Simple arithmetic

Sporting News, The, Sept 14, 1998 by Tom Dienhart

Sure the formula for determining the Bowl Championship Series is complicated. But a s the first weekend of college football shows, the most important factor is winning--which is why Notre Dame, Ohio State, Tenessee and Washington are near the head of the class

Malcolm Johnson was thrusting his gold helmet into the warm, early-evening South Bend air, smiling at all who didn't already have their arms wrapped around his sopping blue No. 6 jersey.

`Yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes Notre Dame's wide receiver chanted. Winning does that. It causes sane people to enter a trance, lose their senses and smile perpetually. On second thought, Johnson wasn't just smiling. This was no barely detectable Mona Lisa smirk. No, Johnson and the Fighting Irish were beaming after a stunning 36-20 upset of defending national co-champion Michigan. And the biggest smile belonged to beleaguered coach Bob Davie.

In Ruay fashion, an emotional Davie was hoisted atop the shoulders of two players as the clock counted down an improbable Irish triumph, certainly the most important victory of Davie's 14-game career and arguably the program's biggest since a 1993 upset of Florida State. It also thrust Notre Dame into the heart of the national title chase, which was significantly shaped in a season-opening Saturday that was as anticipated as the release of Titanic on video. It's a great start for the Irish in the debut year of the Bowl Championship Series.

Much is being made of the E=[mc.sup.2] complexities of the BCS formula that will determine which two teams will meet for the national title January 4 in the Fiesta Bowl. But leave it to the hard-wired BCS computer to crunch the quartiles, standard deviations and long division that comprise the formula. Just remember that a good old-fashioned loss is the most important factor in the BCS formula--and Notre Dame has yet to suffer one.

A loss doesn't mean your school's name will be spit out of the BCS computer, but it doesn't help matters. That's bad news for Syracuse, Michigan, West Virginia and Arizona State, the losers of the four biggest games of what was a biggame Saturday. To understand the ramifications of each contest and how they will affect the rest of the season, keep an eye on the emerging talents of quarterbacks at Tennessee (Tee Martin) and Notre Dame (Jarious Jackson), the star power of Ohio State and the resiliency of Washington.

Options galore

This may not be the bellwether for the return to prominence of Notre Dame football, but the last time the Irish won a national title, in 1988, they claimed the crown in the Fiesta Bowl behind the option wizardry of Tony Rice. Still, questions remain under the Golden Dome, namely the talent of the receiving corps and whether the defensive line can remain stout over an extended stretch. But for now, winning cures a lot of ills. Suddenly, the embarrassment of the age-discrimination suit filed by former offensive line coach Joe Moore and the NCAA rules violations committed by ardent booster Kimberly Dunbar were wiped away by good old Irish magic.

"This has nothing to do with the game," Davie said of the offseason problems. "This game had nothing to do with the summer. It had everything to do with guys who worked hard and made some sacrifices."

It was clear Davie had been crying, and twice he stumbled over his words and nearly broke up. The Irish finally got the big win that Davie admitted earlier in the week the program so desperately needed. Upcoming games against Michigan State, Purdue, Stanford and Arizona State don't look as daunting, as each has stumbled out of the blocks. And each will have a hard time containing Jackson, who makes Notre Dame special.

The junior, who was making his first start, brings an athleticism that hasn't been seen at the position for the Irish since Kevin McDougal guided Notre Dame to an 11-1 mark in 1993. The Wolverines yielded 280 rushing yards and seemed befuddled by all the options associated with an option attack.

"That's the one thing that option football does," Davie said. "We didn't gain a whole lot of yards on the option itself. But we gained yards on the option pass, the power running game. ... (The option) makes you defend it all. You may not see the significance of it, but it came out in other places."

"We knew they weren't stopping us on plays. We were stopping ourselves," Jackson said. "We were patient and executed plays."

Business as usual

Andy Katzenmoyer was pacing the sideline with his silver helmet in hand, ready to pounce and earn some Buckeye decals, the gold stars handed out by Ohio State coaches for nasty deeds done. The Katman was itching to get decorated after struggling in the offseason to boost his GPA to a C by taking three classes T.A.'d by the guys of Delta House. But this frightening 6-4, 255-pound package of fearsome fury looked a tad rusty. Still, Katzenmoyer did a good job helping stifle a good West Virginia offense in a methodical 34-17 victory.

There still are concerns about the Ohio State offensive line. Under Earle Bruce, the Buckeyes put athletically talented big guys on the offensive line. Those were the days of guys like Jim Lachey, Jeff Uhlenhake and Joe Lukens. Under John Cooper, the Buckeyes have favored inserting their skilled behemoths on the defensive line. The results this season are a deep and talented defensive line, though youth is a concern, and an offensive line that appears, like Katzenmoyer's grades, average.