Fight Song Friday: Washington State Week

I am struggling to come up with anything interesting to discuss regarding the Washington State game this weekend. Washington State is not traditionally a rival, and recently, they are not even traditionally a good team. It should be noted that the game is technically a neutral site game being played at the Alamodome in San Antonio, TX; however, much to NBC's liking, the contest is being considered a home game for Notre Dame, thus awarding the broadcast rights to NBC for a rare night game. It is mildly interesting that I was present at the only other football game these two schools have played against each other. In fact, I was working on the field that day at Notre Dame Stadium, and I actually have a vivid memory of ND's winning field goal kick in overtime.

Probably the most interesting thing I have learned about tomorrow's game is that it falls on Halloween, a day on which Notre Dame has never lost a football game. They are 14-0 in Halloween games. I hope they can continue that streak. To celebrate the holiday, I'll be going trick-or-treating as an ND football fan...if you replace "trick" with "watching football," "or" with "and," and "treating" with "drinking beer." A perfect holiday if you ask me.

Tuesday Tunes: Glee

This week I am departing from the traditional artist evaluation and focusing instead on a musical vehicle that showcases many different artists' tunes: FOX's new dramedy, Glee. There is a lot to love about Glee, not the least of which are the weekly performances of both popular and classic music by a fictional high school glee club. In addition to the joyful (if somewhat flamboyant) renditions of some excellent music, there are several interesting plot lines and some truly fantastic characters and actors in this show. Rather than attempt to dissect the complex stories here, I will simply leave you with these teasers. Check out Glee for yourself...and get happy.

Wednesdays at 9 p.m. ET on FOX (returning November 4)

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...