As for Michigan, you've got to be kidding! I attended the game. Denard Robinson and company never reached the endzone, and Manti Te'o had two interceptions as the defense forced poor throws and picked off five Michigan passes and recovered one fumble. Golson was a freshman starting his 3rd game ever, threw a pick as ND was about to score. Rees came in and went 11 for 14 (Robinson was just 13 for 24). The Defense stepped up. Michigan didn't score at all until the 4th quarter.
As for USC, you don't understand the series. Throw out the record books. And Barkley's replacement, Wittek, is good (he has a future) and, if inexperienced, you still had a freshman QB on the other sideline. USC's vaunted running backs were shut down. Notre Dame's were not. They had 222 yards rushing (with 217 passing) and outrushed USC 143-19 inside the tackles. USC had 30 yards after the catch. And 53 of Lee's 75 yards came on one play. The game was also on the road, in the Colosseum, against a team ranked #1 pre-season, still ranked #5 in sacks (they didn't get to Golson), and with the best wide receiver in the country. He got loose once, and was intercepted once.
Who else did Notre Dame play? I guess you consider handily beating Oklahoma (an 8 point favorite) in Norman, no less, and holding Oklahoma's #9 ranked offense to 13 points, to be inconsequential. And I am sure you must consider Stanford, headed for the Rose Bowl, a "lifeless and mediocre" team. Thay rank first, nationally, in quarterback sacks (Bama is ranked 21st) and are one of the best defensses in the country. In fact, four of the defenses Notre Dame faced are ranked in the top 17 defenses, including #2, #3, #12, and #17. (Bama faced only one, #7 LSU; the Texas A&M defense that stopped Bama is ranked #62). In rushing defense, those same four teams faced by Notre Dame are ranked #2, #3, #4, and #15. They also faced two of the top passing defenses, including Michigan's, ranked #4.
Meanwhile, Notre Dame is ranked #1 in the nation in points allowed (10.3), #1 in run defense (92.4) and #6 in total defense (286.8 ypg).
I could go on. But, the point it simply that your post is both misguided and insulting . . . and typical of SEC arrogance, if that is where you hang your hat. I hope for your sake that you don't watch the game. You won't enjoy being proved wrong.
You almost lost to Purdue, Brigham Young, looked bad against a pitiful BC; Pitt stunk, really stunk, had a mediocre season at best, lost to Youngstown State, Connecticut, and Syracuse, and they still should have won that game. USC wasn't a good team even with their 5 star senior QB, you played them without him. Oregon put up 62 points on them, they lost to Arizona and had a very weak schedule. Sad.
So what I'm saying is congrats on an undefeated season, it must have been fun as a fan, but you're not that good and you're gonna get beat badly by the first top ten team you play. I'll even make you a wager, proceeds given to FR that Bama beats you. I've seen them three times, they're good, and they're not losing to a team that had a weak schedule and still struggled against mediocre competition.
I'm not a Bama fan, nor an SEC fan, I'd actually prefer for ND to win, I'm calling it as I see it, not because I don't like ND or root for Bama.