Notre Dame Stuck in Polls

Notre Dame might have played its most complete game of the season while beating Navy on Saturday, but it didn't get any national reward.

The Irish (7-1) remained No. 10 in the coaches' poll and No. 11 in the AP poll. Still, they figure to move into strong BCS consideration in the next three weeks. The reason -- their next three opponents are, and we're trying to be polite here, mediocre.

Notre Dame hosts North Carolina (1-7) on Saturday. It also plays Air Force (3-4) and Army (3-6) before ending the regular season at USC, which is coming off its first loss of the season. The Trojan loss won't help the Irish in their bid to move up the polls.

Still, if Notre Dame wins out, it makes a BCS bowl for the second straight season. It's not a national championship, but there are worse fates to have.