In a week where Vanderbilt made history (and then fired their coach), we still have some degree around just who can actually make a playoff run. While some teams were happy to play themselves out, situations in the Big Ten and Pac-12 have made things a little more cloudy and confusing than usual. So Shane and I decided to play a little game of Contenders and Pretenders around the nation in the wake of this week to see who might just have a legitimate shot and who is just hanging around ...
Northwestern
HLS Recap (Text Edition): Dabo’s the Worst
Initially, Shane and I planned to do our usual recap show, but, like the rest of 2020, shit happens. It made more sense to cancel a few hours before the our usual Sunday recording and for me to dust of my writing skills instead. So strap yourselves in for an extremely long post to get all the thoughts in my head that would've been shared on the podcast, out and available for internet consumption. ...
(Re)Introducing the Friday Roundup
That's right y'all, the Friday Roundup is back! For those unfamiliar with this little feature, it's a time in which we move our focus from Notre Dame and look outward to the rest of college football. While Shane and I do this in the HLS Podcast, we can only cover so many stories before we lose everyone with a two-plus hour episode. The Roundup will house those stories, plus those that really don't need more than a quick link and mention. As is tradition, the Roundup will also have a cold ...
HLS Podcast: Week 10 Recap of Chicago’s Football Team (and the Rest of College Football)
With week 10 now in the books, the majority of the playoff picture is coming into focus. Unless you are in the Pac 12 or Big 12, in which case, things are still insane. Speaking of, anyone want to win the Pac 12 South? How about the ACC Coastal? Meanwhile, Notre Dame, even after a terrible Navy-hangover of a first half, dispatches Northwestern by seven more points than some other school up north while never trailing. It was a big week of football and there's lot to talk about. Come join ...
HLS Podcast: Week 10 Preview – The Battle for Chicago
Yes, I'm aware Northwestern is in Evanston and Notre Dame is in South Bend, but like a ND band director, I'm going to shoehorn Chicago in here. There's a ton of news (hi, Maryland!) and playoff-picture worthy games to discuss. Oh, and of course, the most accurate preview method in all of sports: the NCAA sim between Notre Dame and Northwestern. ...
Opponent Watch: Wildcat Edition
Each week in this space, we examine two things: Notre Dame's strength of schedule (from USA Today's Sagarin rankings), and who Irish opponents are facing. For those of who want to scout future opponents, I'll give you my recommendation for who to watch when you're not watching Notre Dame Football. ...
I Never Liked The VanGorder Hire
I never liked the Brian VanGorder hire. VanGorder was hired in 2014, following the departure of Bob Diaco to become Connecticut's head coach. The criticism of Diaco was his "bend but don't break" approach made his defenses appear somewhat vanilla or "boring." So what? They were fundamentally sound, rarely beat themselves and were always in the top half of the nation in total defense. Much enthusiasm ensued when the Irish brought VanGorder and his NFL pedigree to South Bend. Many media ...
Here is Every Notre Dame Football Game on YouTube*
Here is a playlist of every Notre Dame football game available on YouTube, as of today. There's about 500 games here, dating all the way back to 1913. ...
What Should The Yearly Expectations Be For ND Football?
What is good enough for Notre Dame? I was a child of the Lou Holtz years, when Notre Dame was in the hunt for a national title almost every season. That has not been the case at any point since Holtz left. In this article, I'm going to look at some of the stated "hurdles" and determine if they're relevant. Then, I'm going to answer: What is a reasonable expectation for Notre Dame football on an annual basis? Schedule “We won nine games two years out of the five. I think the difficulty is ...
HLS TV (Episode 11): Well…THAT Happened
I don't really have much to say to lead into this. Molly and I were both beside ourselves with Notre Dame's loss to Northwestern and more or less just vented about it for about 45 minutes. Oh, we also get a surprise return from Molly's dad this episode. No, seriously, it surprised us both and neither of us had any idea it was coming. Poor Molly was the victim of "burn of the year" thanks to her father as well. This weekend was weird. Anyways, the video and audio is below. As a note, ...