Notre Dame will try to live up to tradition against upstart Oregon State. It began with a two-point squeaker at home against Eastern Washington that had Coach Dennis Erickson and his staff worried enough to actually chat about replacing veteran quarterback Jonathan Smith. Our fans, our boosters never have had a chance for this.
People think about that more than the players do.
The players take their lead from the coaches, and we've been telling our players that Oregon State has won the Pac-10 title, is coached by somebody who has won national championships. It doesn't matter whether you are Seminoles or Beavers. Doesn't matter if your colors are black and orange or red, white and blue. One indication that Oregon State will not be awe-struck was the deportment of its players this week. Simonton, who regaled the press on various topics, including his proposal for college players to be paid, finished eighth in the Heisman trophy voting this season as a junior.