Notre Dame football: Irish should reach BCS game with 10-2 record

By starting their season 4-0 while playing one of the nation's tougher schedules, the No. 10 Notre Dame Fighting Irish have set themselves up nicely to earn a BCS bowl bid should they take care of business against their remaining lesser opponents and score one more signature win over either Stanford, Oklahoma or Southern Cal, writes JJ Stankevitz of CSN Chicago.

Notre Dame, which is on a bye week, have thus far gone undefeated while playing the 15th-toughest schedule in the country according to Jeff Sagarin's computer rankings. The Irish already have a signature road win against Michigan State, and given their national following, it's likely a 10-2 record would be enough to earn an invitation from a BCS bowl at season's end.

That would likely require a sweep of unranked foes Miami, which Notre Dame faces at home Oct. 6, BYU, Pittsburgh, Boston College and Wake Forest, along with a home win over the Cardinal or a road victory over the Sooners or Trojans.

It's certainly not the easiest of schedules, but with their strong start the Irish have given themselves a good chance to go BCS bowling for the first time since 2006.