Michigan State 44, Irish 41

That loud noise you heard on Saturday was all of us Notre Dame football fans crashing back to earth. Michigan State went to South Bend and beat the Irish, and looked like a major power house while doing it.

The Irish spent the last two weeks making two ranked teams look ordinary. But the Spartans brought a top-flight passing game and used it to knock Notre Dame from the unbeaten list. I had to wonder after this game how it was that Oklahoma was still in the top 20 after their performances in their last 4 games, but the Spartans were unranked. That may change this week. Michigan State looked very impressive.

Notre Dame played well early and late, but a lot of things went wrong in the middle. They fell behind 38-17 in the 3rd quarter, and it looked like all was lost. But Charlie Weis' team pulled it together. The Irish showed poise and character in coming all the way back to tie it at 38-38. It was a great comeback, and is definitely something they can build on.

I blame this loss on NBC, though. At one point, with the game close and Notre Dame starting their first drive of the 2nd half, some genius at the peacock network decided to air the fact that Notre Dame had never lost a game where they had committed no turnovers. JINX! On the VERY NEXT PLAY, Brady Quinn threw an interception that was returned for a touchdown. Networks shouldn't be allowed to post that kind of stat until late in a game! Or ever.

The game was a heartbreaker, but it was also a great game to watch. This is the kind of game that sets college football apart from the NFL. Both are fun, but this kind of atmosphere is hard to find in the pro game.

Notre Dame is probably not going to win a national title this year. There will most likely be another loss or two along the way. But Weis has the Irish looking very good. Recruiting will only get better. And hopes are alive again under the Golden Dome. The last Irish coach to lose his home opener was Lou Holtz, and we all know what happened then. Irish football is back!