First play was a fumble, we stopped them on downs, we went down and scored. Then they went three and out, and we went down and scored. It was 13-0 eight minutes into the game.
You could say we started fast against Va Tech, and then we gave them back the momentum allowing a score right before halftime making it 17-16, then we blew them out by 22.
My point isn't we have to start fast to win. We absolutely don't. But, it's always the goal to start fast. The game can start any number of ways, and I personally don't care about USC's feelings as to whether they believe or not. If Notre Dame plays consistently well, no matter the breaks, they'll win the game rather easily.