Is God Rooting for Notre Dame?

USC plays Notre Dame this weekend, and after this you have to wonder if God hasn't taken an active cheering role for the Fighting Irish:

MICHIGAN CITY, Ind. -- USC players, coaches and supporters aboard the team's charter flight from Los Angeles endured a harrowing arrival in South Bend, Ind., on Thursday night.

Several players, administrative staff and coaches' spouses said passengers were hurled out of their seats and hit their heads on the ceiling when the plane dropped while making an approach through a lightning storm. The pilot aborted the approach and circled before landing without incident, said Dennis Slutak, USC's director of football operations.

Some of the passengers were not wearing seat belts at the time, but others said their seat belts broke.

"There was a moment there when I was thinking, 'This is it,' " Slutak said.

Said sophomore safety Taylor Mays: "I was screaming."

At their hotel, senior defensive end Lawrence Jackson said he was going to see the team trainer because a popsicle stick had pierced the inside of his mouth during the drop.

"That was terrifying," freshman fullback Stanley Havili said. "I thought I was going to die."

Don't mess with Touchdown Jesus.