Fight Song Friday (Belated): Boston College Week

I was not around my computer much on Friday, so I missed a pre-game analysis of the Notre Dame-Boston College matchup. On first glance, it might seem unnatural for Notre Dame and Boston College to be rivals. They are not geographically close, and they don't often cross paths except during scheduled contests within football season. Look closer, and you discover that ND and BC are the only Football Bowl Subdivision (formerly Division 1-A) schools that also carry the distinction of being Catholic institutions. Because of this similarity, many have adopted the rivalry concept, and for the last several meetings, the contest has been heated and often decided by only a few points.

While I was a student at ND, I often heard Boston College referred to as "Backup College," as in the place where Catholics went to college if they didn't get accepted to Notre Dame. While I am certain that most BC students would take offense to this jab, I was always amused by the joke and recognized that it served to fuel the rivalry. Much to my dismay, however, ND's joking had not helped produce a football win in the rivalry since I started following college football in 2001. BC basically owned ND the whole time I was in school, as well as for a few years afterward...until last Saturday.

While this week's celebration was somewhat dampened by the previous week's loss to primary rival USC, the win against BC was yet another step on the road to recovery for the Notre Dame football program. It might not seem like a big step to outsiders, but the victory against Boston College (similar to the win at home against Michigan State) served to break a serious drought streak, and I commend the effort. Now, if only the Irish can muster wins against Michigan and USC in 2010...