This is where I'd usually post some cheerleader cheesecake, but trust me, Irish Alum Regis Philbin is actually a prettier sight.
I'm sure eveyone that reads this blog can come up with a different reason why the Irish should be on the "revenge" list. Whether it's the 1-5 record, the fact that Coach Bryant never beat them, or a grudge over the '66 National Championship, there's just something about Notre Dame that irks every single Alabama fan. As much as I might say that I respect Notre Dame and think that the Irish are good for college football, when it comes time to name the teams I want to see beaten, and beaten badly, come Saturday, the Irish are near the top. And who do I want handing out the whipping? Our own beloved Crimson Tide.
Judging by the confederate uniform and the moonshine jug, the political cartoonists of the day apparently had Alabama confused with fellow SEC members Ole Miss and Tennessee.
When I looked up the results of our meetings with Notre Dame I was surprised to find that, of the six meetings, the last four were during the regular season. I was also surprised (and impressed) at the quality of teams that Notre Dame schedules year in and year out. I know that the Irish are independents and therefor not strictly bound to a set conference schedule, but looking at the past decade's results I was struck by how difficult some of those schedules were. In addition to their annual meetings with Southern Cal, Michigan, and Michigan State, the Irish have faced the likes of Georgia Tech, UCLA, Penn State, Tennessee, BYU, Boston College, Florida State, Washington State, Pitt, Navy, Maryland, Nebraska, Texas A & M, and West Virginia, all during this decade. Now that's scheduling.
Anyway, seeing Alabama and the Irish matching up again would be a serious thrill for me. The last series we had was in '86 and '87 when I was just old enough to know that I loved Alabama football but still too young to really understand the importance of the games. I imagine the Irish are booked solid for some time in the future, so I'll just have to hope that Alabama will meet up with them in a bowl soon (and will help them to continue that crazy losing streak).
So that concludes the teams I most want to see on future Alabama schedules. It is by no means a complete list. There are plenty of programs with teams I respect that didn't get named, like Ohio State or Nebraska, if only because we have winning records against them and I just don't have any sort of memory that would make me say "remember last time we played them?" There are also teams, like Kansas or Kansas State, that we've never actually played that didn't make the list because, well, I just didn't think about it. But just because I didn't name them doesn't mean I wouldn't welcome them. I guess what I'm trying to say is that, I want to see better matches for Alabama, and any decent team will do.