While the Irish kept on trucking, others weren’t as lucky. We were close to a blood weak with multiple ranked teams finding themselves on the wrong side of the score sheet. We were also blessed with what had to be the most insane Red River Shootout and Mike Leach setting a record he probably never expected to.

Podcast

Twitch VoD

The post HLS Recap: Keep on Truckin’ appeared first on Her Loyal Sons.

The post HLS Podcast: Going Inside ND with Tyler James appeared first on Her Loyal Sons.

No, this isn’t because I’ve hit a creative wall. I’m not mailing it in because the audio version of this post debuts on the radio this evening. It certainly isn’t for a lack of caring either.

It’s because the main thing consuming my mind is just simply winning this game. After all, I’ve preached patience for the past couple of weeks in regards to the playoff rankings. The hell-raising arguments can start with a defeat of the Sun Devils.

So, yes, I have no jokes. Instead, my mind is full of visions of Brian VanGorder’s defense putting pressure on whoever is taking snaps for Arizona State whether Taylor Kelly or Mike Berovici, the apparent Achilles’ heel to the potent Arizona State offense. Even with VanGorder being in his comfort zone of getting a QB out of theirs, I think about how the Irish secondary will match up against WR stud Jaelan Strong.

And what of the injury to Joe Schmidt (by the way, did you hear he’s a walk-on?!)? Certainly Nyles Morgan is a physical upgrade, but will the “defensive QB” role prove to much for anyone to fill? Or will this be a breakout game in which we see the linebacker combination of Nyles Morgan and Jaylon Smith give Irish fans a glimpse into an incredible future?

Of course I can’t get the offense out of my head. Folston has a chance to go three consecutive games with 100 rushing yards (and let’s not forget, that mark is damn near four games with his 98 rushing yard performance against North Carolina). Golson has a chance to continue the dark horse Heisman buzz after his ND record 6 TD game.

That’s what currently resides in my mind. Jokes will come later. For now, beat the Sun Devils.

The Roundup

At least one of the Marooned 5 has been returned to us. Rejoice, y’all!

University of Notre Dame senior safety Eilar Hardy has been cleared by
the NCAA to participate in competition.

— Michael Bertsch (@NDsidBertschy) November 7, 2014

This place was reserved for a Jameis Winston point shaving joke. However, the original source of that story seems…well, rather sketchy to say the least. However, Winston still keeps his heel status mostly in thanks this week to his lawyer who wants Winston’s hearing delayed, a request made after he made the alleged victim’s name public (link removes any mention of alleged victim’s name).

Remember when those “Bob Stoops to ND” rumors were a thing? Your turn, Michigan!

I’m not even sure what’s going on in Aggieland anymore. Newly suspended quarterback, Kenny Hill added another strange page to his saga. This drama now stars Sean Salisbury whom claims that he was retained by Hill’s family to coach and mentor the young QB. A source later denied this and Salisbury went on his radio show to say “nuh uh, you totally did”. I think College Station is longing for the days of a “Johnny Football partying in Vegas” photo.

Ole Miss’ AD is mad. He sent a strongly worded letter to an Auburn newspaper for using a photo of Laquon Treadwell’s terrible injury in their story. Also happening this week, trolling Mississippi State fans on Twitter:

. @Therealbrutius The real question is…..do you want to meet face to face? pic.twitter.com/HZaHd3C9nD

— Ross Bjork (@RossBjorkAD) November 4, 2014

And now your moment of Nix… Now with 100% more Taylor Swift wearing Notre Dame gear.

The Booze

To humor myself, I Googled “Arizona Tea Cocktails” and low and behold, there is such a thing as an Arizona Stinger featuring two shots of vodka mixed with the readily available beverage. I also forgot that the Arizona Beverage Company owns the Arnold Palmer brand, meaning you can also easily roll with a John Daly: a mixture of vodka, lemonade and iced tea.

Now, the above probably works well as a refreshing drink for anyone enjoying the 80-degree Arizona weather; however, for the rest of us dealing with colder weather I want to make a suggestion that makes a very welcome return: BOURBON. ALL OF IT!

The post Friday Roundup: The “Devils Running Through My Head” Edition appeared first on Her Loyal Sons.

Image courtesy @AuburnElvis

Playoff Rankings: Week 8

Each week, the T.C.B. Poll is an aggregate of all our inputs. Scroll down to see individual selections and opinions.

Also receiving votes: Baylor, Oregon, TCU.

TCB Committee Member Comments

@TheLSUElvis

College Gameday comes to Baton Rouge and The LSU Elvis will be there! Geaux Tigers

1. Mississippi State
2. Florida State
3. Ole Miss
4. Irish

@AuburnElvis

1. Mississippi State – Their remaining schedule sets up like a dream with an easy opponent before each remaining tough one. Pencil them in for the SEC Championship and a playoff berth after that.
2. FSU – I don’t think they’re the #2 team by a long shot, but this is where they’ll likely end up just because every story needs a good villain to defeat.
3. Ole Miss (or Auburn or Alabama) – If the SEC West’s #2 team only has 1-loss (to #1 MSU), their strength of schedule and quality non-conference wins should get them past an Ohio or Michigan State team without either. (Plus, I think Oregon’ll lose another game soon.)
4. TCU (or Kansas State or Baylor) – I don’t know who it’ll be, but a 1-loss Big 12 Champion will get the fourth spot. (BTW, I think Notre Dame is going to lose at least 1 more game.)

@HawkeyeElvis

I spent Saturday night at the Heartbreak Hotel after Iowa’s loss to Maryland. Unfortunately, Irish Elvis was there with me.

1. Mississippi State – That defense and that QB will carry them a long way yet this season.
2. Florida State – Does anyone outside of Tallahassee like this team?
3. Mississippi – I think both Mississippi schools make the playoff, especially if the Egg Bowl is a close, down to the wire game. Either way, that SEC Title is going to the Magnolia State this year.
4. Notre Dame – I will wait for you to stop screaming. Okay, may I continue? Thanks. The Irish schedule sets up for them to finish the season at 11-1. The Big 12 and Pac-12 are both way too volatile and either of those conference champs are likely to have 2 losses. We might get 2 SEC teams into a playoff, but we ain’t gonna get a third, so no Bama or Auburn (sorry Auburn Elvis). So who does that leave for a 1-loss team in the final spot? How about a team whose only loss was on the road at the undefeated National Champions in a controversial finish? You might even get a rematch on New Year’s Day in a huge bowl. That game would pull HUGE ratings. So chin up Irish Elvis, you may still have a shot at this thing.

The Hawkeyes have a bye this week so I’m headed for some Fun In Acapulco with some Girls! Girls! Girls! and get over these G.I. Blues.

@IrishElvis

1. Mississippi State – They still have a couple games with landmine potential, but they’re unbeaten and have looked like the most complete squad to this point in the season.
2. Florida State – They should have no more challenges up to and including their conference title game.
3. Oregon – I’m not sure why I have such fascination with the quacks out west…perhaps it’s the theory that losing early is beneficial, perhaps they’re still riding Chip Kelly’s coattails in my pompadoured head. Maybe I’m just not convinced we’re going to find a Big 12 team with fewer than two losses. Whatever the reason, I think the Ducks are an attractive option if they carry their lone loss into December.
4. Notre Dame – If there’s any way for a loss to be a positive, it’s this one. To clarify: this loss was *not* a positive for my heart or liver…so no more of that, please and thank you.

With the Elvii LSU and Hawkeye voting in lockstep for all four teams, this week’s poll was all but set. After MSU and FSU, there’s a yawning chasm in the TCB Poll voting for the final two playoff spots. We will see no more than 2 undefeated teams by the end of the year, which means there’s going to be a whole passel of one-loss teams (and maybe even legitimate two-loss teams?). Buckle up over the next month, college football fans — the TCB Poll is about to be All Shook Up.

The post TCB Poll: Week 8 Reactions appeared first on Her Loyal Sons.

Fumbles

Everett Golson, 1st Quarter
Everett Golson, 3rd Quarter

Everett’s first fumble to start the game, while terrible and costly, could be mostly forgiven. You could certainly argue that Golson should have better pocket presence and not step directly into a death trap. Still, that was not nearly as bad as Golson coughing the ball up late in the 3rd quarter for a failure to tuck and protect the ball.

NBC mentioned that Golson worked on ball security, but perhaps it should shift to learning when to slide? I’d rather Golson sacrifice a couple of yards than trying to plunge forward and watching an opponent grab the ball. Plus, I’m not too particularly fond of Golson taking a whole bunch of hits every game.

Either way, this needs to be fixed and quickly. That’s three games in a row and I’m starting to become very concerned.

Ill-Advised Passes

Golson near pick six, 2nd Drive
Golson throws a pick six, 3rd Drive

Simply put, Golson was lucky that he didn’t give up two pick sixes in this game. His first ill-advised pass was jumped and, had it not been an absolute bullet that the Tar Heel DB failed to handle, it probably would’ve been. On both that pass and the pick six, Golson forced a pass to a receiver that clearly wasn’t open.

It’s almost as if Golson believes that his arm is strong enough to beat the defender that is taking the route away. Or perhaps Golson just can’t help but try to force things so early in a game.

Either way, those were two very easy reads that I think everyone, Brian Kelly included, expects Golson to make.

Plays You May Have Forgotten

Sheldon Day nearly gets an INT, 1st Quarter
Notre Dame nearly has a goal line stand, 2nd Quarter

Sure, we remember that the Irish gave away loads of points off of turnovers, but these two plays could have caused a serious scoring swing. Sheldon Day made an incredible read on a screen play and completely jumped the route (and Issac Rochell should get a nod for almost getting a sack before the play could get set up). He couldn’t have been in better position as he did everything right but catch the ball.

Near the end of the first half, North Carolina scored another touchdown, but that was practically a gift from the ACC referees. On 3rd and goal, the Irish were flagged for defensive pass interference on a clearly uncatchable ball. The Irish forced the Tar Heels to another 3rd and goal. Rochell had Marquis Williams dead to rights on his scramble for a TD, but just happened to roll over Rochell perfectly on his way down toward the endzone and away from Max Redfield who was charging in for the finishing touch.

Had those plays gone a different way, we could very well be talking about a very different score this week.

Schools from Mississippi

If you had told me in the preseaon that the top five would include both Mississippi schools, I would have thought you crazy. Yet, here we are.

Mississippi State dispatched a turnover-prone Auburn and leapfrogged Florida State to take the #1 spot in both polls. After a huge upset against Alabama, Ole Miss followed up by soundly defeating Texas A&M at home.

I can’t help but wonder how this will affect the SEC Is Awesome Theory this week.

Texas Heart-breakers

Oklahoma fends off a Texas comeback to win 31-26
TCU blows a 21 point lead to Baylor, losing 58-61

The Red River Rivalry, no matter how lopsided it may have seemed on paper the past two years, managed to be fantastic once again. Texas came on late to give a reeling Oklahoma a scare in the old Cotton Bowl. TCU, who beat Oklahoma last week in Ft. Worth, traveled down to Waco and appeared to have Baylor dead to rights.

TCU’s only problem was that Baylor remembered that they can score points by the boat load and delivered one of the most incredible comeback wins that I’ve ever seen.

Later that evening, I was out and about in downtown Ft. Worth. Usually, you will see quite a few TCU kids enjoying a night out, having a blast around Sundance Square. I saw none that evening and a bartender told the couple we were meeting up with to avoid one particular bar because it was full of sad, angry, and drunk TCU fans. Yikes.

Polling Absurdities

Michigan State
Oklahoma

In both the coaches’ and AP polls, Michigan State is ranked above Oregon and Oklahoma is ranked above TCU. Both teams lost to the teams they now find themselves ranked above despite the fact that they all have one loss. I am trying to figure out what kind of logic multiple people used to justify such a ranking.

Seriously, the polls are so useless right now. What a joke. I’m almost surprised that a one-loss Alabama team isn’t ranked above Notre Dame.

The post CFB Week 7: A Tale of Two… appeared first on Her Loyal Sons.

Image courtesy @AuburnElvis

Playoff Rankings: Week 6

Each week, the T.C.B. Poll is an aggregate of all our inputs. Scroll down to see individual selections and opinions.

Also receiving votes: Ole Miss.

TCB Committee Member Comments

@TheLSUElvis

One of the King’s best gospel songs was “Crying in the Chapel” and there were quite a few football fans crying in their chapels of football glory on Saturday after a very exciting weekend…as for the LSU Elvis’ top 4 only Florida State remains and three new teams to add to the list. Should I include one ACC team and 3 teams from the SEC West???? Well these teams would all have to beat each other just once and have everyone else in the country lose as well. Will this happen? I don’t know but crazier things have happened in college football. Here is my top 4 for the week.

1. Florida State – Sorry for moving you down a spot in my previous poll. You keep winning and I will keep putting you at Number one. In two weeks when my fellow Elvis Brother and the Irish play y’all will be quite the game.
2. Mississippi State – they play host to Auburn and I think Dak Prescott is starting to remind a lot of people of Cam Newton – who won the Heisman and brought his team home a national title.
3. Auburn – so the number 2 and 3 teams in the country beat my beloved LSU Tigers. One of these two will lose Saturday but the dream to still play in football playoff is not over. Slight edge to Mississippi State for two reasons – Cowbells and the birthplace of the King
4. Ole Miss – Well Hotty Toddy – I never thought I would have the Rebel black bears in my top 4 but they have done it. They still have Auburn, Mississippi State and travel to LSU…..you get through that schedule with one loss or fewer then you can stay in the top 4 my friends.

@AuburnElvis

1. Auburn. It looks like their O-line reshuffling issues have normalized, and that spells trouble for opposing defenses. Auburn is the only team in America that could get through Auburn’s schedule.
2. Mississippi State. Dang, these guys look good. If Auburn didn’t exist, I think THIS would be your eventual national champion.
3. Baylor. I don’t actually think Baylor will win the Big 12, but I’m putting them here as a placeholder for either Oklahoma, or more likely… Kansas State.
4. Notre- Ha, just kidding. FSU. I don’t think the Seminoles are one of the top four teams, or even that they’ll go undefeated. I just think Florida State is so lucky they’ll probably fall backwards into the playoffs on the final week after 3 teams ahead of them lose.

@HawkeyeElvis

My Hawkeyes figured out a genius way not to lose this past Saturday: don’t play. As you might imagine, a big ‘ol hunka-hunka burnin’ shake-up in the Hawkeye Elvis Top 4:

1. Florida State – Welcome back ‘Noles. Oh and that home game against the Irish is looking pretty big now.
2. Auburn – Can these Tigers survive their trip to the Magnolia State?
3. Mississippi State – Welcome to the TCB Top 4, Bulldogs. Let’s see if you can stay here more than a week.
4. Baylor? – Sure why not. Their lackluster win over Texas aside who goes here? I can’t put a third team from the same division (let alone conference here). A spot will be open after this week anyway.

@IrishElvis

Oh, October College Football, how I have missed you. There’s blood everywhere in the TCB Top 4, but somehow I managed to carry over two teams from last week into my Top 4, mostly because I dropped Alabama some weeks back knowing the Lane Kiffin Effect would eventually strike.

1. Florida State – C’mon back up to the top spot, defending champs! It’s entirely possible that no one is dominant this season.
2. Auburn – Do we crown Auburn Elvis as “King Creole” because of his head-to-head victory over LSU Elvis last week?
3. Ole Miss – Tough road game in College Station next week…let’s see if Dr. Bo is licensed to practice in the state of Texas.
4. Baylor – Atrocious strength of schedule, and they host TCU after the Purple Frogs take down Oklahoma. I think they get it done this week, but they won’t last long in this slot. I think Auburn handles the Cowbells so I can’t very well put MSU here…

Astute fans may notice a certain team is curiously absent from my top 4, and they will remain a Devil In Disguise unless/until they find a way to win in Tallahassee on October 18. After that…well, we’ll cross that bridge when we come to it.

The post TCB Poll: Week 6 Reactions appeared first on Her Loyal Sons.

The Trojan’s game was going exactly how Mike Garrett hoped it would. Sure, it looked like something resembling a game in the first half, but this second half was a disaster. He could trigger Pat Haden to fire Lane Kiffin and no one would be the wiser. An angry AD after an embarrassing blowout would serve as the perfect cover.

Garrett was anxious. He wanted to launch his plan now, but he knew Haden was surrounded by far too many people associated with USC, people that would be angry if he was spotted in the same zip code as Haden.

Patience, Mike, patience…

He repeated the thought in his head for a fourth quarter that seemed like an eternity. Finally, the long standing torture came to an end. He glanced at his clock and a new thought entered his head

Just thirty more minutes and this will all be over…

All the brainwashing from Jack Swarbrick would be a thing of the past. His vendetta against his biggest rival thwarted. Lane Kiffin would roam the Trojan sidelines no longer after tonight.

Thirty minutes passed and Garrett hit “send” on his phone. The text message was already written by halftime. He knew Haden would at least look at some point in the night. Even though Garrett knew most people in the USC Football program detested him, he always had Haden to at least give him the time of day when no one was looking.

“It’ll all be over soon. It’ll all be over soon.”

Garrett repeated the phrase over and over while rocking back and forth on his couch. He couldn’t wait for this nightmare to end. Perhaps tonight, he would actually sleep.

————————–

Pat Haden slid into his first class seat on the USC charter flight, finally getting a bit of privacy for the first time in hours. He knew Garrett had texted him, but there was no way he was going to check that out in the open.

“Rough game, Pat. Not much I can say about that disaster, but at least I can make you laugh:” with a random YouTube link posted at the end.

Haden put on his headphones and tapped the link on his iPhone. Seconds later, the familiar embarrassing sounds of Freekbass filled his ears. Yes, this would indeed make him laugh. Of all the things that Notre Dame did, he could never figure out why they would put something out this embarrassing and give it their stamp of approval.

But as he continued to watch the video, his eyes shot wide open. Everything was a blur. He was conscious, aware of his surroundings, but it was like he was no longer in control of his body.

The video came to an end and Mike Garrett’s voice filled his ears.

“Pat, listen…”

I am listening…I am awaiting orders…

“…you must fire Lane Kiffin. Do not hesitate, do not even let that man return to campus. He is done. Lane Kiffin is done — this is the best decision for USC.”

The best decision for USC…yes…

“There is no perfect time to fire anyone, but we  just weren’t making the progress you were looking for. Firing him was just a gut feeling.”

It is…my gut feeling…

“You’ll find your coach next season, just let Coach O get the boys motivated again this year. Troy will rise again!”

————————–

The shrill of a phone ring jolted Garrett out of bed. He looked at the clock…1:15 PM. He didn’t just sleep, he slept in and gave his body a full reboot. He could take on the world right now if he wanted, but first the phone.

“Hello?”

“I suppose you are rather proud of yourself, aren’t you, Mike?”

The voice was unmistakable — Jack Swarbrick was on the line and he sounded very annoyed. “You bet I am, Jack! But how in the hell did you get this number?!”

Swarbrick let out a deep sign and replied, “Mike, you haven’t changed your number since your time as AD. I’ve always had it. But let’s get to the point, what in the hell do you think you’re doing?”

“What am I doing?! I should ask you the same question!!! Who stoops so low as to try and cripple their rival with brainwashing?! Is that what ND is “fighting for” these days, Jack?” Garrett could help but smile from ear to ear. He outsmarted Jack–no, all of Notre Dame. And he even used a “fighting for” pun. PERFECT! “Lane is fired, Jack. Your plan failed. Hell, my re-programming of Haden didn’t even allow that worthless excuse for a coach back on the bus to campus!”

“So what happens now?”

“Pat Haden will be doing his job without any outside interference, that’s what. I took the high ground here, Jack. I’m not going to brainwash Pat to fit my future wishes for the USC football program. Coach O will take over for now. After that, it’s all up to Pat.”

“Fine,” Swarbrick replied curtly, “have a good day, Mike.”

————————–

“So, is there any concern here, Jack?” Fr. Jenkins asked, staring at his AD with great worry.

“Of course not. As usual, Mike can’t see past his nose. After all, that very characteristic is what allowed him to either miss or ignore the entire Reggie Bush mess that gave us the ground work to proceed with this plan. I mean, what else do you expect from a guy that still hasn’t figured out a newspaper is black, white, and read all over?”

“Point taken, Jack. I take the final phase of the plan is still on track?”

“Of course,” Swarbrick said, unable to contain a grin, “and the beauty is that no one will suspect anything. Mike is convinced this was all about sticking it to Southern Cal, but he hasn’t seen the whole picture. Getting us into the new playoff system while remaining independent, brokering a deal with the ACC, and of course, getting us multiple seats on the playoff football committee even though the public will think we have none. All that’s left is for Brian Kelly to do his job and win.”

“Multiple?!” Fr. Jenkins seemed to be filled with the same worry and dread as he was before, “I thought this was all about Pat, Jack…what have you done?!”

“Forgive me father, for I have sinned by omission of truth. Let me make it up to you with a drink,” said Jack as he walked over to his bar, “I feared if I told you the entire scope that you wouldn’t go along with this. After all it is rather ambitious. But no, Pat, won’t be our only man on the inside.  We’ll also have Tyrone Willingham.” A near evil grin crossed Swarbrick’s lips as he finished mixing a red fizzy concoction in two glasses.

“TY?! Surely, you must be joking.”

“Not in the least,” said Jack as he extended the red drink to Fr. Jenkins, “and make no mistake, he deserves every bit of this too for tarnishing not just our football program, but our good name. No one will ever suspect it. If anything, people will assume we got the raw end of this deal. As an added bonus, Ty will be playing and expensing so much golf now he would never suspect that he’s been…modified.” Swarbrick’s grin transformed into a gigantic smile as he raised his glass, “Here’s to Notre Dame football returning to where we belong.”

After a toast, Fr. Jenkins calmed himself and took a sip. Surely he shouldn’t worry about this, after all his savvy AD seemed to have thought of everything. After the red drink passed his lips though, his train of thought was snapped. What was this wonderful red nectar?!

“Say, Jack, what exactly am I drinking here?”

“Oh this? It’s Trojan Blood. A wonderful beverage that our new associate created. You can come in now,” Jack said, raising his voice just enough to reach the ears of the mysterious man that awaited outside, “You see, now that everything has fallen into place, we need a man on the ground that is fiercely loyal and fears no one. He fought the good fight on the internet for years, but I’ve finally convinced him to retire and work for us. Father, allow me to introduce…The Subway Domer…”

THE END

The Roundup

The playoff committee is now official. I wasn’t joking about Ty being in it either. This is a thing that is happening.

Stephon Tuitt staying next year? In an interview with the Observer, he said he’d be back next year. Brian Kelly, however, encouraged everyone to tap the brakes. Here’s hoping.

It’s breast cancer awareness month. So that means pink gear all over football. By the way, Oregon just trumped everyone forever in this. 

I think motivational pre-game rituals may have jumped the shark. I’m not even sure how this became a ritual…that’s been captured on camera…multiple times.

I haven’t linked Stuffing the Passer enough in here this season. Let’s change that.

And now, your moment of zen…via

[youtube id=”l3qYPGeoA7w”]

Put These Games on Your Radar

Not a bad week for deciding to pick against the spread here at HLS. 6-2 was the result, so I’m going to keep this going and prove it wasn’t a fluke. Once again, my picks are in bold. The list isn’t as big this week as I don’t have a whole lot of lines popping out at me this weekend.

[table “” not found /]

Predictions

Our staff has grown and I thought it was only fair to open up the fun and games to our new staff members. This section just got much, much larger. Let the games begin in earnest.

As a reminder, the standings:

[table “” not found /]

NDTex

I guess I should go with the prediction I put on the air with Irish Impact this week, right?

Here’s how I see this going down: ND plays an ugly first half with USC and wears the Trojans down. As it has all season, the lack of Trojan depth allows the Irish to pull away in the second half.

38-13 ND

Biscuit

Via:

Sweet, sweet victory in the Coliseum last year, and after what felt like 40 years in a drought versus U$C and their cheaters, it finally feels like Notre Dame has the edge here again. Sanctions, poo-poo’d a few years ago by SC fans, and the hiring of freaking Lane Kiffin helped push things along in favor of the Irish. But the Trogans aren’t pushovers by any stretch. Still stocked with talent, and still hating Notre Dame every step of the way.

After a lackluster year where they turned the ball over non-stop, and never seemed to really gel as a team, USC should be ready for the Irish to WHOMP. But it won’t be that easy. New QB but a really talented group, with Lee to throw to. A pretty stout defense, especially up front. Not loving how this game feels this far in advance, but ND isn’t going to allow USC to claw their way back into the series. It’s a tight one though, a grinder with little offense for either side…

ND Wins 13-10

 Not sure what to expect here. Fully believe that Kiffin sucks. But it’s USC.

Bayou Irish

ND wins this one 31-20. USC’s Achilles heel (!) is its Oline and our performance against ASU was but an amuse bouche compared to the performance our boys will have Saturday. It’s redemption time, too, as the Irish get payback for 2011.

Twibby

Amir Carlisle pushes Tommy Rees over the goal line as time expires following a miraculous 4th down gain of 60 yards. Irish win 31-28.

Irish Elvis

1st Quarter: Start Fast
Somewhere, a low-level account executive at Mountain Dew is wondering why sales of Code Red are through the roof this week. #TROJANBLOOD

2nd Quarter: Attention to Detail
ND secondary, please do not lose sight of Marqise Lee. My heart meds can only do so much.

3rd Quarter: Effort & Enthusiasm
The game will be won in the second half, where SC’s lack of depth will begin to show.

4th Quarter: Finish Strong
This game terrifies me, but if you are in the Stadium, channel your hate into crowd volume. ND wins 27-24.

SupermanTDJesus

With Marquise Lee expected to be a full go for this game, look for Kessler to try and stretch the field early and attempt 40+ passes in this game as Tre Madden will still be dealing with a hamstring.

For ND, the run game will be the X factor against USC’s impressive start for the front seven. If the Irish establish the run somehow in this one, it’s over from the start. If not, expect a tough, hard fought game decided in the trenches.

I don’t see ND running amok on the Trojans, but I do see Troy Niklas terrorizing the USC secondary all game. Basically, Troy Burns Troy (headliner anyone?) and the Irish come away with a W. 34-21 ND final score.

ManCaveQB

I think the Ed Orgeron affect has been overblown. SC’s defense, which he still runs, has allowed 93 points over the last two games. ND will be able to score and I expect the BYE week for Notre Dame produces a gameplan featuring Southern Cal transfer Amir Carlisle more prominently. USC has re-discovered their own offensive capabilities of late even in the absence of Marqise Lee and the Trojans will put some points on the board. I think the game turns in the 2nd half where the depleted USC depth chart forces them out of their comfort zone. If I were to guarantee one thing on Saturday to tilt in ND’s favor, it would be the front seven for the Irish winning their battles. The unit hasn’t been the dominant force Irish fans expected but every game I’ve seen of USC shows me their OL may be the unit that’s fallen on the hardest times post-Pete Carroll. They aren’t physical and can be downright terrible at picking up the blitz on passing downs. Shembo, Tuitt, and Louis Nix will all disrupt plays down the stretch to secure the win.

Blog Davie

With grass ankle deep
The Trojans will surely weep
From a swift leg sweep

Steve in Iowa

ND 44 USC 20

ASU + 21 v USC
ND + 3 v ASU
ergo
ND + 24 v USC

#sportsmath

The Irish Twins

Twin 2: This game will test your nerves and Notre Dame will prevail 34-31 with heroics, luck, or both.

I have only seen two ND-USC games in person, 2005 and 2011. So I’m damaged goods. But I see too much cavalier confidence on the webs. Notre Dame has a horrible tendency to ruin the atmosphere with a 1Q bonehead play. With the steep upward learning/adoption curve of a new coach, USC stood to gain more in the bye week than Notre Dame did. Time removed from the Kiffin ordeal was critical for USC and it will show.

Twin 1: One of the best things about my brother is the balance he provides to my delusion.  Irish roll… 44-17 with at least one defensive score.

Twin 2: ND hasn’t scored that many points in 19 games.

Cut it out, man. These guys just met us and they seem pretty cool. I think most of them still believe we are rational and intelligent…DON’T SCREW IT UP.

Twin 1: Fine. 56-17 ND #momlovesmemore

The Beer BLOOD OF OUR ENEMIES

If you motherfuckers truly <3 me and miss the site, YOU WILL be drinking TROJAN BLOOD on Saturday. Don’t think- JUST FUCKING DRINK IT #FUSC

— Joshua Vowles (@TheSubwayDomer) October 15, 2013

So this is happening.

The beer recommendation is taking a back seat this week because, with Subway gone, someone has to pick up the Trojan Blood banner, dammit.

The drink is simple: Mountain Dew Code Red and Gin. Per Subway, the preferred gin is Tanqueray and the proportions are completely up to you (and will likely vary depending on how the game goes).

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We’re really going to drive this angels & demons things in the ground, huh? (Via @CoachGrahamASU)

Let’s face it, when Notre Dame faces off against the Arizona State Sun Devils in their full hellfire attire, the Irish will be facing off against one of the best offenses that they will see in all of 2013.

As Bayou discussed yesterday, they have put on quite a show throughout most of their season. And I’m going to give the Sun Devils a load of credit here, they’ve looked pretty damn good doing it too for the most part.

And with Arizona State favored by 6 at the time of this writing, it’s safe to say that most people believe they are doing this with all the flair and skill of Van Halen.

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But you know what, if you decided to strip away ASU’s offense, their Eddie Van Halen, and…well…you are left with much different results:

[youtube id=”IArxakPsPE0″]

For Arizona State, their David Lee Roth is their defense. Against teams not named Sacramento State, they have done the following:

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So that big ‘ol table is a fancy way of saying Arizona State’s defense is not very good, but then again, they face an Irish offense that has plenty of problems of their own.

Further, the Irish have to deal with the entire band and not just one piece of it. David Lee Roth was surrounded by crazy talent and the Sun Devils have loads of it in offense. The Irish defense will have to continue the progress that they made against Oklahoma for the Irish are to have any chance at running with these devils.

Or perhaps the new Hendrix experience that debuted at OU will be just the curveball the Irish need to create a dynamic running attack of their own, putting Turnover Tommy back to rest and allowing Reesus to rise again.

Either way, the Irish will need to put together their best complete game of the season or the next two weeks will definitely be a living hell.

The Roundup

If you will be in Dallas this weekend, allow me to give you your official guide of all the local ND events. Spoiler alert: you won’t be in Dallas at all.

So long, Kiffykins! We are sad to see you go, but at least MSPaint Like a Champion Today was able to give you a fantastic send off.

I feel like I’ve read this before. Transport yourself back to the Davie/Ty/Weis eras if you could be so bold, and substitute Notre Dame for USC in this article.

THANKS, OBAMA! Not that the government shutdown has screwed with college football, the proper outrage may now begin. Wait…what’s that? The games are back on now? THANKS, OBAMA!

Let the athletic director carousel begin! DeLoss Dodds has officially stepped down from Texas, making one of the most attractive AD jobs in the nation readily available. And that’s just the start of Texas’ three ring circus.

Of course this is announced after the entire thing is canned. EA Sports, who has been notorious for often making fans of the NCAA series of video games feel neglected in comparison to Madden, decided to unleash news of this crazy feature on the world now that NCAA ’15 will never happen.

The eye of Texas are upon you. But the refs eyes are apparently looking elsewhere.

The ‘Ol Ball Coach censors himself. He claims he was “too negative” on his own show and asked for it to be pulled, but that’s probably code for “too drunk”.

To be a jerk, or not to be a jerk. That is the question. Ole Miss football players were all to happy to answer enthusiastically.

Time for all the HaHa Clinton-Dix jokes. No reason for his suspension? Oh, wait, there is a reason.

And now, your moment of zen:

[youtube id=”DpHA733Y_cI”]

Put These Games on Your Radar

#25 Maryland @ #8 Florida State, 12:00pm ET, ESPN/WatchESPN – Yes, somehow Maryland is ranked. I’m not sure how, but hey, here’s a top 25 matchup that no one really expected in the early games.

Kansas State @ #21 Oklahoma State, 3:30pm ET, ABC/ESPN3 – Another weak slate for the afternoon games as well. This isn’t so much of a matchup featuring a top-25 team, but a matchup featuring two Big XII teams that are both collectively sputtering enough that this game may just be interesting.

TCU @ #11 Oklahoma, 7:00pm ET, FOX – TCU may not have much in the win column, but there defense still manages to do enough to keep it close. As we saw last week, ND stayed in a game they had no business being in and if Oklahoma keeps that up and TCU finally figures it out on offense, we could have an upset.

#4 Ohio State @ #16 Northwestern, ABC – Ohio State doesn’t have many rough spots on their schedule until Michigan save for Northwestern this week and last week against Wisconsin. The Wildcats have yet to face off against a true tough opponent yet, so this will be their first real test of the season.

#15 Washington @ #5 Stanford, 10:30pm ET, ESPN/WatchESPN –It seems this season we’ve always had a solid night cap and this week is no different. I still put Stanford as a heavy favorite in this one, but I’m hoping the Huskies will make a solid run at it.

Rutgers @ #7 Louisville, Thursday, October 10, 7:30pm ET, ESPN/WatchESPN – Yep, I have a Thursday night game to keep an eye on before the next Roundup. Rutgers only loss game to a very solid Fresno State team and that game went to OT. This is likely one of Louisville’s only true tests in their weak schedule and I’m sure Rutgers will be looking for a little Thursday night upset special in this one.

Predictions

Twibby gave OU the largest margin of victory, so he gets the point. Your standings:

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NDtex

Despite the jokes above, I don’t think Notre Dame will be able to keep up with ASU’s offense. I fear that we will be playing from behind most of the game and ASU’s weak rushing defense won’t even be a factor. My prediction is ASU 41 – ND 31.

HOWEVER, I don’t want to be a complete downer. My prediction will be wrong if the defense continues to improve and stymie the Sun Devil’s offense. If they can manage that and Tommy can limit his mistakes, this could be a completely different ball game.

Here’s hoping I’m wrong.

Biscuit

Via:

Despite a relatively tough schedule compared to those teams scheduling High School squads, I have ND running 5-0 into the home-game-that’s-not-at-home barnstormer at neutral site. Finally, ND has won the uniform battle. But unfortunately, I have to find a hiccup, unexpected loss in the season and I think this is it. ND will be coming off a high with a big, emotional win over OK at home. That game will be a battle, and we could come out a bit dinged up. And every team, at some point, gets caught flat. While ASU doesn’t have the most talent we’ll see, they have a pretty darn good coach and a legit QB in Taylor, and it’ll be a unique opponent for Notre Dame.

ND Drops one to go to 5-1, 24-21.

 Just the 1. Obviously calling this out of nowhere.

Bayou Irish

ND 38, ASU 27

I just have no idea. If I could make a “less than a leprechaun” .gif, I would. ASU’s hot right now and I question our ability to cool them off. That said, if our D gets off like they’ve been supposed to, the Sun Devils will have a tough time of it. They gave up 40+ to Stanford, and Stanford’s O is not electric. If we put in a run performance like we did last week and, say, maybe don’t give up a pick six on the second passing play, I think we have a great shot at a good win. My prediction is based on that, but like I said, I don’t know who’s getting off the plane. If it’s our passing O from last week and our run game from MSU and our D from Michigan, we could easily give up sixty. Regardless, you should have plenty of liquor on hand to watch on Saturday evening.

Twibby

The Irish will bounce back in Jerry World.

ND 34, ASU 20

Irish Elvis

1st Quarter: Start Fast
Offense has been sluggish, while defense has yielded points early. Unfortunately, this trend continues as ASU jumps out to a 14-3 lead early.

2nd Quarter: Attention to Detail
The uniform manufacturers play up the “Angels & Demons” dichotomy this week.

3rd Quarter: Effort & Enthusiasm
The run game will continue to improve, and we’ll see some more 2-QB rotation with Hendrix getting meaningful snaps.

4th Quarter: Finish Strong
34-24 ASU victory. The Irish start 0-for-October and sink to .500 which makes for a loooong bye week.

The Beer

The game is in Texas, that’s means all the Texas beer suggestions. My picks for your various moods:

Dirt cheap, Texas Style: Lone Star

Because you’re in Texas and you should at least have one: Shiner Bock

A local craft not yet featured in previous Roundups: Revolver Blood & Honey

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