Greetings from Gate 9

OK. I am trying to get home from Midway, and for some reason every plane to Connecticut is full :). Lot's of UConn fans out here, and my stand by play didn't work. Looks like it's the 3:45 p.m. back to Bradley.

There are tons of UConn fans here. They are still smiling and can hardly believe it. I talked to a couple from Manchester and they mentioned how good the experience was. Here is the quote: "It was like going to church."

That's perhaps the best way I can describe Notre Dame. It's regal and plain, and has history. I wrote yesterday about how plain the stadium is. It hasn't been corrupted by corporate sponsors. It is distinctly retro. No loud music, no crazy scoreboard. It's beautiful in its simplicity.

I like that. It is a way to watch a game without distractions.

Anyhow, the football game is important for the Big East. This likely takes the Gator Bowl out of play for Notre Dame (if the Gator takes a 7-5 ND team, after losing to Pitt and UConn, that bowl is an absolute joke).

That has ramifications for UConn. The Huskies, may need to get a Big East bowl. Right now, there are 5 bowl eligible teams for six spots. If UConn qualified, that would fill the Big East contingent. The way at larges are starting to shape up, there is no assurance that a 6-6 UConn team could even get an at large bowl bid.

Right now, it looks like if the Huskies win one more, they will be able to take one of those Big East bowls. That's very important. Where? Maybe Birmingham, and the Papajohns.com Bowl, maybe St. Pete. Birmingham will be against an SEC team. That's a nice game.

Huskies need to take care of business next week, and by doing that against Syracuse and against South Florida, they could assure themselves a pretty nice end to the season.

More later. The offensive line was dominant Saturday. Considering how young it is, that bodes well for the future.