SOUTH BEND — Local businesses are watching crowds closely with the last Notre Dame home game of the season now just a few hours away. It's been an up and down season for the Fighting Irish, and--with the season now wrapping up--some local businesses say it's also been a roller-coaster ride for their bottom lines.

Notre Dame has won six games this season, but has lost some key home matchups with teams like Navy and USC. When the Irish lose, many local businesses have found their bottom line can drop fast too.

At the final pep rally of the year, and fans here on the newly dubbed "Irish Green" for the traditional Friday night pep rally were excited about Saturday's match-up with Connecticut. So were local businesses like The Vine Restaurant in downtown South Bend, who have one last shot to make a home game weekend "win."

"With Notre Dame playing a little bit better, we're seeing happier crowds. They're happier when they come in, and when they're happy they spend a bit more money," said Vine Manager Patrick Mashke.

But, that hasn't always been the case this season.

Some key home losses haven't always put customers in a spending mood.

"We're still filling up. They are still coming in. They just down how much they spend, and that's how they make up for it," Mashke said.

Couple that with a sluggish economy, and experts say the bottom line is bound to drop.

"Towards the end of the year when expectations are lower than what the fan base expects, you do see a drop off," said St. Joseph County Chamber of Commerce Director of Business Growth Phil Damico.

"If there was only one loss or an undefeated season at this point, there would be a lot more people probably coming in from out of town. In a down season, you don't get that. And there are some tickets still on the street for this game. That would tell me we have not seen that," Damico continued.

But, not everyone has been hurt by the Irish's "middle of the road" season. Just up the road from downtown South Bend, sales are actually up at many places in and around campus like stores in the new Eddy Street Commons project.

Location, many said, is everything.

"I think it does help us, with Irish Green going on across the street and us having free parking here," said Hammes Follett Bookstore Marketing Coordinator Julie Nave.

The result?

"We've seen a lot of activity. We've even had a few events here on the street and tailgating events. I'm not the first one to say that business does suffer when we do have a loss. But, sales have been moderately good so far," Nave said.

Still, the news hasn't been all bad for those farther away from campus.

Most South Bend hotels are nearly full this weekend, Damico said, though some in outlying areas in the county still had vacancy available.

And, despite lackluster numbers at some of this season's Downtown South Bend sponsored pep rallies, the Chamber says many businesses there have actually seen a boost in sales this season.

"We've seen it better than the 3-9 season [in 2007] for sure. And, in some degrees, we've seen it a little bit better from last year," Damico said.

Mashke echoed that.

"It's looking up compared to the years before," he said when asked about sales during home game weekends this season. "It's definitely been better than last year. It's not where it was, but it's getting there."

The key now, Damico says is hooking up events on campus and at Eddy Street with events and businesses downtown. Free trolley rides between the two did help this season, he said, but local leaders want to see efforts expanded next year.

That's Mashke's hope, too, along with a rebounding economy and resurgent Irish team.

"That makes us optimistic about next season. It's going to take some time, but it's all looking up," Mashke said. "It's all looking up."