Spirit of '77?

It's been an interesting year for the Fighting Irish. Led by a blond quarterback with a reputation for comebacks, the team kicked off the year with an impressive win before dropping their second game in disappointing fashion. The loss has put ever more pressure on a head coach whose overall record with the program has considered disappointing by the Irish fan base. After pulling together to win their next three games, they are 4-1 and preparing for a home game against a tough USC team ranked in the nation's Top-10. The Trojans have also lost one game, a heartbreaker in the final seconds, but are widely expected to beat Notre Dame, as they've vanquished the Irish in six of the last seven seasons. Still, a certain confidence hangs over ND...
While this could be an assessment of Notre Dame 2009, it is actually where ND stood on the eve of the, now famous, "Green Jerseys Game" against USC in 1977. After throttling the Trojans, 49-19, the Joe Montana-led Irish would go on to win their last five regular season games before destroying the top-ranked Texas Longhorns, 38-10, in the Cotton Bowl. As a result of all this, Notre Dame secured the school's tenth national championship.
If you think the prospect of the Irish winning the national championship this season seems an impossible dream, just remember, it did in October of 1977, too.