Rich Hidy, Sports Editor

The Rover’s resident sports experts hold the crystal ball that will reveal Notre Dame’s chances at earning another BCS bid.  Here are the picks of the next six games of the 2013 Notre Dame football schedule by Politics and Economics Editor Tim Bradley and Sports Editor Rich Hidy.

Temple vs. Notre Dame: Notre Dame, 28-6.  Rees survived his first test of the year against a young Temple team with a first year signal caller in Connor Reilly and a coach under the age of 40  Rees passed for career high yardage and his touchdown to turnover ratio was + three.

Notre Dame vs. Michigan: Michigan, 41-30.  Devin Gardner torched the Irish’s secondary and Tommy Rees turned the ball over twice.  The combination of these mistakes proved a recipe for disaster and the first regular season loss in over a season.

Notre Dame vs. Purdue:

Rich—Notre Dame, 21-13.  Remember the home opener last season.  Purdue’s defensive line gave the Irish fits in a 20-17 victory with Tommy Rees coming out of the bullpen late to lead a game-winning drive.  Purdue was rocked in week one by Cincinnati, so expect a little added motivation against a highly touted opponent in Notre Dame.  The key for the Irish will be dominant play by pass rushers Stephon Tuitt and Sheldon Day.

Tim—Notre Dame, 35-17.  This year’s Purdue team is not the same as the one that gave Notre Dame a scare last year.  Former Kent State head coach Darrell Hazell has taken the reigns of the program from Danny Hope, and despite his recent success (leading the Golden Flashes to an 11 win season last year), he takes over a team that has lost to Notre Dame in each of the last five meetings.  Look for that streak to continue as Notre Dame bounces back from the disappointment in Ann Arbor with a convincing victory on the road.

Michigan State vs. Notre Dame:

Rich—Notre Dame, 24-20.  This game always gives me a slight pause.  The determining factor in this one is the fact that the Irish are at home.  The Irish contained Andrew Maxwell last year and the secondary that is continuing to gel with new strong safety Austin Collinsworth should be in peak form.

Tim—Notre Dame, 17-7.  Notre Dame has had success limiting the Spartans’ ground game in the last two years (79 rushing yards allowed by Notre Dame in the last two meetings with Michigan State), and if the vaunted Notre Dame defensive line can continue that trend this year by winning the battle of the trenches, everything else will fall in line.

Oklahoma vs. Notre Dame:

Rich—Notre Dame, 17-3.  Corey Nelson is an impact linebacker for the Sooners that can help the Oklahoma defense stay sound, but redshirt freshman Trevor Knight’s accuracy issues and a lack of big-game experience will hold Oklahoma back.  The Irish survive against a team they’ve played only twice since 1999.

Tim—Notre Dame, 28-10.  Last year, many doubted the ability of the Irish to go into Norman, led by a freshman quarterback, and escape with a victory against a strong Oklahoma team.  However, Everett Golson played well under pressure and ND secured a 30-13 victory.  This year, Oklahoma is attempting to replace quarterback Landry Jones with a freshman quarterback of their own, and after being limited to 15 rushing yards against the Irish a year ago, they will struggle to put points on the board.

Arizona State vs. Notre Dame:

Rich—Arizona State, 28-20.  How many college teams get to play in Jerry World in Dallas?  The awe and allure of such an unbelievable environment could lure the Irish into a lull in this potential trap game.  Todd Graham has beaten the Irish before as Head Coach of Tulsa in 2010, and the Sun Devils are now on the rise after an 8-5 season and a quarterback who accumulated over 3,000 yards and 29 touchdowns a year ago.  Beware of this season’s Shamrock Series.

Tim—Arizona State, 35-28.  ND has yet to lose in its annual Shamrock Series matchup, but Sun Devils coach Todd Graham seems to have Notre Dame’s number after his upset with Tulsa and near upset in 2011 as the coach of Pittsburgh.  The Sun Devils opened the season with a 55-0 beat-down of Sacramento, and while games against competition of this sort do not mean much, it at least shows that the Sun Devils have talent. Michigan opened its season with a 59-9 victory over Central Michigan, and we all know what happened the week after.

USC vs. Notre Dame:

Rich—Notre Dame, 28-13.  The Irish will have the loss in rivalry game number one to Michigan in the back of their minds by the time they host USC.  The Irish beat the Trojans on the road last season for the second time since 2010, but Notre Dame hasn’t won at home against USC since a 27-16 win in 2001.  Max Wittek was relatively quiet last year against Notre Dame in his first career start.  The Irish will have to worry about explosive Heisman candidate Marqise Lee.

Tim—Notre Dame, 35-21.  USC just suffered a shocking upset, losing 10-7 to the Cougars of Washington State, resulting in a drop out of the Top 25.  The USC defense will likely give Notre Dame a different look than in past years after the hiring of former Cal defensive coordinator Clancy Pendergast, who favors the 3-4 defensive scheme instead of the 4-3 scheme USC has employed of late.  Notre Dame will be prepared, however, and will put enough points on the board to secure the win.

Notre Dame vs. Air Force:

Rich—Notre Dame, 31-14.  Taking care of business against the teams you should beat is essential to remain grounded in the all-important BCS Poll.  Air Force is probably the best of the military academies right now.  A 6-7 season last year that ended in a bowl loss to Rice was a step in the right direction.  However, Notre Dame’s prowess running the ball will give an average team a lot of trouble.

Tim—Notre Dame, 24-21.  Playing in Colorado Springs for the first time since 2006, the Irish may struggle to adapt to the higher altitude and suffer more fatigue than usual as a result.  Employing the triple-option offense, Air Force amassed 565 total yards of offense in the last meeting between these two teams at Notre Dame Stadium in 2011.  Notre Dame’s defense seemed to have figured out how to slow down the option last year, but as we have just witnessed in the form of Michigan quarterback Devin Gardner, the Irish still have some trouble containing mobile quarterbacks who can throw.  Air Force quarterback Kale Pearson is out with an injury at the moment, but should be healthy by the time ND rolls into town and could give the Irish a bit of a scare.

Rich Hidy is a sophomore Business major and Journalism minor who has great expectations for the Irish Rover sports section this year. Email him with any suggestions of topics that should be included in the next Rover at rhidy@nd.edu.