Anybody Recovered From The USC Game Yet?

Honestly, you just know Nick Lachey was wetting his pants in South Bend on Saturday. We still haven't quite come down from the high of USC's thrilling 34-31 victory over Notre Dame, a game that somehow made everyone on both teams into a legend. Most of the Notre Dame fans we know aren't even angry; they seem mostly saddened but proud.

It's strange, actually, how USC quarterback Matt Leinart — who, we had a feeling, expected this season to be nothing but coeds and backrides to guys with mustaches, like in that picture — was forced to put away all the hype and everything else and gut out a game the way the rest of us mortals have to. He will no longer have to question whether or not he can rise to the occasion when challenged; we know he would have been the No. 1 pick no matter what, but having to get his hands a little dirty certainly won't hurt him down the line. When USC plays in the national championship game this year, we will now all know that they've earned it. And Leinart will appreciate the sorority girls in the line winding outside his door that much more.

Snatching Victory From The Jaws Of Defeat [Boi From Troy] 60 Minutes And A Broken Heart [Irish Law]