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There may be no way for Temple to top this week

The question after Temple beat Cincinnati, the week after Temple took out Penn State - how crazy was this going to get? Here was your answer on East Market Street, shut down for multiple days for a Saturday morning television show.

The question after Temple beat Cincinnati, the week after Temple took out Penn State - how crazy was this going to get? Here was your answer on East Market Street, shut down for multiple days for a Saturday morning television show.

Say 10 years ago, what would the odds have been that Market Street would one day be intentionally closed to vehicular traffic twice in five weeks - for the Pope and Temple football.

Which is the bigger miracle?

The traveling ESPN College GameDay show gets a lot of traffic-stopping attention but Saturday is, in fact, gameday, the 9th-ranked Notre Dame Fighting Irish against undefeated 21st-ranked Temple at Lincoln Financial Field. The Irish are 10-point favorites, used to center stage.

The Owls? Whatever happens the rest of the way, even if Temple sweeps through the American Athletic Conference undefeated, this may be the weekend that will be remembered, with the game on prime time on network television.

"That's the coach, right?" a young guy asked on Market Street early Friday afternoon, seeing cameras surround a dark-haired man.

In fact, it was an ESPN anchor, but it indicated how locals are at least trying to get up to speed.

Owen Patterson was walking along Market wearing a Temple sweatshirt and a hat with a T on it. No big deal except Patterson is a St. Joseph's grad and rabid Hawks fan. What has gotten into this town? Patterson explained that his two daughters with him are Temple students. He pulled up the sweatshirt to show his St. Joe's basketball jersey. (Daughter Grace had made a sign saying "I'm Irish but I go to Temple.")

The attention eventually will make its way to the Linc, where a ranked Philadelphia team will host a ranked outsider for the first time since 1952, when 12th-ranked Penn tied 10th-ranked Notre Dame, 7-7.

Up on campus this week Owls coach Matt Rhule kept telling his guys to enjoy each moment.

"I'm not concerned at all that we won't be ready to play the game," Rhule said. "I'm not concerned that the moment will be too big. Are we good enough to hang with Notre Dame? That's the concern. We'll play as good as we can play. These kids, they're winners, they're tough kids. If it's good enough to win, we'll see."

Notre Dame shows up with some locals, led by a game-breaker at wide receiver, Will Fuller from Roman Catholic, and starting offensive tackle Mike McGlinchey from Penn Charter. NFL Draft analyst Mike Mayock raves about Fuller and says of McGlinchey, "The kid from Penn Charter is going to be special, too."

The latest from the Philly Irish pipeline is freshman reserve running back Josh Adams from Central Bucks South. He has rushed for 265 yards on 34 carries.

Is there anybody on Temple's roster who turned down a recruiting overture from the Irish? That's what makes these matchups so intriguing. The Owls are never supposed to beat Penn State just based on that simple recruiting angle but that game was one-sided the other way.

Make no mistake, this is a plenty big game for the Irish. A brutal loss at Clemson - we'll still argue Brian Kelly messed up going for two too early - now means there is no room for error if Notre Dame is going to have a case to make the four-team postseason playoff. The next Irish opponent, Pittsburgh, will drop its national ranking after losing Thursday to North Carolina so the only other ranked team left for ND is currently 8th-ranked Stanford at the end of the season.

"I've been worrying about this darn Temple team," Kelly said this week when asked a question on another subject. "They're driving me crazy."

Temple has been an underdog three times this season and prevailed against Penn State, Cincinnati and East Carolina. The Owls have trailed in the fourth quarter three times but are 7-0. They've earned their attention.

What would it take for the Owls to stay close the whole way? Tailback Jahad Thomas may have to break a run. Special teams, full of big plays this season, may need another. The turnover margin has to go Temple's way. Even all that may just mean it's a ball game late into the night. Kickoff is 8 p.m., ABC televising.

Things will start early Saturday, with 40 buses scheduled to pick up Temple students at 4:45 a.m. on and take them to the Independence Mall area, to serve as the backdrop for College GameDay.

The game has been sold out for a few weeks and the evidence is on more than a sweatshirt that non-Temple alums are paying attention and even trying to get in. A friend mentioned a charity event at a fancy establishment in Center City Saturday night, how tables are sold out but some benefactors were having trouble filling them since expected guests were heading for the Linc.

For at least one weekend, Philadelphia has turned into a crazy college football town. You don't even have to recognize the coach to see it.

mjensen@phillynews.com

@jensenoffcampus