When a team comes into a season with low expectations and then wins some early games there is a snowball effect. It happened to me in 1993 at Auburn, when we won our first six games of the year and went into the Florida game the following week.

People outside the program said we hadn't played anyone good to that point and gave us no chance to win that game. Then we went out and beat the No. 4 Gators 38-35 in the final seconds, and all of a sudden everyone was on the bandwagon and the players believed we could go undefeated.

When things like that start to happen you just get a feeling anything is possible and you can win any game.

There was also a real sense of urgency on that '93 team. Auburn was a very proud program through the late 80s but had suffered through a couple of mediocre seasons immediately prior to my arrival that year.

And there was a feeling among the upperclassmen that they had to do something special. They were tired of not being recognized as a top program and had to prove that Auburn was back.

That is where there is a real similarity to this year's Notre Dame team. The Irish heard in the offseason that the program was in a downturn and that they might struggle under new coach Ty Wilingham, but now they have won a few close games and are going into the Florida State game with no one giving them chance.

If Notre Dame beats the Seminoles on Saturday it will start reading and hearing about how good it is, and should the Fighting Irish come out on top it could be the kind of defining moment that propels them to an unbeaten season.

I have seen it happen before and can see it happening again.

Terry Bowden is a studio analyst for ABC Sports.