let's look at dame's opponents this year.
navy.

7-4 yeah, a real powerhouse
purdue 3-5. dame won by 3.
michigan state ended at .500 6-6
michigan, got their asses handed to them by 'bama 41-14. lost to dame 13-6.
miama (not the hurricanes)

stanford, quality opponent. had to go to ot for that one, no shame for either one.
byu. lol squeaked by 17-14.
oklahoma-second best opponent faced by dame after stanford.
pitt, in ot. pitt. another win by 3.
bc. lol they just fired their coach cause they suck
wake. sigh
usc. 7-5. lost to every ranked team they faced this year.
yeah, tough schedule.... /sarcasm
after it's all over-how many quality opponents did they face? how many did others, such as fla (who it seems has faced a tougher schedule than many, including dame/georgia) square off against? where are all the opponents ranked now compared to through the season? that's what tells the tale.