I am blown away that Notre Dame remains unbeaten half way through the 2012 season.  Not in a million years did I see this coming.  The last twenty years of Notre Dame Football have hardened me; I’ve been so scathing mad, for so long, that I became impervious to the idea of a resurgence actually being possible.  In fact, my preseason prediction was that Notre Dame would win five games, fire Brian Kelly and hire a similarly incapable jamoke who would inevitably fall on his face just like his predecessor.  I genuinely thought this pattern would continue until Notre Dame Football eventually withered away completely.

I should note that I'm not proud of my cynicism; Notre Dame has just always had such a stranglehold on my emotions that I've never really been able to control my misery when things aren’t going well.  Anyone who knows me knows that I go as Notre Dame Football goes- it’s juvenile, but it's me.

So as Notre Dame kicked off the 2012 campaign, I braced myself for the inevitable gloom of another football season. 

First came a win against Navy in Ireland….so what, it’s Navy. 

Then the home opener against Purdue….big deal, it’s Purdue and it went to the wire. 

But then a pair of dominating defensive performances in Spartan Stadium and at home against Michigan…what’s going on here?  

And then a blowout win in Chicago and one for ages, against Stanford, in South Bend….I was wrong this time, this team is special.  

I’m not declaring Notre Dame the National Champions, here.  There is still a lot of football left to be played- the Irish could still conceivably collapse ala 2002, but regardless of what happens the rest of the way, this team has recaptured my belief in Notre Dame Football.  I no longer believe that Brian Kelly is in over his head. I no longer think that the landscape of college football has passed Notre Dame by.  And most importantly, I no longer think that Notre Dame can never win again.  I’m going to relish this feeling for as long as it lasts; the Dome is shining as bright as ever and crow has never tasted so good.  

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