Our countdown from 10 to 1 — going from most memorable, valuable and greatest — continues with …

Back in 1974 there was a legendary heavyweight fight when challenger Muhammad Ali defeated unbeaten champion George Foreman.

The powerful Foreman had an astounding history of knocking out challengers early. However, Ali invented a tactic called the "rope-a-dope." He would cover up and lean back against the ropes and let Foreman whale away at him in hopes that he would eventually exhaust himself. The plan was executed perfectly, and in the eighth round Ali knocked out the fatigued Foreman.

The 1992 Sugar Bowl was a repeat of that tactic.

The 9-3 and No. 18 Irish were deemed unworthy to play head coach Steve Spurrier's No. 3 and 10-1 Gators with their explosive "Fun 'N Gun" offense.

In its final three games, Notre Dame lost 35-34 to Tennessee, 35-13 at Penn State and survived a 48-42 shootout at Hawaii. The 112 points yielded by the Irish were the second most over a three-game period in school annals.

So disgusted was Irish head coach Lou Holtz with the defense, he took over as the coordinator for the game, replacing the maligned Gary Darnell, who would have a successful head coaching stint at Western Michigan.

According to Holtz, prior to the game a waiter in his hotel approached him with the following riddle: "What's the difference between Cheerios and Notre Dame?"

Answer: "Cheerios belongs in a bowl."

Against nine-point favorite Florida, Holtz would employ his own rope-a-dope.

• Holtz used the ultimate "bend but don't break" scheme in which on occasion he rushed only two and dropped nine into coverage. For most of the game, ABC color man Dan Dierdorf ridiculed the strategy.

• Florida drove 85 yards on the game's opening possession for a quick 7-0 advantage in the anticipated blowout.

• The Gators dominated statistically at halftime while taking a 16-7 lead, but the Irish red zone defense held up enough to force three short field goals from 26, 24 and 36 yards.

• The Irish held a surprising 17-16 edge after three quarters when they milked the clock on 64- and 80-yard drives. Rick Mirer's touchdown pass to Irv Smith provided the first Notre Dame lead before two more Florida field goals put the Gators ahead early in the fourth quarter.

• After rushing for only 34 yards in the first half, Notre Dame ran for 107 in the third quarter and 138 in the fourth — 245 total in the second half. The Irish scored 22 points in the fourth quarter versus an exhausted and injury-riddled Gators defense.

Offense: Fullback Jerome Bettis scored on three-, 49- and 39-yard runs in the fourth quarter and finished with 150 rushing yards, still an Irish bowl record, on 16 carries. His three touchdowns also tied an Irish bowl record shared by Elmer Layden, Vagas Ferguson and Golden Tate.

Defense: Senior cornerback Rod Smith, who would become a second-round pick several months later, recorded 18 tackles in the busy Irish secondary that had to contend with 58 passes by Florida quarterback Shane Matthews. He completed 28 for 370 yards.

Why No. 9 On Our List?

While it was a terrific victory, it improved the 10-3 Irish ranking to only No. 13 in the final Associated Press poll. It was the lowest finish, and the lone one outside the top 10, during the halcyon six-year period from 1988-93 in which Notre Dame was 64-9-1. That mark was highlighted by a 5-1 record in bowls against teams that were a combined 64-3-1 coming into the game.

Since 1988, Holtz improved his record against top-10 teams at the time of the game to a remarkable 13-4 (.765 winning percentage), including 6-3 versus the top three.

While Florida racked up 511 yards total offense, it went 53 minutes between touchdowns. Five times the Gators had to settle for field goals while reaching the Notre Dame red zone.

"At halftime, we felt [the offense] needed to stay on the field and score some touchdowns," said Spurrier of the 16-7 halftime advantage that he felt should have been more like 28-7. "We got worn down defensively. They just said, 'We're gonna run that ball down their throats.' And they did."

The rope-a-dope can work in football, too.

As for the Cheerios story, it served as an ideal foil for master motivator Holtz.

"When we heard it, we got real, real upset," Bettis said after the game. "If it did come from [Notre Dame] people, it was a great job. Our team just got fired up so much because … you know, who likes Cheerios anymore?"

10. 1994 Cotton Bowl: Notre Dame 24, Texas A&M 21

9. 1992 Sugar Bowl: Notre Dame 39, Florida 28