Birmingham is the underdog in this game, no doubt about it. At least a seven-point underdog I'd say. Then again, they were probably a 10-point underdog to Long Beach Poly two weeks ago and we all know what happened with that. ...

For Birmingham to win, they'll need to:

1. Hope it doesn't rain during the game. Normally you'd think rain favors the underdog, because anything can happen in a mud bowl. But in this case, rain negates Birmingham's biggest advantage: speed. The Patriots are faster than just about any team out there. The only way to stop twin terror defensive ends Malik and Marquis Jackson is to use their speed against them. But if it rains, the speed differential is completely different.

2. Have no fumbles. Turnovers have been a problem the first three games of the year, but even one turnover is probably too much against a talented team like Notre Dame.

3. Control the clock. Notre Dame can't score if it doesn't have the ball, and Birmingham has got the kind of running back --Milton Knox -- who can chunk off the yards and milk the clock. This was one of the reasons Birmingham was able to beat Long Beach Poly.

4. Involve its tight ends in the offense. Both Mychael Rivera and Rafael Lopez have committed to Division I universities. Both are big, strong guys with good hands. If they are involved, the defense has to pay attention to them. Since they're so big, it takes a linebacker to cover them, meaning there's one less defender in the box to stop the run. But in three games, they've combined for just four catches. Not enough.