Where's the outrage over Georgia's "victory" over Colorado at home by the way? Are SEC teams just immune from criticism? (comment not directed at SMQ, but rather the general media machine)... Still, I'd like to comment on something you've said about ND multiple times...

For the third week in a row, you've ran with your "ND has small margin for error" line of analysis. Including 9/24s

SMQ isn't sure, for example, that Notre Dame can win a big game without fourth downs, as it hit two more critical conversions in its comeback in the rain-soaked yet defensively barren thriller Saturday night: when he says they have a very small margin of error, it's because the Irish always seem to be against the wall - on plays like the 27-yard fourth-and-one connection to John Carlson in the second quarter, immediately preceding a Jeff Samardzisosopo touchdown, and later the fourth quarter, fourth-and-five that Samaradzizjaija singlehandedly took 43 yards against flailing defenders to kick off the comeback - and delivering. ND was perfect on four fourth downs against Penn State, remember, and scored after all of them. Many teams wouldn't attempt or wouldn't convert those plays, especially not in such dramatic fashion, and difference in those teams and Notre Dame is often only that the Irish thrive on those crunch plays. Certainly they wouldn't have been anywhere near the victory without them Saturday.

I kinda like what your trying to say, but as a ND fan, I must also respond with two quibbles:

1) Sometimes, small margin for error means ND needs to sustain long-drives, sometimes the small margin for error is converting 4th downs, sometimes its also involving a big play (Smarrdinduedbwja's 4th down catch had two components of the small margin thesis but also negated one, since it ended the drive).

2) In Notre Dame's defense, isn't at least part of this small margin a function of schedule? Who's played a tougher 4-games? Who, other than Rice, has played two tougher road, night games?

I feel like the small margin thesis is some kind of veiled knock on ND, setting up the inevitable 6,000 word column on why SEC #2/PAC 10#2 deserves a BCS bid instead in December...

Anyway, b/c of the Independent status, the Irish end up playing these insanely top-heavy schedules, making it tough to ever evaluate...

Love the site, love the homerism, thought I'd share mine