(MCT) — So iridescent and seductive is the allure of the Bowl Championship Series standings that the thought brought a smile even to Tyler Eifert’s face. Generally, the Notre Dame tight end seems genetically incapable of exuberance. And, OK, the smile was more a slight curl at the corner of his mouth.

But it was there. In thrall of victory Saturday night, greeted with the idea that the Irish would be a top-five BCS team just hours later, Eifert grinned unmistakably, maybe at how far his team had come or how far it could go or some spellbinding combination of the two.