Sorry for the lack of coverage this week, but my wisdom teeth were rememoved on Monday and the vicodin-aided ramblings I hoped to get done were replaced with the first season of Mad Men and a whole lot of ice cream.  I'm sorry we didn't get to look into the Cardinal more, because this is a really interesting match-up that will test the Irish in a few key areas.

Stanford employs a power running game and a front seven capable of getting into the opponent's backfield, two areas the Irish need to prove they can win week in and week out.  Tavita Pritchard has the win at Southern Cal and a rather low career completion percentage on his resume and Jim Harbaugh's secondary has been shredded at times this season, but the Irish need to focus on exploiting those areas and limiting the Cardinal's strengths.  If this turns into a game of trench warfare early, that's not good for the Irish, but if Pritchard and Jimmy Clausen start trying to out-do each other through the air, that's a positive sign for the Irish.  The weather - forecasts of absolute perfection today in South Bend - won't dictate the play-calling, so here's hoping the coaching staff doesn't deny this team its chance at a second straight solid performance.

The chance to eclipse last year's win total is already upon in the first weekend of October, a testament to both how bad the Irish were last season and the strides they've made this year so far.  The Irish faithful were invigorated after the Purdue win, and let us all hope today is a repeat of last Saturday's third quarter.