Blue & Gold Illustrated: 2012 Notre Dame Football Preview
Issue link: http://read.uberflip.com/i/531612
6 ✦ BLUE & GOLD ILLUSTRATED 2015 FOOTBALL PREVIEW UNDER THE DOME NOTRE DAME STAYS NO. 1 IN WINNING PERCENTAGE The "No. 1 vs. No. 2" rivalry between Notre Dame and Michigan for best all-time winning percentage has been put on hold for the foreseeable future, or maybe just the next decade. For 2015-16, another blue blood in college football — Texas, which has recorded the third most wins — will be on Notre Dame's schedule instead. Meanwhile, the Ohio State Buckeyes, who are on the Fighting Irish foot- ball schedule on Sept. 3 2022 (at Columbus) and Sept. 23, 2023 (at Notre Dame) instead of Michigan, and Boise State loom as the schools who could be the new No. 1 and No. 2 by the start of the next decade, if the current pace continues. Michigan began the 2014 season trailing Notre Dame in all-time winning percentage by .00057. After a 5-7 campaign for the Wolverines and an 8-5 mark for the Fighting Irish, U-M has fallen even further behind Notre Dame, at .00229. Since Lloyd Carr retired as head coach in 2007, Michigan is a mediocre 46-42 for a .522 winning percentage. The Fighting Irish, meanwhile, went 58-32 from 2008-14, a winning percentage of .644, in slipping past the Maize and Blue for first place in the NCAA for all-time winning percentage: .73177 to .72948. Meanwhile, Boise State is closing in and is just .00559 back for second place. The Broncos went 12-2 in 2014 and have made a push to overtake Michigan by going 81-12 over the past seven years, a whopping .871 win- ning percentage. Ohio State, fresh off a 14-1 season that culminated in the 2014 national title, is also nipping at Michigan's heels, ranking among the four teams with a winning percentage of .720 or better (.72024). The Buckeyes trail U-M by only .00924. Over the last 10 years, Ohio State is 110-21 (.8397) and shows no signs of slowing down under head coach Urban Meyer. The Buckeyes are favored to repeat as national champs. If the Irish and OSU each win as many games over the next seven years as they did the past seven, then it will be the Buckeyes who will be ahead on the all-time percentage chart by the time the two meet in 2022. Division I Football Bowl Subdivision All-Time Won-Lost Records By Percentage School Games Pct. W L T Change 1. Notre Dame 1,234 .73177 882 310 42 — 2. Michigan 1,279 .72948 915 328 36 — 3. Boise State 565 .72389 408 155 2 — 4. Ohio State 1,235 .72024 863 319 53 Up 1 5. Oklahoma 1,220 .71844 850 317 53 Down 1 6. Alabama 1,218 .71552 850 325 43 Up 1 7. Texas 1,260 .71230 881 346 33 Down 1 8. Southern California 1,186 .70152 805 327 54 — 9. Nebraska 1,275 .70078 873 361 41 — 10. Tennessee 1,231 .68521 811 367 53 — Division I Football Bowl Subdivision All-Time Won-Lost Records By Victories School Years W L T Change 1. Michigan 135 915 328 36 — 2. Notre Dame 126 882 310 42 Up 1 3. Texas 122 881 346 33 Down 1 4. Nebraska 125 873 361 40 — 5. Ohio State 125 863 319 53 — 6. Oklahoma 120 850 317 53 — Alabama 120 850 325 43 Up 1 8. Tennessee 118 811 367 53 — 9. Southern Cal 121 805 327 54 — 10. Georgia 121 777 410 54 — A Turn To The Left Against LSU in Notre Dame's 31-28 victory last Decem- ber, Malik Zaire became the first left-handed quarterback to start for the Fighting Irish since … well, maybe ever. Until 2013, when Zaire signed, Notre Dame hadn't signed a left-handed quarterback prospect since Ted Burgmeier in 1974. With Joe Montana in that same class, Burgmeier was moved to wide receiver the next year, where he started, and then excelled at cornerback in 1976-77. Until Zaire completed 12 of 15 attempts against LSU, Burgmeier also had been the most recent Irish left-hander to compete a pass in a game, although it isn't listed "of- ficially" as one. That's because it came off a bad snap in the 1977 USC game, a 49-19 Irish victory, after an Irish touchdown made it 13-7. Burgmeier was the holder on the point-after try, and he scrambled around before lofting a two-point conversion pass to an outstretched Tom Domin to make it 15-7 in "The Green Jersey Game" that would spark a national title. Prior to Zaire, the last southpaw to complete a pass at quarterback was Dan McGinn, the starting punter in 1963 and 1965. He was 3 of 3 in 1965, 1 of 1 in 1964 and 1 of 2 in 1963. The 10th pick in the 1966 Major League Baseball Draft as a pitcher, McGinn holds the distinction of hitting the first home run in Montreal Expos history — off Hall of Fame pitcher Tom Seaver, no less. With his 12-yard scoring pass to Will Fuller against LSU, Zaire became the first lefty to complete a touchdown pass for Notre Dame since … Art Paresian in 1926. In Notre Dame's first meeting ever with USC on Dec. 4, 1926, the fourth-team QB but nimble-footed Parisien was sent into the game by head coach Knute Rockne with about four minutes left and the Irish trailing 12-7. Six plays later the Irish were in the end zone when on third-and-13 Parisien found Butch Niemiec for a 23-yard touchdown with about two minutes left in the 13-12 triumph in front of a capacity crowd of 74,318 at Los Angeles Coliseum. It was the final pass Parisien threw at Notre Dame, and the Irish finished 9-1. Last season against LSU in the Music City Bowl, junior Malik Zaire became the first left-handed quarterback to complete a touchdown pass for the Irish since Art Paresian in 1926. PHOTO BY BILL PANZICA