Texas A&M

Via @AggieFootball (who basically photoshopped a Matt Cashore pic)

Love and War in Texas: Mike Elko Departs

January 5, 2018 by Ryan Ritter

Growing up in Texas, you pick a side. Declare your allegiance early. More often than not this boiled down to throwing up a hook 'em or a saw 'em off with your hand. I found myself in the later group, more specifically, to the subset that would also happily shout out a "whoop" or "gig 'em". I ended up happily trading these in for "Go Irish", drunken jigs on the bleachers, and push-ups in the student section. Still, part of my heart--that's Texan for college football fandom--remained a part of the ...

Notre Dame Athletic Director, Jack Swarbrick, working his magic on future schedules, probably. (Photo Credit: Shane DeLeon aka SupermanTDJesus)

Making the Most of Independence: Notre Dame’s Future Schedules

July 7, 2017 by Ryan Ritter

Unless you are one of those folks that keeps tabs on the Fulmer Cup, early July isn't exactly the time in which you expect college football news to break. Yet, here we are in the wake of Notre Dame's announcement that the Arkansas Razorbacks have been added the 2020 and 2025 schedules. Now, I understand that, even in this barren desert of Irish football news, you may find it hard to get excited for games that are three and eight years away. To be fair, I'm right there with you; however, ...

Oct. 5, 2013; The Notre Dame Marching Band performs at halftime of the Shamrock Series game against Arizona State at ATT Staidum. Photo by Matt Cashore

Friday Roundup: The “Shamrockin’ It” Episode

November 11, 2016 by Ryan Ritter

I don't know about y'all, but I had one hell of a week. I must say that I really need a bit more levity in my life and recording this episode with Shane and Eddie was just what the doctor ordered. We talk about those other Tuesday night results--you know, the college football playoff rankings--and take a hard turn into as many of the fun and hilarious stories that we could find in the world of college football. But what to do about a bad Notre Dame football team playing a not very exciting ...

Friday Roundup: The “#SportsMath Will Make You Sick” Episode

September 30, 2016 by Ryan Ritter

For those Loyal Readers that are familiar with my work, y'all know that I have a true love of stats when it comes to my analysis of football. This passion embedded itself in my being because (1) I have a brain that God made for engineering purposes and (2) I grew up with a love for the game of baseball--the stat nerd's dream sport. Football is a rough sport to analyze through the magic of spreadsheets. With short seasons and smaller sample sizes than a sport like baseball, you truly have to ...

(Featured photo: John Mersitis/Landov)

What Should The Yearly Expectations Be For ND Football?

April 18, 2016 by Jimmy Grant

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 ...

Friday Roundup: The “Trick or Treat: Here’s a Podcast” Episode

October 30, 2015 by Ryan Ritter

Earlier this week, it was brought to my attention that quite a few of y'all were not aware that the Friday Roundup went podcast a few months ago. Firstly, y'all are all totally busted for not having read the Roundup in ages, but secondly it made me re-think how I've been marketing this thing. Thus, the title of this week's episode which (I hope) makes it incredibly clear that there is yet another podcast for you to consume. While Notre Dame will get its fair share of air time every week, the ...

Friday Roundup: “The Irish Awaken” Edition

November 28, 2014 by Ryan Ritter

A long time ago in a galaxy far, far away... ...okay, so it'll be tomorrow on a football field on the west coast... Episode XII THE IRISH AWAKEN It is a dark time for all Notre Dame fans. The Fighting Irish have lost three games in a row for the second time in the Brian Kelly era. Turnovers, missed field goals, botched holds, and injuries have plagued the Irish. With their backs against the wall, the Irish travel west to face their long-time rivals, SOUTHERN CAL, and to achieve the ...

Friday Roundup: The “Devils Running Through My Head” Edition

November 7, 2014 by Ryan Ritter

I have no jokes today. No witty insults to throw at Arizona State. No fictional storylines to throw Notre Dame players into. 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 ...

Friday Roundup: The “Top QB 2014” Edition

October 31, 2014 by Ryan Ritter

On November 1, 1913 Notre Dame established the forward pass as a legitimate offense in college football. Its purpose was to make the quarterback the most feared player on the field and propel the team to greatness. They succeeded. Today, the Navy calls him the guy that embarrasses them every year*. The Fighting Irish call him.... TOP QB *2007, 2009, and 2010 didn't exist...why the hell is everybody acting like they did? --------------------------- Tommy Rees packs up his locker for ...

CFB Week 7: A Tale of Two…

October 13, 2014 by Ryan Ritter

(Apologies for the delay. Typically I try to have this out Sunday, but a needed ND re-watch and the Cowboys actually doing good football things delayed this.) 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 ...