Irish Have Brains and Brawn

Notre Dame’s football success hasn’t come at the cost of its academics. The Irish finished with a fall semester team grade point average of more than 3.0 on a 4.0 scale. The final cumulative semester GPA will be determined at a later date, but it marks the third straight semester they have surpassed 3.0.

Every player is academically eligible for the next semester, led by tight end John Carlson. He made the ESPN The Magazine Academic All-America team with his 3.59 GPA. The history major is the first Notre Dame football academic All-American since Tim Ruddy in 1993.

Of course, academics won’t help Notre Dame beat Louisiana State in the Jan. 3 Sugar Bowl, but it demonstrates it is possible to excel in the classroom and in the athletic arena.

The goal is to have that excellence translate into a bowl victory and thus snap the Irish’s eight-game bowl losing streak.

How likely is that? Well, when you get to this level, where the mental aspect can surpass sheer physical ability, being smart –- or at least playing smart -- can be the deciding factor. Maybe Notre Dame will have that edge, and then exploit it.