team MVP echo to Manti Te'o, who accepted the award live via satellite from atop 30 Rock in New York. Te'o was for the Heisman Trophy presentation the following night.

The highlights of the night: Matthias Farley's bowtie, Theo Riddick's Armani belt and Louis Nix's brief acceptance speech: "I'd like to thank my mom. She had a beautiful son and he's here today." The senior parents' video was a hit for the second straight year as well.

Here's a list of the night's winners:

Offensive scout team player of the year, presented by offensive GA Bill Brechin
Winner: Nick Fitzpatrick (also nominated: Bruce Heggie, William Mahone)

Defensive scout team player of the year, presented by defensive GA Josh Reardon
Winner: Tyler Stockton (also nominated: Joe Romano, Joe Schmidt)

Offensive newcomer of the year, presented by offensive coordinator Chuck Martin
Winner: Everett Golson (also nominated: DaVaris Daniels, Christian Lombard, Troy Niklas)

Defensive newcomer of the year, presented by co-defensive coordinator Kerry Cooks
Winner: KeiVarae Russell (also nominated: Sheldon Day, Matthias Farley, Danny Spond)

Irish Around the Bend award (community service), presented by director of player development and engagement Ernest Jones
Winner: Mike Golic Jr.

A-Team award (accountability, appreciation, achievement), presented by defensive line coach Mike Elston
Winner: Kapron Lewis-Moore

Count On Me award (reliable, unselfish), presented by running backs/slot receivers coach Tony Alford
Winner: Theo Riddick

Father Lange Iron Cross award, presented by strength and conditioning director Paul Longo
Winner: Braxston Cave

Special teams award, presented by tight ends coach/special teams coordinator Scott Booker
Winner: Kyle Brindza

Pietrosante award (courage, loyalty, teamwork, dedication, pride), presented by outside receivers coach Mike Denbrock
Winner: John Goodman, Robby Toma

Moose Krause defensive lineman of the year, presented by assistant head coach/co-defensive coordinator Bob Diaco
Winner: Louis Nix and Stephon Tuitt

Offensive lineman of the year, presented by offensive line coach Harry Hiestand
Winner: Zack Martin

Rockne Student-Athlete award, presented by safeties coach Bob Elliott
Winner: Danny Spond

Next Man In award, presented by head coach Brian Kelly
Winner: Tommy Rees

Offensive player of the year, presented by Kelly
Winner: Tyler Eifert

Defensive player of the year, presented by Kelly
Winner: Zeke Motta

MVP, presented by Kelly
Winner: Manti Te'o

What's on your minds?

Daniel from Davenport writes: Are we gonna have a Game of the Century type scenario on our hands with Notre Dame back to the title? People are really talking this thing up more than any other title game that I have seen before.

Matt Fortuna: Daniel, if you were a fan of last year's pre-title matchup, the 9-6 tilt between LSU and Alabama, then we just may. As for attention, what more can you expect from the reigning national champions in a football-mad state and America's most popular program? I'd be shocked if this game does not turn out to be the most-watched of all time.

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Todd Wysong from Mobile, Ala., writes: Growing up outside South Bend I am the biggest Irish fan and now I own a restaurant in Mobile in the midst of every Alabama fan. I will be rooting for the Irish and many of the SEC fans are rooting for us as well. My concern is our running backs. Theo [Riddick] and Cierre [Wood] can they run on such a big defense since really no one else has. Also Alabama secondary has been exposed recently do you think the game plan is to use Theo as a slot receiver and Tyler [Eifert] as more of a deep ball threat.

Matt Fortuna: Pretty neat, Todd. Will you make it for the game? And is that true of all SEC fans, or just Auburn's? (Anyone catch their T-shirts this week?) As for your question, it won't be easy. Alabama boasts the nation's No. 1 rushing defense. By comparison, Stanford is No. 3, and the Irish rushed for 150 yards against the Cardinal, 52.5 yards below their season average. It's worth noting, however, how much Everett Golson has progressed since the sixth game of the season, so the Tide will have to respect his arm much more. I think the return of DaVaris Daniels will be key, as he can give the Irish a true downfield threat that Alabama needs to worry about at all times.

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ESPNDog from Iowa writes: While Notre Dame sat at home, and watched the college football nation play, compete, and win their respective championships, to actually earn the right to play for a "national" championship. Do you think that Notre Dame stood a fighting chance against Alabama, Georgia, Kanas State, Florida, or even Wisconsin, in a "do or die" environment like we say this weekend? No Way Jose! Did you know that the Irish only beat 4 ranked teams this year, and only 1 of them was in the top 10? Welcome to the massacre ... Alabama 42-10.

Matt Fortuna: Remind me what last season's national champion, Alabama, did the weekend of the 2011 SEC title game.

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Michael from Pittsburgh writes: Hey Matt, What a season. I emailed you earlier in the year and at the end of it stated "lets not get into the whole 3 year coach thing at ND ... [Brian] Kelly wins the NC this year, with this schedule, he is ND coach for life" . Well, let's just wait and see. Wanted to bring something to your attention that no one is really talking about ... BIG hypothetical, which may be why it hasn't been mentioned ... Stanford is in the Rose Bowl -- if they win and the Irish win the NC, they will be only the 3rd team to win the BCS AND have a reg season opponent win a BCS game. To go further ... as of this writing, OK is beating TCU. If that holds and Texas beats KSU, OK goes to a BCS game. If THEY win (and Irish win) ND will be the ONLY team in the BCS era to have beaten 2 BCS bowl winners in the regular season. Like I said, HUGE hypothetical, but very interesting.Keep up the good work with the blog. Go Irish!

Matt Fortuna: Thanks, Michael. Obviously the Oklahoma part didn't hold, but I found this interesting, so I did a quick scan: Alabama in 2009, which beat Sugar Bowl winner Florida; 2006 Florida, which beat Sugar Bowl winner LSU; 2005 Texas, which beat Fiesta Bowl winner Ohio State; and 1998 Tennessee, which beat Orange Bowl winner Florida. LSU almost had two last year, as regular-season opponents Oregon and West Virginia both won BCS bowl games before the Tigers lost to Alabama.

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Notre Dame and Alabama are squaring off Jan. 7 in the Discover BCS National Championship, in case you haven't heard. With the matchup more than a month away, TideNation's Alex Scarborough and Notre Dame blogger Matt Fortuna go back and forth on a number of topics between the Tide and Irish.

AS: The other day Nick Saban called Notre Dame's front seven possibly the best in college football. How do you think it stacks up and what is it about the Irish defense that makes it special?

MF: One of the most overlooked pieces of Notre Dame's defense has been nose guard Louis Nix. He is a junior who came in overweight two years ago, dropped roughly 40 pounds, and then was told last year that he might not see 20 snaps a game. Injuries turned him into nearly a full-time starter last year, and he has taken his game to another level this year. His numbers -- five tackles for loss, two sacks and one forced fumble -- simply do not do him justice. He regularly takes on two blockers at a time, freeing up athletic end Stephon Tuitt (12 sacks) and allowing the Irish linebackers to make more plays. The biggest question for me -- especially after the SEC title game -- is how much pressure can these guys get on AJ McCarron? Is this offensive line invincible?

AS: The offensive line is about as invincible as it gets in one respect -- the running game. When Alabama commits to handing the ball off the Eddie Lacy and T.J. Yeldon, there's not much a defense can do. The job Chance Warmack, Barrett Jones and Co. do pushing the line of scrimmage is remarkable. But in another respect, the line is somewhat vulnerable. Georgia showed it's not very difficult to get pressure on the backfield. It's why Alabama committed to the running game like it did in Atlanta. There wasn't much of a choice with Jarvis Jones harassing McCarron.

If there's a spot to attack Alabama's defense, it's the passing game. Georgia hit the Tide up for big play after big play on Saturday. Does Notre Dame have enough with Everett Golson to stretch the field and keep the defense honest?

MF: I think the Irish do, although if they fall behind early it will be difficult. Golson's growth over the course of the season has been crucial to Notre Dame's 12-0 season, and you've seen the offense open up more almost every week. Golson netted negative-11 rushing yards over his first four games; he has netted 316 in his past seven games (he missed the BYU game because of a concussion). Tyler Eifert is arguably the best tight end in the country and has developed a better rapport with Golson as the season has progressed, and the Irish should be welcoming back deep threat DaVaris Daniels (broken left clavicle) for the title game as well.

AS: Much has been made of the way Brian Kelly has turned around the program in South Bend and how he's recreated it with an SEC flavor in mind. How do you evaluate the job he's done in such a short time and do you see an SEC-type formula in what he's built? Is it a team that you feel could contend in the conference that's come away with six straight national championships?

MF: The general feeling upon Kelly's hiring was that if he couldn't win at Notre Dame, who could? He's done it at every step of his career, from Div. II to the MAC to the Big East, and now at Notre Dame. The difference is he is now doing it with defense, something he said from Day 1 would be required to contend, especially given the variety of offenses the Irish face with their independent schedule. You see that now with their front-seven, and especially on the line, where all three of their starters (Kapron Lewis-Moore - Texas, Nix - Florida, Tuitt - Georgia) hail from SEC country. Even athletic director Jack Swarbrick said he felt that Year 4 would be the time that Notre Dame would contend for a national title, so it's safe to say that Kelly is ahead of schedule. This team is built like an SEC squad, and it could certainly contend in the nation's best conference this season. The question is if the Irish can sustain this kind of success.

From the outside looking in, it would appear that this Alabama team is less talented than the last two to win championships, and maybe even less talented than the 2010 squad that didn't win it. Is that a fair statement, and what's it say about Nick Saban that he has the Tide back on the sport's biggest stage yet again, despite taking everyone's best shot?

AS: It's tough to say the Tide are less talented today than they were a year or even two years ago. To me, it's a matter of performance as I can look out and see a number of future NFL prospects on both sides of the ball. I believe what we're seeing this season is a result of a lack of experience and seasoning, not ability. You have first- or second-year players starting at 10 or more positions at any given time. I think that a year from now we'll be saying something much different about the talent in Tuscaloosa. That said, you have to commend the job Saban and his coordinators have done to this point masking inexperience. Remember, Alabama lost 11 starters from a year ago. Saban replaced star cornerback Dre Kirkpatrick with Dee Milliner, who some scouts believe might be the top defensive back available in this year's draft. Saban replaced the Trent Richardson/Eddie Lacy tailback combo with Lacy and freshman T.J. Yeldon, who has rushed for 1,000 yards this season. It's remarkable how the Tide haven't missed a beat, and that all traces back to the staff's ability to recruit and develop players. Alabama has finished with a top-3 recruiting class every year since 2008.

SOUTH BEND, Ind. — Following the official announcement of his team's postseason destiny, and following a preliminary title-game conference call with opposing coach Nick Saban, Brian Kelly stepped to the podium of the Gug Auditorium on Sunday night and issued somewhat of a challenge.

"OK, fire away," he began. "I'll try to answer the questions that have been asked a different way for the eighth time. So let's be creative."

Turns out an undefeated regular season and chance to play for the sport's highest prize comes with its challenges, too.

All of which are welcomed by a Notre Dame program that has not seen heights like these in 24 years.

There's the issue of seniors with another year of eligibility remaining. There's the issue of underclassmen debating early entry into the NFL draft. There's the issue of getting everyone healthy for one more game. And there's the issue of assistant coaches becoming targets to lead other programs.

The last issue may be the biggest one as it relates to Notre Dame's prep for the Jan. 7 title game against Alabama. Reports indicate that defensive coordinator Bob Diaco will interview for the head-coaching job at Boston College, following a regular season that saw the Irish lead the nation in scoring defense (10.33 ppg).

"First of all, it doesn't surprise me if they want to talk to Bob Diaco," Kelly said. "I think he's the finest defensive coordinator in the country, so I think Bob is a bright football coach. We have conversations about it, and all I can tell you is that it doesn't surprise me that he's part of it. I won't get into the specifics about conversations with particular schools out of respect for them and their process, but it wouldn't be a surprise to me that they'd be after Bob Diaco."

"I'm not a guy that's going to run down his office and give him the top-10 list of questions you're going to get asked on the interview," Kelly later added. "But if he asks me for some input I've been happy to help him with that. But I will tell you this: Bob Diaco is an incredible coach, and he knows he fits so well here at Notre Dame, and that's why we haven't had a ton of conversation about it."

As it relates to health matters, Kelly said that Louis Nix (wrist) and Zack Martin (ankle) should both be ready to go during Notre Dame's first bowl practice Friday.

DaVaris Daniels, who broke his left clavicle in a Nov. 10 win at Boston College, should be full-go in two weeks.

"He's doing really well. He started moving his shoulder the first week after Chris Brown caught a couple of passes out there," Kelly said. "It was really quick medicine for him and he's been on the fast track ever since. Week 5 will be full contact for him, so that's the date for him. He's running already. We will have non-contact with him starting on Friday. So you'll see him in 1-on-1 without anybody shadowing him, getting in and out of his routes. We want to get to specific route running and some change of direction stuff. He's making great progress."

The rest of the issues will sort themselves out over these next five weeks, in between preparation for a Tide team that is going for its third national title in the last four seasons.

For an Irish program aspiring to reach that level of consistent greatness, no one is complaining.

"The preliminary conversations have already taken place with those guys that have another season of competition," Kelly said. "We haven't made any decisions but a lot of that is a lot of our guys know where they're moving. I think that we have some guys that want to look at the NFL opportunity and we filled out the paperwork for guys to be evaluated by the NFL. And then we have coaches that will be targeted by other programs. That's a good thing.

"All three of those things, that means good things are happening in your program. Those are the kind of problems that I want to be able to deal with on a day-to-day basis, because that means you're developing your program in a manner that's putting you in position to compete for championships. Those are all things that really good programs have to deal with, and we'll deal with that appropriately in the same manner."

SOUTH BEND, Ind. -- There's senior day and there's Senior Day, and perhaps few understand the difference better than John Goodman.

"Absolutely," the receiver said. "Last year I didn't know if I was going to come back or not. Really special that I got the opportunity to come back, and it's going to be really special to come out here with these fifth-year guys and these other seniors. And knowing that this is my last game for sure, it's going to be emotional, it's going to be crazy out there, but the focus is on the game."

Goodman was granted a fifth year at Notre Dame. He set goals. Then he hurt his groin in camp, and an ailing back flared up in the fifth game of the season, sidelining him for the majority of four games.

Now he is healthy -- just in time to replace the guy who took his job, DaVaris Daniels, who himself is sidelined with a broken left clavicle.

Just like he drew it all up, right?

"I came in and there were high expectations," Goodman said. "I felt like that every year, but things didn't work out. When things don't work out you can't get down on yourself. With me I didn't really get down on myself and just stuck with it and led the younger guys, helped out the team as much as I could, because that's what I care about."

Brian Kelly knows numbers are often a measure of success, but he overlooked Goodman's four catches and 77 yards this season when talking about his impact.

"I think he'll look back and say, 'Yeah, I would like to have caught more and made more touchdowns and done all those things,' but he's going to look back on the relationships and the strength that he's provided as a senior in this football program," Kelly said.

Considering Goodman committed following Notre Dame's 3-9 2007 campaign, its worst ever, he can hang his head on what to date has been a perfect finale.

"It's really special to be able to be the beginning of that and to help be the ones that built that," said Goodman, who has two touchdowns this season. "Because when guys look back at that, they take that into account and people remember that. And obviously that's what you want to do. You want to win. You want to win championships. And you want to leave your mark. And I feel like that's what we've done as seniors."