Oddsmakers favor Oklahoma; history favors Notre Dame

Old-timers in tweed jackets will look to the history of these two great programs and count up all the national titles and Heisman winners. Notre Dame and Oklahoma have been ranked No. 1 more than any two programs in history and are responsible for four of the 12 college football dynasties recognized by the NCAA.

People older than 50 probably appreciate this more or, as Jones noted, "I should probably read up on the history a little bit."

Jones would find, oddly, that Oklahoma has been on the wrong side of it. Notre Dame leads the all-time series, 8-1. The Irish's last Norman Invasion was 1966, when Ara Parseghian's team blasted Oklahoma, 38-0, on its way to the national title.

Is there such a thing as one team holding a "hex" over another team?

Oklahoma owned the 1950s under Bud Wilkinson, yet it was Notre Dame that handed the Sooners bookend losses around their record 47-game winning streak.

Notre Dame will be trying to replicate the spirit of the 1957 game in Norman that ended one of sport's greatest team accomplishments. Oklahoma was favored by 19 points that day.

"Nobody gave us a chance," former Irish player Ed Sullivan recalled in Steve Delsohn's book "Talking Irish — the Oral History of Notre Dame Football."

Oklahoma made the cover of Sports Illustrated that week, perhaps prompting the first "SI cover jinx" failure.

After Notre Dame won, 7-0, Sullivan recalled Oklahoma fans were so shocked that they stayed in their seats for 20 minutes. "Man," he said, "was that fantastic."

If Notre Dame can keep Oklahoma in its seats Saturday, it would truly set the Irish on a championship course. Barring another foolish unveiling of green jerseys — which only inspired Boston College in 2002 — Notre Dame would realistically be 11-0 entering its regular-season-ending showdown at USC.

After Oklahoma, the Irish face Pittsburgh (3-4), Boston College (1-6) and Wake Forest (4-4).

"This is why you coach at Notre Dame," Kelly said.

And why, if you win enough of these marquee matchups, they let you keep coaching.

chris.dufresne@latimes.com