The Easiest: Navy Yes, Navy! Before readers attempt to tar and feather me - or worse - I’m going with the Midshipman for a couple of reasons. But wait, what about the vaunted option attack and Ken Niumatalolo’s offense? Remember the years Notre Dame has struggled with it? Consider this: In the last five meetings with Navy, Notre Dame’s average margin of victory has been 22.6 points. This includes a decisive 41-24 victory last year against a Navy team that featured Heisman Trophy ...
Michigan State
Good Fridays w/Padre: NDowment
A generous fellow named Murphy has just endowed the men’s basketball coachship. This goes along with previous endowments for the women’s basketball coachship, the lacrosse coachship, and of course, the football coachship. The defensive backs coachship is also endowed, and even the athletic directorship. Some people think this is crass, that only professorships should be endowed. I don’t have any problem with setting money aside to pay coaches, since it frees up funds to be used elsewhere. But I ...
Good Fridays w/Padre: Burned after Reading
Dear Playoff Selection Cabal Committee: I lodged a complaint with you last year when you began this sinister manipulation of the national treasure that is the venerable college football tradition. You fared somewhat well with your collusory scheme in your first attempt, though I suspect this had more to do with the sort of benighted luck visited upon a broken analogue clock that succeeds in telling accurate time in two minutes out of the 24-hour day. With this year’s shambolic farce, though, ...
Notre Dame Remains #10; What We Learned from the College Football Playoff Committee
I mentioned on Monday that I would write a rebuttal to Bayou's hypothesis that playing Navy close would cost us playoff positioning. Thankfully, the College Football Playoff Committee saved me from loads of writing by making the argument for me by keeping the Fighting Irish ranked at #10. As I said during the ND Fan Radio Navy post game show, I felt that the narrow win against Navy would mean about as much to the committee as the blowout win against Rice did: nothing. Last week, I put ...
Notre Dame Still Squarely in Playoff Picture
I know. Being the second-ranked football team this week would make us all feel a lot more comfortable about our chances of making the inaugural edition of the College Football Playoffs. We are one silly offensive pass interference away from "hosting" a first round playoff matchup. Now that we're all done throwing our remotes, replacing our flat screens, and replenishing our liquor cabinets, it's time to look at the playoff picture. The whole picture. We don't know what exactly the 12-person ...
TCB Poll: Week 1 Reactions
Beginning in 2014, a playoff selection committee will determine which four college football teams play for the national title. Some are skeptical of the committee, so we -- the Elvii of college football -- have joined together to present our weekly playoff nominations. We call it the T.C.B. Poll. ...
Friday Roundup: The “Back to Business” Edition
After a nice solid holiday break from work, a bit of serious writing here (and non-serious writing like the Roundups), a trip out to the BCS title game (post coming soon), catching up from a load of work at the day job, and completely failing at trying to host a Google+ Hangout, it's time to get back into the swing of things. So yes, that means it's time to get the Friday Roundups going again in 2014. Now, unfortunately, I don't have anything particularly witty, funny, or really anything ...
Friday Roundup: The “Embracing a Heart Attack” Edition
Let's take a look at the last decade of Notre Dame/Pitt: Save for Weis making quite the debut against a very unprepared Pitt led by Dave Wannstedt, the ND/Pitt series has been defined by a single possession contest as of late. To be honest, it's really hard to explain why. For the most part, Pitt has been a medicore team that Notre Dame is usually better than. Last year's game was probably the best example of this: an undefeated Irish squad hanging on for dear life against a team that ...
Irish Blogger Gathering: Let’s Shake This Thing Up
When Subway rode off into the sunset and placed the IBG into my care, he probably didn't anticipate that I'd start tinkering with the thing before the season was even done. However, soon after I took hold, I couldn't help it and the wheels started spinning in my head for how to shake things up again. When another member of the IBG came to me asking for change as well, I took it as a sign to go for it. I threw out an idea. It wasn't hated. So here we go. I took inspiration from the roots of ...
Snap Judgment: Michigan State
The Irish moved to 3-1 on the season, defeating the Michigan State Spartans, 17-14. The game was dominated by the defenses and by an officiating crew who called the squads for a combined 201 yards in penalties. Sparty, in particular, was hit hard, and in critical situations, too. Four pass interference calls extended Irish drives and earned the scorn of State's head coach, Mark Dantonio. Notre Dame seemed to abandon the run, deploying an empty backfield often and on several third and ...