Some are so complete, the commercials are included. Others just include one moment – a Penn State kicker making a game-winning field goal, a Pittsburgh quarterback dropping a profanity on broadcast television or a 280-pound BYU punter successfully executing a fake. There’s games that will look awesome on your high definition television (trigger warning) and others that are lacking sound.

If there was multiple videos for the same game, I tried to choose the best. There’s three weeks worth of content here. (I haven’t watched it all.)

Subscribe to the playlist for all the latest updates and tell your friends. This took me hours, and I’m ridiculously proud of it.If

** As far as I know. If I’m missing a game, let me know in the comments section and I’ll be sure to add it.

#1: Nov. 1, 1913: Notre Dame 35, Army 13 (00:04:10)
#2: Nov. 27, 1913: Notre Dame 30, Texas 7 (00:04:54)
#3: Oct. 18, 1924: Notre Dame 13, Army 7 (00:02:35)
#4: Jan. 1, 1925: Notre Dame 27, Stanford 10 (Rose Bowl)(00:02:03)
#5: Nov. 12, 1927: Army 18, Notre Dame 0 (00:00:43)
#6: Nov. 10, 1928: Notre Dame 12, Army 6 (00:04:35)
#7: Nov. 17, 1928: Carnegie Tech 27, Notre Dame 7 (00:02:47)
#8: Oct. 26, 1929: Notre Dame 7, Carnegie Tech 0 (00:05:32)
#9: Nov. 30, 1929: Notre Dame 7, Army 0 (00:02:15) / part 2 (00:00:19)
#10: Oct. 25, 1930: Notre Dame 35, Pittsburgh 19 (00:03:19)
#11: Oct. 10, 1931: Notre Dame 0, Northwestern 0 (00:11:33)
#12: Nov. 21, 1931: USC 16, Notre Dame 14 (00:01:04)
#13: Dec. 2, 1933: Notre Dame 13, Army 12 (00:01:48)
#14: Nov. 2, 1935: Notre Dame 18, Ohio State 13 (00:02:01)
#15: Nov. 9, 1935: Northwestern 14, Notre Dame 7 (00:27:28)
#16: Nov. 27, 1937: Notre Dame 13, USC 6 (00:00:45)
#17: Nov. 11, 1939: Iowa 7, Notre Dame 6 (00:18:20)
#18: Nov. 2, 1940: Notre Dame 7, Army 0 (00:01:04)
#19: Nov. 16, 1940: Iowa 7, Notre Dame 0 (00:00:30)
#20: Oct. 3, 1942: Georgia Tech 13, Notre Dame 6 (00:03:05)
#21: Sept. 25, 1943: Notre Dame 41, Pittsburgh 0 (00:00:38)
#22: Oct. 30, 1943: Notre Dame 33, Navy 6 (00:01:43)
#23:  Nov. 11, 1944: Army 59, Notre Dame 0 (00:02:27)
#24: Nov. 3, 1945: Notre Dame 6, Navy 6 (00:02:01)
#25: Oct. 12, 1946: Notre Dame 49, Purdue 6 (00:10:06) / part 2 (00:10:03) / part 3 (00:10:11) / part 4 (00:07:07)
#26: Nov. 9, 1946: Notre Dame 0, Army 0 (00:09:02)
#27: Nov. 30, 1946: Notre Dame 26, USC 6 (00:01:37)
#28: Oct. 11, 1947: Notre Dame 22, Purdue 7 (00:10:37) / part 2 (00:10:01) / part 3 (00:10:30) / part 4 (00:10:25)
#29: Nov. 8, 1947: Notre Dame 27, Army 7 (00:02:24)
#30: Nov. 22, 1947: Notre Dame 59, Tulane 6 (00:01:01)
#31: Dec. 6, 1947: Notre Dame 38, USC 7 (00:03:37)
#32: Sept. 25, 1948: Notre Dame 28, Purdue 27 (00:03:49) / part 2 (00:39:59)
#33: Oct. 9, 1948: Notre Dame 26, Michigan St. 7 (00:03:48)
#34: Dec. 4, 1948: Notre Dame 14, USC 14 (0:00:13)
#35: Oct. 8, 1949: Notre Dame 35, Purdue 12 (0:09:43) / part 2 (00:09:11)
#36: Oct. 15, 1949: Notre Dame 46, Tulane 7 (00:01:48)
#37: Oct. 29, 1949: Notre Dame 40, Navy 0 (00:01:04)
#38: Nov. 5, 1949: Notre Dame 34, Michigan St 21 (0:02:05)
#39: Nov. 26, 1949: Notre Dame 32, USC 0 (00:05:45)
#40: Oct. 7, 1950: Purdue 28, Notre Dame 14 (00:07:54) / part 2 (00:06:49) / part 3 (00:04:11)
#41: Oct. 21, 1950: Indiana 20, Notre Dame 7 (00:02:16)
#42: Nov. 10, 1951: Michigan State 35, Notre Dame 0 (00:02:54)
#43: Oct. 18, 1952: Notre Dame 26, Purdue 14 (00:29:42) / part 2 (00:31:39)
#44: Nov. 8, 1952: Notre Dame 27, Oklahoma 21 (00:05:21)
#45: Sept. 26, 1953: Notre Dame 28, Oklahoma 21 (00:26:39)
#46: Oct. 3, 1953: Notre Dame 37, Purdue 7 (00:09:59) / part 2 (00:02:59) / part 3 (00:09:59) / part 4 (00:06:09) / part 5 (00:11:23) / part 6 (00:03:57)
#47: Oct. 24, 1953: Notre Dame 27, Georgia Tech 14 (00:02:57)
#48: Sept. 25, 1954: Notre Dame 21, Texas 0 (00:25:47)
#49: Oct. 2, 1954: Purdue 27, Notre Dame 14 (00:02:40)
#50: Oct. 22, 1955: Notre Dame 22, Purdue 7 (00:33:25)
#51: Nov. 12, 1955: Notre Dame 27, North Carolina 7 (00:06:42)
#52: Sept. 22, 1956: SMU 19, Notre Dame 13 (00:02:08)
#53: Oct. 13, 1956: Purdue 28, Notre Dame 14 (00:12:19) / part 2 (00:09:53) / part 3 (00:14:25)
#54: Oct. 27, 1956: Oklahoma 40, Notre Dame 0 (00:01:23)
#55: Nov. 24, 1956: Iowa 48, Notre Dame 8 (00:01:02)
#56: Oct. 12, 1957: Notre Dame 23, Army 21 (00:01:23)
#57: Nov. 2, 1957: Navy 20, Notre Dame 6 (00:01:06)
#58: Nov. 16, 1957: Notre Dame 7, Oklahoma 0 (00:34:00)
#59: Nov. 22, 1958: Iowa 31, Notre Dame 21 (00:01:17)
#60: Oct. 3, 1959: Purdue 28, Notre Dame 7 (00:06:01) / part 2 (00:25:11)
#61: Oct. 24, 1959: Northwestern 30, Notre Dame 24 (00:29:14)
#62: Sept. 24, 1960: Notre Dame 21, California 7 (00:01:20)
#63: Oct. 1, 1960: Purdue 51, Notre Dame 19 (00:43:18)
#64: Nov. 19, 1960: Iowa 28, Notre Dame 0 (00:10:03)
#65: Oct. 7, 1961: Notre Dame 22, Purdue 20 (00:11:19) / part 2 (00:11:17) / part 3 (00:11:02) / part 4 (00:05:50)
#66: Oct. 14, 1961: Notre Dame 30, USC 0 (00:01:04)
#67: Oct. 21, 1961: Michigan State 17, Notre Dame 7 (00:01:22)
#68: Oct. 6, 1962: Purdue 24, Notre Dame 6 (00:10:21) / part 2 (00:08:19) / part 3 (00:10:50)
#69: Oct. 27, 1962: Northwestern 35, Notre Dame 6 (00:10:24) / part 2 (00:10:32) / part 3 (00:10:40) / part 4 (00:12:22)
#70: Sept. 28, 1963: Wisconsin 14, Notre Dame 9 (00:04:55)
#71: Oct. 5, 1963: Purdue 7, Notre Dame 6 (00:12:43) / part 2 (00:12:39) / part 3 (00:13:06)
#72: Oct. 12, 1963: Notre Dame 17, USC 14 (00:04:47)
#73: Oct. 19, 1963: Notre Dame 27, UCLA 12 (00:04:47)
#74: Oct. 26, 1963: Stanford 24, Notre Dame 14 (00:04:51)
#75: Nov. 2, 1963: Navy 35, Notre Dame 14 (00:04:45)
#76: Nov. 9, 1963: Pittsburgh 27, Notre Dame 7 (00:00:29) / part 2 (00:02:57)
#77: Nov. 16, 1963: Michigan State 12, Notre Dame 7 (00:02:57)
#78: Nov. 28, 1963: Syracuse 14, Notre Dame 7 (00:04:24)
#79: Sept. 26, 1964: Notre Dame 31, Wisconsin 7 (00:05:53)
#80: Oct. 3, 1964: Notre Dame 34, Purdue 15 (00:03:57)
#81: Oct. 10, 1964: Notre Dame 34, Air Force 7 (00:03:34)
#82: Oct. 17, 1964: Notre Dame 24, UCLA 0 (00:03:54)
#83: Oct. 24, 1964: Notre Dame 28, Stanford 6 (00:04:05)
#84: Oct. 31, 1964: Notre Dame 40, Navy 0 (00:03:45)
#85: Nov. 28, 1964: USC 20, Notre Dame 17 (00:37:42)
#86: Sept. 25, 1965: Purdue 25, Notre Dame 21 (00:44:59)
#87: Sept. 24, 1966: Notre Dame 26, Purdue 14 (00:41:12)
#88: Oct. 1, 1966: Notre Dame 35, Northwestern 7 (00:04:52)
#89: Oct. 8, 1966: Notre Dame 35, Army 0 (00:05:09)
#90: Oct. 15, 1966: Notre Dame 32, North Carolina 0 (00:05:00)
#91: Oct. 22, 1966: Notre Dame 38, Oklahoma 0 (00:04:21)
#92: Oct. 29, 1966: Notre Dame 31, Navy 7 (00:04:19)
#93: Nov. 5, 1966: Notre Dame 40, Pittsburgh 0 (00:32:33) / part 2 (00:34:32)
#94: Nov. 12, 1966: Notre Dame 64, Duke 0 (00:04:50)
#95: Nov. 19, 1966: Notre Dame 10, Michigan St. 10 (00:07:27)
#96: Nov. 26, 1966: Notre Dame 51, USC 0 (00:03:59)
#97: Sept. 30, 1967: Purdue 28, Notre Dame 21 (00:48:50)
#98: Oct. 14, 1967: USC 24, Notre Dame 7 (01:46:59)
#99: Nov. 18, 1967: Notre Dame 36, Georgia Tech 3 (00:01:55)
#100: Sept. 28, 1968: Purdue 37, Notre Dame 22 (00:43:44)
#101: Nov. 30, 1968: Notre Dame 21, USC 21 (00:15:24) / part 2 (00:15:24) / part 3 (00:15:24)
#102: Sept. 27, 1969: Purdue 28, Notre Dame 14 (00:42:04)
#103: Oct. 18, 1969: Notre Dame 14, USC 14 (00:01:18)
#104: Nov. 8, 1969: Notre Dame 49, Pittsburgh 7 (00:59:40)
#105: Nov. 14, 1970: Notre Dame 10, Georgia Tech 7 (00:02:47)
#106: Nov. 21, 1970: Notre Dame 3, LSU 0 (00:02:53)
#107: Nov. 28, 1970: USC 38, Notre Dame 28 (01:04:31) / part 2 (01:06:53)
#108: Jan. 1, 1971: Notre Dame 24, Texas 11 (Cotton Bowl) (00:15:06) / part 2 (00:14:44) / part 3 (00:08:21) / part 4 (00:08:00) / part 5 (00:11:07) / part 6 (00:12:40) / part 7 (00:13:27) / part 8 (00:13:42) / part 9 (00:04:10)
#109: Sept. 25, 1971: Notre Dame 8, Purdue 7 (00:00:50)
#110: Oct. 23, 1971: USC 28, Notre Dame 14 (00:01:16)
#111: Nov. 20, 1971: LSU 28, Notre Dame 8 (02:32:35)
#112: Dec. 2, 1972: USC 45, Notre Dame 23 (00:07:14)
#113: Jan. 1, 1973: Nebraska 40, Notre Dame 6 (00:31:28)
#114: Sept. 22, 1973: Notre Dame 44, Northwestern 0 (00:05:31)
#115: Sept. 29, 1973: Notre Dame 20, Purdue 7 (00:37:44)
#116: Oct. 6, 1973: Notre Dame 14, Michigan St. 10 (00:04:50)
#117: Oct. 13, 1973: Notre Dame 28, Rice 0 (00:03:20)
#118: Oct. 20, 1973: Notre Dame 62, Army 3 (01:20:02)
#119: Oct. 27, 1973: Notre Dame 23, USC 14 (03:15:08)
#120: Nov. 3, 1973: Notre Dame 44, Navy 7 (00:04:16)
#121: Nov. 10, 1973: Notre Dame 31, Pittsburgh 10 (00:03:00)
#122: Nov. 22, 1973: Notre Dame 48, Air Force 15 (00:03:48)
#123: Dec. 1, 1973: Notre Dame 44, Miami (Fla.) 0 (00:03:08)
#124: Dec. 31, 1973: Notre Dame 24, Alabama 23 (02:00:42)
#125: Sept. 28, 1974: Purdue 31, Notre Dame 20 (00:54:50)
#126: Oct. 12, 1974: Notre Dame 10, Rice 3 (00:02:51)
#127: Nov. 23, 1974: Notre Dame 38, Air Force 0 (0:00:38)
#128: Nov. 30, 1974: USC 55, Notre Dame 24 (00:15:20) / part 2 (00:15:23) / part 3 (00:15:23) / part 4 (00:15:21) / part 5 (00:07:03)
#129: Jan. 1, 1975: Notre Dame 13, Alabama 11 (00:52:25)
#130: Oct. 11, 1975: Notre Dame 21, North Carolina 14 (00:01:28) / part 2 (00:03:07)
#131: Oct. 18, 1975: Notre Dame 31, Air Force 30 (00:04:28)
#132: Oct. 25, 1975: USC 24, Notre Dame 17 (00:59:10)
#133: Nov. 8, 1975: Notre Dame 24, Georgia Tech 3 (00:02:29) / part 2 (00:02:02)
#134: Nov. 15, 1975: Pittsburgh 34, Notre Dame 20 (01:00:36)
#135: Sept. 11, 1976: Pittsburgh 31, Notre Dame 10 (00:45:48) / part 2 (01:02:20)
#136: Oct. 16, 1976: Notre Dame 41, Oregon 0 (00:15:06)
#137: Nov. 6, 1976: Georgia Tech 23, Notre Dame 14 (00:00:46)
#138: Nov. 13, 1976: Notre Dame 21, Alabama 18 (02:42:51)
#139: Nov. 27, 1976: USC 17, Notre Dame 13 (00:51:20)
#140: Sept. 10, 1977: Pittsburgh 19, Notre Dame 9 (00:01:41)
#141: Sept. 17, 1977: Mississippi 20, Notre Dame 13 (01:16:06)
#142: Sept. 24, 1977: Notre Dame 31, Purdue 24 (01:20:46) / part 2 (01:08:09)
#143: Oct. 1, 1977: Notre Dame 16, Michigan St. 6 (01:05:05)
#144: Oct. 15, 1977: Notre Dame 24, Army 0 (00:01:36)
#145: Oct. 22, 1977: Notre Dame 49, USC 19 (02:40:52)
#146: Nov. 12, 1977: Notre Dame 21, Clemson 17 (01:19:52)
#147: Jan. 2, 1978: Notre Dame 38, Texas 10 (02:47:12)
#148: Sept. 23, 1978: Michigan 28, Notre Dame 14 (00:23:34)
#149: Sept. 30, 1978: Notre Dame 10, Purdue 6 (00:42:59)
#150: Oct. 14, 1978: Notre Dame 26, Pittsburgh 17 (02:52:41)
#151: Nov. 11, 1978: Notre Dame 31, Tennessee 14 (00:47:51)
#152: Nov. 25, 1978: USC 27, Notre Dame 25 (03:13:42)
#153: Jan. 1, 1979: Notre Dame 35, Houston 34 (03:07:16)
#154: Sept. 15, 1979: Notre Dame 12, Michigan 10 (00:03:22)
#155: Sept. 22, 1979: Purdue 28, Notre Dame 22 (00:40:03)
#156: Oct. 27, 1979: Notre Dame 18, South Carolina 17 (00:06:27)
#157: Nov. 10, 1979: Tennessee 40, Notre Dame 18 (00:59:19)
#158: Nov. 17, 1979: Clemson 16, Notre Dame 10 (02:23:40)
#159: Nov. 24, 1979: Notre Dame 40, Miami 15 (Mirage Bowl) (00:04:34)
#160: Sept. 20, 1980: Notre Dame 29, Michigan 27 (00:06:02)
#161: Nov. 15, 1980: Notre Dame 7, Alabama 0 (01:53:57)
#162: Dec. 6, 1980: USC 20, Notre Dame 3 (00:07:51)
#163: Jan. 1, 1981: Georgia 17, Notre Dame 10 (Sugar Bowl) (02:43:17)

…and 320 more videos….

The post Here is Every Notre Dame Football Game on YouTube* appeared first on Her Loyal Sons.

This year has been a bit different. Just go take a look at this week’s IBG, the questions and answers are full of more “wait and see” themes than usual. Perhaps some of that is due to the bye being so early. Perhaps that is because there’s been only one opponent and game we’ve really been excited about and next week’s opponent isn’t USC or Stanford, but Syracuse.

So the more I thought about Notre Dame and their place in the college football world this week, the more my thoughts started to flow outward to the rest of that world.

While the game against Purdue caused some concern (and rightly so), take a look at how the rest of the week went. Virginia Tech, after convincingly defeating Ohio State, had their doors blown off by ECU. Georgia fell apart against South Carolina. Florida nearly lost to Kentucky in OT, in The Swamp no less. Iowa State took out Iowa. And, of course, Boston College upset Southern Cal.

Perhaps you had a feeling about some of these games. There is no way in hell you saw all of that coming. This past week was proof that no matter how hard we try, college football will remind us that we simply cannot predict everything.

College football is a crazy, illogical world. Its season is scattered with statistical outliers and results that make little to no sense. Emotions and other intangibles can reign supreme on any even Saturday and set fire to the expected paper result.

Compare this game to the NFL. Through much work, the pros have created a league of parity. Sure, you have good teams and bad, but the tiers are so well structured that the expectations stay reasonable. An upset will happen here and there, but you never see anything resembling this past week in the NFL. More often than not, you know what to expect: competitive games in which the known better teams will come out on top.

It’s almost a sterile environment for football in comparison to the college game. Give me the crazy, emotional investment with the potential for devastating, unexpected results any day.

Sure, this may mean that Notre Dame may inexplicably forget how to play football for a half against Purdue, leading to additional liver damage by way of increased alcohol intake. However, it also means that the joy of being able to find success in this crazy landscape is simply unparalleled.

The Roundup

Michigan fans are still trying to figure out their offense. Pay special attention to the play action pattern they uncovered here.

Famous Jameis being infamous. Poor meme usage leads to the question of whether or not he gets it at all.

Wait, stealing signs is a story? So last night, K-State mentioned Auburn was stealing their signs, leading to memories of Arkansas and Florida State claiming the same previously. Isn’t that, I don’t know, part of the game? I mean, that’s kind of the reason why people use signs in the first place instead of holding a big sign saying “Hey, play action is coming!” right?

File this under “Only at Notre Dame”. I won’t have proper words to describe this, just read it.

File this under “wait, really?!” So Washington fans knew Sark was a fraud and warned Southern Cal about it, apparently. Queue the “I told you so” column and I can’t help but wonder why they hate the guy that drug them out of the Ty Willingham abyss.

And now your moment of Nix… This is the only time BC has given me joy:

The Booze

I’ve been in Portland all week for work. This means all the IPAs, right?

The post Friday Roundup: The “Crazy World of College Football” Edition appeared first on Her Loyal Sons.

The thought raced through Brian Kelly’s mind as he gazed into his mirror. Clad in a navy-blue suit and gold tie, he clutched his inspiration loosely in his hand. More notes, scribbles, and arrows littered the page than his five-wide goal line section of the playbook.

How does one prepare for Rice with Michigan around the corner? 

The question plagued him even before fall camp had started. He could only serve so many rice-themed dishes at the training table. It was a poor attempt to manufacture hate against their opponents from Houston. He briefly considered demanding a serving of owl, but feared the repercussions from the outside.

He knew all too well that perfection starts in week one. You can never count any opponent out. Just ask his bitter foes to the north who felt the need to host a rematch against Appalachian State to try and slay demons that should have never existed in the first place.

That simply couldn’t happen to his team. As disastrous as South Florida was in 2011, he knew that was a loss to a BCS team. Still, it kept him awake some nights, shooting out of his bed in a cold sweat due to images of fumbles, interceptions, and passes bouncing off a receiver’s helmet. In those dreams he’d transform into something awful, a foul purple-skinned monster whose wrath could produce such violent noise that it could paralyze a man in fear.

That nightmare always ended in the same fashion. He would see his player, no his victim, fall to his knees before him terrified of what their mistake had done to their coach. He would feel his rage swell, bubbling over, ready to erupt like an Irish volcano. Eventually, something would snap and he’d rush after his paralyzed prey.

And then he’d wake up as if his internal alarm clock refused to let him witness the terrible outcome. In the back of his mind, he knew the end result of his murderous rage, but he never wanted to see it play out before him, even in his dreams. Even thinking about it caused a small sweat to emerge on his brow.

That isn’t you, Brian, he thought to himself as he reached for his handkerchief, what you are about to do is the real you. You’ll channel the most famous of all Massachusetts politicians. You’ll take his inspiring challenge that he delivered at Rice Stadium over fifty years ago and transform it into motivation in your squad.

Strength of schedule and suspensions due to an academic investigation be damned! You chose to coach at Notre Dame. You chose this and you chose the goal to win it all, not because it is easy, but because it is hard, because that goal will serve to organize and measure the best of your players energies and skills, because that challenge is one that you are willing to accept, one you are unwilling to postpone, and one which you damn sure intend to win.

The cold sweat gave way to a swelling of pride and a grin crossed Kelly’s face. He would deliver a similar message to his team. He would remind them of why they chose to come to Notre Dame, why they chose to face of the toughest schedules in the nation on both the field and in the classroom.

Most importantly, he would remind them that it’s all possible. The moon once seemed like an unreachable goal at over 200,000 miles away, but that goal was conquered with such success that a return trip doesn’t even move the needle much these days.

There is no room for error to achieve such a goal. Space, much like a college football season, is unforgivable. Falter and you find yourself stuck in the vast nothingness of your defeat, struggling with everything you’ve got just to get back home.

In some ways, last season felt like his Apollo 13. Everett Golson was lost and he knew his season likely was too. But you fight to get back home and fought they did.

Now Golson has returned and even though this team has a new set of challenges to overcome, it can be done. It all starts in week one and this team from Houston will be the one with a problem.

Kelly took a deep breath and straightened his tie before walking out the door. He walked towards the podium, all eyes of his team on him. His stride and posture oozed confidence. When his eyes met his team’s, they all knew he meant business. Before his first words left his mouth, the same thought rushed through his head, over and over again.

This year, boys, we go to the moon.

The Roundup

Everything is awesome! Hope springs eternal for everyone at the beginning of college football season. Yes, everyone.

There is simply nothing like college football. Texas A&M and South Carolina fans had a showdown during midnight yell. I love this sport.

Hey, West Virginia, this isn’t something you admit to before you play Alabama. Their QB admitted to Saban’s daughter being his first kiss as a six year old. I hope you enjoyed your time on this planet.

Love him or hate him, the ‘Ol Ball Coach is a fascinating individual.

Charlie Weis in on yet another hot seat. Falling asleep in meetings probably isn’t helping.

In the midst of all the Josh Shaw hoopla, North Carolina had a well-timed news dump.

And now your moment of Nix… now with 100% more nightmare fuel

@TeamSpeedKills @JackPeglow Baby Saban – it had to be done! pic.twitter.com/zX8LJaRZuc

— GATA Dawgs (@BassinDawg) August 27, 2014

The Booze

I’m giving you two options here.

First, for the beer drinkers, if you can manage to find pretty much anything from the St. Arnold Brewing Company, a Houston native, you can’t go wrong.

If you want to go the hard liquor route, there is only one rice-themed drink that comes immediately to mind: Sake. Be honest, sake-bombing for every ND touchdown is something you never knew you had to do.

The post Friday Roundup: The “Brian Kelly Goes to the Moon” Edition appeared first on Her Loyal Sons.

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.

[youtube id=”V1uz_aDo0YA”]

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:

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:

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

The post Friday Roundup: The “Running with the Devils” Edition appeared first on Her Loyal Sons.

Irish fans were nestled all snug in their beds,
While visions of tailgates danced in their heads.
My fiancée in bed, and I on HLS,
With a beer in my hand and sports math to express.

When out on the lawn there arose such a clatter,
I sprang from my desk to see what was the matter.
Away to the window I flew like GA3,
But tripped over the cat and banged up my knee.

The moon shone down on this hot Texas night
Allowing my ND flag to shine in its light.
When, what to my wondering eyes should appear,
But ND-1, in all its glory right here!

Out came the driver, asking for a NYC deli,
I knew in a moment it must be Brain Kelly.
More rapid than Trojans his football team came,
And he whistled, and shouted, and called them by name!

“Now T.J.! Now, Niklas! Now, Bryant and Reesus!
On, Tuitt! On, Shembo! Nix, put down the Reese’s!
To the top of the rankings! We’ll light up Grace Hall!
Now dash away! Dash away! Dash away all!”

Like a running back against a Hurricane defense,
When the Irish meet an obstacle, it will be dispensed.
So out in practice in preparation they flew,
With the popping of pads, and gauntlet drills too.

And then, in a twinkling, I heard on the side,
The sigh and dismay from my future bride.
As she returned to the bed, and was turning around,
Down the sidelines Brain Kelly came with a bound.

He was dressed in Adidas, from his head to his toe,
And his clothes were so clean that they had a faint glow.
A bundle of plays swam around in his mind,
And he looked like a schemer, with this mental grind.

His eyes-how they twinkled! His dimples how merry!
12-0 transformed him from purple-faced scary!
His droll little mouth was forming a smirk,
For the joy that he felt not being driven berserk.

The end of a whistle he held tight in his teeth,
And its shrill surrounded the field like a sheath.
He had a broad face and a menacing glare,
That could strike fear into all, friend or foe so beware!

But he’s calm and confident, even with Golson on the shelf,
I wondered if he’d lost it, I thought to myself!
A wink of his eye and a twist of his head,
Let me know 2013 brought nothing to dread.

He spoke not a word, but went straight to his work,
And drilled all his players, then turned with a jerk.
And laying his finger aside of his nose,
And giving a nod, practice came to a close!

He sprang to the truck, to his team gave a whistle,
And they all drove away, taking off like a missile.
But I heard him exclaim, before this dream was through,
“Happy football to all, and fuck Michigan too!”

The Roundup

I’m pretty sure the NCAA is ready for the offseason to end too. This week, they got another black eye when news broke that an ex-Marine couldn’t play because he participated in a rec league. In realty, the rule triggered could be chalked up to a legislative oversight and the NCAA ended up waiving the rule anyways, but still, everything stumble the NCAA makes at this point is major. I’m sure they are ready for actual football to distract everyone.

Start the outrage, ND QB kicked out for bad grades not in school. Kelly mentioned today that Golson is going to work with a QB coach for two months in San Diego. Although he plans on returning this winter to ND (Thanksgiving to be specific), the lack of mention of classes might concern some. Perhaps now is a good time to remind everyone that Golson enrolled early and has a full semester, plus a summer session head start. He’ll be fine.

You did not win that division title, Clemson. And, no, putting an asterisk on it doesn’t make it any better.

It’s time to find out you are an awful human. Take this college football rivalry survey and watch the dark places that football hatred will take you.

This space was originally reserved for making fun of Purdue. They made a rather awful rap video, which sadly has been removed. However, it stayed up long enough for even Purdue to be completely mortified, but somehow they had the stomach to do a complete breakdown of it. At least we had the stomach to take our Freekbass beating, but I guess we’ll just have to return to our regular bits about Purduzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz.

UPDATE: The Streisand effect is alive and well. God bless you, citizens of the internet:

http://youtu.be/_FxfMR7_Yaw

Put These Games on Your Radar

Football will officially return before the next Roundup! Need a Thursday night college football fix? I suggest the following:

North Carolina at #6 South Carolina, 6:00pm ET, ESPN/WatchESPN – The offseason finally ends. Watch Clowney kill someone.

Tulsa at Bowling Green, 7:00pm ET, ESPN U/WatchESPN – Sweet, sweet MACtion returns to the airwaves.

Ole Miss at Vanderbilt, 9:15pm ET, ESPN/WatchESPN – SEC conference game in week one?! What is this madness…ok, yeah it’s two of the lesser teams, but both schools are on the rise. This should be highly entertaining in a week full of creampuffs.

#24 Southern Cal vs Hawaii, 11:00pm ET, CBS Sports Network – Marqise Lee possibly banged up and Kiffin still hasn’t named a starting QB? This game just got somewhat more interesting. No, I don’t expect the Trojans to lose, but I can always hope and pray for Kiffykins fail to start the season, right?

The Beer

I’ll admit, I’m usually not one to buy beer because the name of it caught my eye, but this time I made an exception. I saw a beer called La Dame du Lac, and well, I just had to. The beer is actually named after an urban legend here in Dallas, but obviously I purchased it for Notre Dame reasons.

It ended up quite delicious (and I think I’m slowly becoming a huge fan of malted beers). Have you ever grabbed a brew solely on the name? Let me know, interested to see what other local breweries around the nation have cooked up.

The post Friday Roundup: The “‘Twas the Week Before Kickoff” Edition appeared first on Her Loyal Sons.

Make no mistake, the SEC is good; however, like some good things, their actual excellence is oversold, over-hyped, and grown into a myth of epic proportions.

I’m sure by now you have heard more than once that the SEC plays the toughest schedule out there. The argument continues that their conference is so tough from top to bottom, there are no weeks off and a team like the Irish would find themselves a mediocre team in the SEC.

This perceived fact was taken to task here by Twibby earlier this week and Pat Forde had something to say about it as well. I too want to go into this a little bit deeper by looking at the records of all the SEC teams this season.

Six out of fourteen of the SEC teams are .500 or below. Two teams just above that mark sit at 8-4. Like much of the conference, both of these teams, Vanderbilt and Mississippi State, have had the benefit of playing at least one FCS team. Both teams also each benefited from playing a school in their first year as an FBS program. In reality, these two teams are .500 teams at best as well, making over 50% of the conference .500 or below.

In conference play, 50% of the SEC were .500 or below and those teams went a combined 12-40 (.300). That isn’t a stacked conference. That is the cream of the crop beating the living crap out of teams that aren’t even on the same level as they are.

There is a clear, and evenly split, divide in the SEC. Each division has three double-digit winners and four of the subpar teams that I mention above. This means the six teams that are the cream of the crop of the SEC (Alabama, Georgia, Florida, LSU, Texas A&M, and South Carolina) are all able to feast on the weak in their own conference to boost their numbers. In fact, the only losses these teams had were to each other.

Each team is required to play eight SEC conference games, including playing all teams in their division. This means four were against subpar SEC teams within their own division, leaving only two real challenges. They must also play two teams from the opposite division. As there are more subpar teams than good ones, this means they had better than coin-flip odds that they’d draw a crappy team instead of a good one (as long as there is no protected rivalry matchup already in place, e.g. Georgia/Auburn).

The remaining four out of conference games show some truly pathetic scheduling. Into those games, five teams played only a single BCS conference opponent and one FCS team, with Alabama being the only team to schedule a BCS team that wasn’t an already protected rivalry matchup (e.g. Florida/Florida State, South Carolina/Clemson). Texas A&M, however, played zero BCS teams out of conference and played two FCS schools (in their defense, they did want to keep Texas on their schedule, but Texas refused).

Not so terrifying of a schedule when it is broken down in that fashion, but let’s go ahead and give all six of those teams the benefit of the doubt. After all they are still the best of the SEC and are by no means awful.

So let’s next take a look at the other part of the SEC myth: the legendary SEC defense.

For this analysis, we will see how each of these six teams stack up and also throw Notre Dame into the mix and see how the Irish compare.

Now, there has been much debate over just “how good” ND’s defense is. This is mostly due to the quality of offenses played and the perception that the Irish have simply faced weak opponents. Regardless of what is perception or reality, the mark of an elite defense is to dominate whatever opponent you face and restrict them to less yards and points than they usually gain, even if their usual isn’t very much to begin with.

Therefore for the below analysis we will compare the top six SEC teams with ND and see just how well each defense did in comparison to their opponents averages in passing yards, rushing yards, and points scored. I was even kind and included the SEC’s FCS cupcake games as well to keep all sample sizes the same. You can click here for larger & interactive chart versions and all raw data. Data was sourced from cfbstats.com and the official NCAA statistics site.

For all charts, the lower the data points, the better. This means that the defense held their opponents below their usual average in the related statistic. Higher points above the 0-axis means that opponents achieved a higher mark than their usual average.

For the most part, you will see everyone grouped together and Notre Dame right in the thick of things and that’s pretty much the point. On a game-to-game basis, Notre Dame preforms just as well if not better than the defenses of the top teams in the SEC in each of the above categories. The best defenses in the SEC aren’t somehow magically better than the Irish just by being a SEC defense which appears to be the prevailing thought.

Need more proof? Let’s take each of the three graphs above and average all of the data.

Once again, the Irish are right in the thick of it; in fact, they are ranked 3rd, T-4th, and 3rd in each category respectively. And that’s despite not having the benefit of playing FCS or a slew of sub-.500 teams to help boost their averages a bit. In fact, ND has faced off against nine bowl eligible teams. In comparison, Georgia faced only four and Alabama five.

The Irish are far from outclassed by any potential SEC opponent. Anyone writing off the ND in comparison to a SEC team is just perpetuating the false myth of the SEC’s supposed power. They are strong, but as I’ve shown, they aren’t on another level.

The bottom line is that no matter who ND faces, the BCS Championship game is going to be one hell of a dog fight.

The post The Myth of the SEC appeared first on Her Loyal Sons.

But your Luck has run out and is now an Indianapolis Colt. Now you face a buzzsaw that is the Irish defense.

Spoiler alert: Trees lose to saws. Every. Damn. Time.

Before Andrew Luck became your personal touchdown Jesus, Stanford, we owned you. We beat you seven straight times as a matter of fact before 2009.

Ty Willingham is undefeated against you. Yes, Ty f’n Willingham — he even beat you 57-7 one season. That’s all kinds of special.

Now, I’ll give you some credit. You pulled yourself up off the floor from a Ty beating and eventually built up a good time a few years later. Nice work. I tip my hat to you.

However, you now have to face the fact that without your Heisman caliber QB, your offense is now ranked 85th in the nation. Even your once powerful running game has taken quite the step back, now ranking only 70th in the nation.

Your Haubaugh-led defense was once rather feared to, but he’s gone and you are ranked 55th in the nation right now after you let Rich Rod tear you a new one. “But wait”, you say, “our rushing defense is 6th in the nation“, well, that’s great, but your passing defense is 113th in the nation.

Now, Everett Golson hasn’t quite set the world on fire yet at QB, but then again he hasn’t faced a secondary quite as bad as yours. The Irish defense has to simply be licking their chops at facing an offense that is nothing like what it was last season.

I hope you enjoyed the past three years. I really hope you did.

Tomorrow afternoon, we break you.

Your destruction will be heralded by Lee Corso wearing a Leprechaun hat furiously hacking away at a tree…probably.

The Roundup

Trick Shot Monday continues to hit the big time. First, the Sportscenter Top Ten and now, it’ll be a feature on tomorrow’s ESPN College Gameday.

Decided schematic surrender! I think Weis has waved the white flag this season.

Speaking of Weis, the student newspaper he ripped last week (apparently for this cartoon) fired back. However, Weis couldn’t help himself and had his SID deliver a face-to-face warning to make everything better.

Golden Tate, please tell me you were hacked. I don’t want to believe that this is real:

So mad I didn’t get Justin beiber tickets to the concert tonight. #losing #beiberfever anyone else going?

— Golden Tate (@ShowtimeTate) October 9, 2012

 

I’m sure Kiffin will be more than happy to answer questions on this. So Robert Woods may have failed concussion tests and still played? Oh that’ll go over well. Tweet has since been deleted, but considering the hit and the aftermath this seems plausible.

South Carolina had more surprises than just an upset of Georgia. And this one was a lot bigger.

LSU doesn’t have the chest for warm weather. Even if said weather is the exact same thing they have in Baton Rouge.

Apparently, no one learned our hard lesson from Freekbass. Oklahoma has stepped up to the plate of horribly embarrassing music videos.

I never thought MS Paint could bring me such joy. However, every week, I am proven wrong.

This is what the NCAA has become. They actually had to clarify using Instagram filters is within the rules after a previous release said otherwise.

RIP Beano Cook.

Put These Games on Your Radar

#3 South Carolina @ #9 LSU, 8pm EST, ESPN/WatchESPN – Twibby’s Marquee Matchup of the Week

#15 Texas vs #13 Oklahoma @ Dallas, TX, 12 pm EST, ABC – The Red River Shootout — ’nuff said.

#5 West Virginia @ Texas Tech, 3:30 pm, ABC/ESPN/WatchESPN – I put this game on here because the spread is just so interesting. West Virginia is favored by less than a touchdown and Texas Tech has yet to really beat anyone. Last week, Tech lost to OU and West Virginia won a shootout with Texas. I’m wondering Vegas knows something the rest of us don’t. I don’t want to say upset alert here, but who knows.

#11 USC @ Washington, 7pm EST, FOX – USC heads out on the road again against a team that managed to pull a nice upset of their own against Stanford, and, yes, Stanford beat USC. Will the transitive property of football hold?

Predictions

Tex: Clearly, I am going wrong in my predictions by assuming opposing TDs. 24 – 9 ND

Biscuit: 14-10 ND, Via

Bayou: 24 -9 Irish (Note: No, Bayou and I had no idea what each other’s predictions would be, promise)

Twibby: Irish 31, Trees 17

Grantland-X: 27-17 Irish

Closest to the Pin Week 5: Bayou was the only one to predict a true blowout, giving him victories two weeks in a row. Leaderboard:

The Beer

We will be taking a different direction with the beer selection this week and it isn’t just to troll MQ.

This week, the Subway Domer seriously contemplated retirement from the blogging world. Thankfully, his wife vetoed the decision and Subway will continue to grace the ND blogging world in the only way he can.

I’m thrilled the godfather of the Irish Blogger Gathering is sticking with us. So in celebration, this one’s for you, Subway:

The post Friday Roundup: The “Luck Has Run Out” Edition appeared first on Her Loyal Sons.

Thanks to that, we’ve had the most movement ever in the HLS Top 25. For the first time ever, we had a team dropped that was previously in the top 15. Three teams dropped more than ten spots. We have three new teams in the top five. And I decided to take my ballot in a completely different direction this week.

But first, the results:

HLS Top 25 – Week 6

South Carolina and Notre Dame are the big winners this week as both jump into our top five. While the Gamecocks were able to do so on the back of a dominating performance against previously ranked #4 Georgia, the Irish get a homer boost thanks to their beating of unranked Michigan.

In all honesty though, I’m not too surprised as I would wager most of the staff was trying to hold back from overly optimistic rankings. However, with Miami’s drubbing, and the Irish’s defense continuing to dominate, we’ve passed the koolaid around here at HLS and are happily drinking.

HLS is also happily sippin’ on some Beaver juice as Oregon State rockets up into the top ten.

The big losers this week were TCU, Florida State, and Georgia. Each suffered humiliating losses causing them all to lose over ten spots in our rankings. TCU went from #15 to out of the rankings. Florida State and Georgia both fell twelve spots after their respective embarrassments.

We also have three non-BCS teams in the top 25 for the first time ever as Louisiana Tech, Boise State, and Ohio all round out our top 25. Although I’m going to take full credit for Ohio joining the fold.

You see, with us now nearly halfway into the season, I decided it was time to stop subjectively ranking one-loss teams above undefeated opponents. So as you will see in my poll below, it is undefeated teams that aren’t UTSA (as they have seriously played no one) and then one-loss teams. I’m definitely going to be rolling that way the rest of the season, even if I’m the only one here at HLS willing to be that crazy.

HLS Staff Polls

The post HLS Top 25 – The Reckoning appeared first on Her Loyal Sons.