Meanwhile, in South Bend ...

This is not going to happen again, by God. I am not going to get fooled this time, not going to let all the lore and gleam off those gold helmets pull me back in, like Michael Corleone in "Godfather III."

I am not going to fall for Notre Dame again.

I am not going to say what I heard some sports poodle saying on the radio this week, which is that Notre Dame has the kind of team that can compete with Alabama and/or Clemson, even if it might not beat them.

I am not going to be sucked in by that goose egg in the Irish loss column, by all the glitter that attends a 12-0 record when it's the Fighting Irish who put it up, by the ease with which they handled Syracuse, the highest ranked team on their schedule after Michigan in week one.

I am not going to say what I've said before, which is that this Notre Dame team can Play With Anyone and Look Out For The Irish.

No, sir. I am going to say instead what I saw last night, which is a team that could barely play with a 5-7 USC team.

The final was 24-17, and, frankly, despite my vow not to get carried away again by the Notre Dame hype, I was more than mildly surprised. I figured it would be about 42-10, because (again, despite my vow) I think Notre Dame's pretty damn good. And USC is not.

But I have learned to be temperate in my advancing years. I have learned to be ... wary.

Especially when it comes to Notre Dame as coached by Brian Kelly.

I won't dispute the obvious, which is that he's the best coach Notre Dame has had since Lou Holtz. What I will say is his teams, even this 12-0 team, seem to follow a pattern, and that pattern is not always one that guarantees Domer Nation a good night's sleep.

Which is to say, Kelly's Irish have a curious tendency to struggle on occasion, even in situations where they shouldn't struggle. Last night was one of those. Pitt, Vanderbilt and Ball State were three others.

Bottom line, I just don't know exactly how 12-0 the Irish are. Seven of their 12 opponents, after all, finished .500 or worse. That's not their fault, of course, but it makes it difficult to gauge them. And so ...

And so, no Michael Corleone this time.

Maybe. Probably. Or not.