It all started last year, when . . . (First Time, Ever), I bought a Notre Dame flag -- You know . . . the one that pisses everyone off . . . the one with the angry, fist-clenching, boxing leprechaun.

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I Bought a Notre Dame Flag
You Know . . The One That Pisses Everyone Off

I bought the one with the angry, fist-clenching, boxing Leprechaun

August 26, 2012
By: O. J. Cunningham

I always . . . well, usually . . . at least last year and this year . . . look forward to the college football season . . .

At least, I used to look forward to it.

Just so you know -- All Notre Dame grads are, by Golden Dome Decree . . . required to anticipate a National Championship and a return to Football Prominence on an annual basis . . . specifically, during the last 10 days of August.

You have to sign an oath on graduation day . . . or they won't give you the diploma.

This year, I've noticed (2012) that there may be a slightly higher sense of desperation and/or urgency that's somehow seeped into my (normally simplistic) college football pre-season preparation.

My wife says it's my age . . . and because my 50th college re-union is on the horizon, (June, 2015).

She may be right. (But then, she's always right)

But it may have more to do with the fact that the bleeping Fighting Irish haven't had a bleeping descent team since Lou Holtz back in the bleeping late 1980's and that bleeping Charlie Weiss so badly bleeped up the program and now Kelly's got too many bleeping QB problems that it already looks like . . . just bleep . . . seriously . . . just bleep it.

That actually felt good to get THAT off my chest.

It all started last year, when . . . (First Time, EVER), I bought a Notre Dame flag -- You know . . . the one that seriously pisses everyone off . . . the one with the annoying, angry, fist-clenching, boxing leprechaun.

I figured . . . I already had a flag pole . . . Notre Dame will probably win more than they lose ( In 2011) . . . so what's the worst that could happen?

Well . . . 8-5 happened. Stupid loss to some Florida team, dumb bleeping pass against Tulsa . . . blah, blah blah.

Then, superstar receiver Michael Floyd graduated. Then . . . QB Tommy Rees got drunk and disorderly during the summer. And all of a sudden, the Irish have a starting Sophomore QB (AGAIN) that has no college experience.

Go Irish! It's almost September 1 (2012) and the season is almost here . . .

Here's my dilemma. My 2011 flag is worn out after a brutal Michigan Winter of North wind . . . My neighbor says I need a new flag. Hell, Tim Roller even drove all the way to Bay City from Cadillac just to tell me my flag was looking "mighty poor."

I'm having mixed feelings about the 2012 ND season.

Have You Looked at the Notre Dame 2012 Schedule?

This may not be the best year to get all Golden Domer about Fighting Irish college football.

Whoever has orchestrated the 2012 ND Football Schedule . . . has . . . in a word . . . "CHOSEN POORLY"

MY DILEMMA: Do I leave the old flag up?

Do I buy a new one?

Which flag do I buy?

Maybe, "No Flag" is a good choice in 2012.

Is it really worth the investment?

Did I mention the schedule.?

I always thought that smart teams . . . play a few patsies to get the season underway . . . (NOT THE IRISH) . . . Notre Dame is going to Ireland . . . taking Navy with them (like a date) . . . and drawing way to much attention to a game that should just be an automatic win and a great start for the new season.

Right!

Except . . . Navy has won 24 games during the past three seasons and their damn running oriented, wishbone, no-huddle, hurry-up game plan gives the tackling-challenged Irish fits every year.

Then it's Purdue, Michigan & Michigan State . . . back to back to back . . . There's some advanced schedule planning -- Can You Say "Little Big Horn?"

And while we're at it . . . Who's idea was it to go to Oklahoma to play a football game in the middle of the season (October 27) . . . The only time to EVER play Oklahoma is maybe in the Orange Bowl or for the BCS Championship?

Seriously? . . . Oklahoma?

But wait . . . There's MORE!

Next comes Stanford and then let's just top the whole bleeping thing off with a trip to USC --- Everybody's pre-season #1.

I'll add this one other factoid . . . Some say that Miami -- the game after BYU (a team that may also win 10 games this fall) -- could prove to be the seventh toughest game on the ND schedule.

SEVENTH??

Who the hell talks about their SEVENTH TOUGHEST game?

I'VE THOUGHT IT THROUGH -- HERE'S MY PLAN:

I take down the old battered and torn flag.

I purchase a (ANOTHER) new, annoying, boxing Leprechaun.

(This is the tricky part) I leave the Leprechaun in the box until the bye week at Week #5.

If ND is 4-0 after the first block of games . . . I hoist the flag like I knew how good they were from the get-go.

That way . . . I can still look optimistic about the 2012 season and the GOLDEN DOMERS won't come get my diploma . . . If they show up . . . I'll just say my "flag is on backorder."

I'll keep you posted.

One thing . . . the Navy Game on September 1st is in Ireland . . . televised at 9:00am in the morning here in Michigan.
(Kinda like breakfast with the Irish)

Program your DVR's.

Gotta go now . . . Time to order a flag, maybe some mittens for mom, Fighting Irish jammies for daughter and maybe a "ND" hat for the son who graduated from Michigan. (He hates it when I do that.)

(Editor's Note: Just in case you are thinking that Golden Domers ALWAYS think their schedule is the toughest . . . Read at the bottom where Phil Steele and Bruce Feldmen (EXPERTS) outline their personal reasons why the Irish have the most daunting college football schedule in 2012.)

HERE'S THE FULL SCHEDULE:

9/1/2012 - @Navy (Dublin, Ireland)

9/8/2012 - Purdue

9/15/2012 - @Michigan State Pre-season #8

9/22/2012 - Michigan Pre-season #13

9/29/2012 - BYE Week

10/6/2012 - Miami

10/13/2012 - Stanford Pre-season #17

10/20/2012 - Brigham Young

10/27/2012 - @Oklahoma Pre-season #4

11/3/2012 - Pittsburgh

11/10/2012 - @Boston College

11/17/2012 - Wake Forest

11/24/2012 - @USC Pre-season #1

PHIL STEELE is a respected American sportswriter and analyst who focuses exclusively on college and professional football.

HERE'S STEELE'S HARDEST SCHEDULE RANKING . . .

1. Notre Dame (2011 ranking: 14) - Notre Dame tops Phil Steele's list and it's hard to argue with him. The Irish open the 2012 season against Navy in Dublin, Ireland and also face another independent in BYU.

The rest of the Notre Dame schedule is all BCS conference teams: Purdue, Michigan, Miami-FL (at Chicago), Stanford, Pittsburgh, Wake Forest, at Michigan State, at Oklahoma, at Boston College, at USC.

BRUCE FELDMAN (CBS SPORTS) is a New York Times best-selling author and has covered college football for two decades, including 17 years at ESPN. He joined CBS in 2011 and covers the sport for the company's broadcast, online and cable platforms.:

SPOILER ALERT:
If you any belief that the Notre Dame football team
will have a winning season in 2012 . . .
DO NOT READ ANY FURTHER!

HERE'S FELDMAN'S HARDEST SCHEDULE RANKING . . . and his comments . . .

1. Notre Dame: Wait, where are the cupcakes? Notre Dame is one of the few programs that doesn't play any FCS programs. The closest things to "cupcake games" are the opener against Navy in Ireland (the Midshipmen have won 24 games the past three seasons); Purdue (a Big Ten team which won seven games in 2011); at BC (who did beat both NC State and Miami last year) or against Wake Forest (which has beaten FSU four of the past six times they've met.) More impressively, the Irish face five teams that have a good shot to be in the top 15: at Michigan State, Michigan, Stanford, at Oklahoma and then the Irish finish at arch-rival USC. Perhaps the best proof of how hefty this route is for the Irish, consider that Miami--after BYU (a team that may win 10 games this fall)--could prove to be the seventh toughest game on the schedule.