Notre Dame at Purdue Preview

            
            The Notre Dame Fighting Irish take on the Purdue Boilermakers in West Lafayette Saturday night in the Battle for the Shillelagh Trophy. Notre Dame leads the all-time record with 53 wins to Purdue’s 26. Notre Dame has also won seven of the past 10 games. Notre Dame comes into the game on a two-game winning streak and wins over Michigan State and Pittsburgh. Purdue has a 2-1 record, with wins over powerhouse teams Middle Tennessee St. and Southeast Missouri State. Their one loss is to Rice. Yes, there is a school that shares the name of an Asian cuisine, and the Boilermakers lost to it.

Keys for an Irish Victory

Balance on offense- This was one of my keys in the game against Pittsburgh, in that instance and this one Notre Dame is playing an inferior opponent. So the reason I put this is because there is no need to try and win the game on every drive, or try passing every down to get the ball down the field. Just run the offense and spread the ball around. Purdue gave up more than 400 total yards to Middle Tenn. St. and more than 300 to Rice. They do not have the defense to slow down the Irish’s offense.

Stop the Pass- Notre Dame’s defense has proved that they can shut down a team’s run offense, so now it’s time to shut down the passing game. The Boilermakers are expected to use two different quarterbacks, so it’s imperative for the Irish to be ready to take on whoever is under center.

No Turnovers- Alright, it seems like Notre Dame’s offense is finally starting to understand the idea of “protect the football”. In 4 games they have turned the ball over 15 times, but the number is decreasing each game. In the first game they turned it over 5 times, in the second game 5 times, third game 3 times, fourth game 2 times. 5, 5, 3, 2, _? _. Maybe this week it’ll just be one turnover! My hope is that they turn it over ZERO times.

            Purdue is nowhere near as talented as Notre Dame is. The Irish just need to go into Ross-Ade Stadium and take care of business and win the game. No turnovers, no stupid penalties, no frills. This is the kind of game that great times win with ease.

My predicted score: Notre Dame- 31, Purdue-14 

Notre Dame and Conference Realignment

          Notre Dame’s situation in all the conference realignment (which seems to have settled down, at least for now) is one that is pretty unique from all the other schools. Notre Dame is a name that is known all across America and in many parts of the world. Because of this, every sports team gets plenty of television time just because it’s Notre Dame. In fact, the football program has all of its home games televised strictly on NBC.

            
            Notre Dame is part of the Big East in all sports except football, in which case the Fighting Irish football team plays as an independent. The Big East could soon be on the verge non-existence, so Notre Dame officials are looking at just about every conference in case they have to move. Any conference would love to have Notre Dame join them. Obviously all the conferences want a piece of the Irish’s football revenue pie, but the other Irish teams (basketball, hockey, softball, soccer, baseball, etc.) also bring a history of success with them as well. Here’s a breakdown of each conference and how Notre Dame would fit.

ACC

Current members: Boston College, Clemson, Duke, Florida State, Georgia Tech, Maryland, Miami, North Carolina, North Carolina State, Virginia, Virginia Tech, Wake Forest 

-Pittsburgh and Syracuse will join the conference at a currently unknown date.

            
            The ACC would kind of make sense geographically for the Irish, at least in the sense that they are near the East Coast. The Irish would be a very welcomed team since they join a conference that is known more for its basketball success rather than football. There aren’t a lot dominant football programs so it wouldn’t take a tremendously talented team to win the conference.

            
            The ACC is also attempting to bring Texas and Oklahoma into the conference as the two schools and longtime rivals are likely to join a conference together. If the ACC is able to add the two then the conference suddenly becomes the most competitive in basketball and football. That is something that the Irish should probably try and be a part of. If Oklahoma and Texas don’t join, then Notre Dame shouldn’t either.

           

Big East

Current members: Cincinnati, Connecticut, DePaul*, Georgetown*, Louisville, Marquette*, Notre Dame*, Pittsburgh, Providence*, Rutgers, St. John’s*, Seton Hall*, South Florida, Syracuse, Villanova*, West Virginia.

*do not have football teams a part of the Big East

-as noted before, Pittsburgh and Syracuse will be leaving sometime in the near future.

            
            The current situation in the Big East is just as chaotic and fluid as it is in the Big 12. There are new rumors each day that range from sensible to insane. The 14 remaining schools may end up staying together, or they may all end up leaving to join other conferences. Some schools may stay and some will leave. There’s also the possibility that if schools leave the Big 12, the remaining teams in that conference could join forces with the leftovers from the Big East.

            
            The Big East is a suitable home for the Irish as long as “super conferences” in football aren’t created. If those are made, then the Irish will need to abandon the Big East and join one of those. For right now though, this is the best choice for Notre Dame. The Big East is currently one of the six power conferences and one of the best basketball conferences. The Big East also allows Notre Dame to play any of its members in football.

Big 10

Current members: Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Michigan State, Minnesota, Nebraska, Northwestern, Ohio State, Penn State,  Purdue, Wisconsin.

            
            The Big 10 (which has 12 members) is one of the richest conferences in America, in terms of history as well as money. It is also an incredibly safe conference in the sense that there are no fears of it going away like the Big East or Big 12. The Big 10 has been trying to wrangle Notre Dame into joining for almost 20 years. Needless to say, Notre Dame has always denied that invitation. If Notre Dame is going to join a conference this would be the best choice. It would be a perfect match geographically as well as historically since most of the Big 10 teams have been fielding a football team for as long as Notre Dame. It would also be a smooth transition for the football team since the Irish play at least three Big 10 teams annually.

Big 12

Current Members: Baylor, Iowa State, Kansas, Kansas State, Missouri, Oklahoma, Oklahoma State, Texas, Texas A&M

-Texas A&M is leaving the summer of 2012 to join the SEC

            
            The only reason this would be reasonable is because a conference with Oklahoma, Texas, and Notre Dame would be one of the most powerful conferences in America.  The three schools all have enormous, nation-wide fan bases and sports programs that bring in millions of dollars. The only setback about the Big 12 is the possibility of the Texas Longhorns Television Network. If that is created, then it would be pointless for Notre Dame to join, as well as any other school for that matter. A move to the Big 12 would be ok geographically, but the middle of America isn’t exactly a hotbed for recruiting like the mid west is.

SEC

Current Members: Alabama, Arkansas, Auburn, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, LSU, Mississippi, Mississippi State, South Carolina, Tennessee, Vanderbilt

            
            The Southeastern Conference is the best in college football. That may just be my opinion, but winning the past five national championships is a pretty compelling statistic. All the players just seem bigger, faster, and tougher than any of the players in other conferences. The SEC has already said that they are happy with the 13 teams that will make up the conference in 2012, so this probably isn’t an option for Notre Dame. That’s just fine for me because there is no way Notre Dame would be able to compete week in and week out against SEC football teams and be successful.

PAC-12

Current members: Arizona, Arizona St., California, Colorado, Oregon, Oregon St., Stanford, UCLA, USC, Utah, Washington, Washington St.

            
            This probably won’t happen unless ridiculously drastic moves are made nationwide. It would make no sense for Notre Dame to join the PAC-12 in anyway so I highly doubt it will happen.

            
            Remember that Notre Dame is currently an “independent” but a part of the Big East in all other sports. It’s also important to note that money is what is driving all the conference re-alignment. That money comes partly from ticket sales and merchandise of each school, but the large majority of revenue comes from television deals. ESPN, Fox, NBC, and CBS are all paying millions to sign television contracts with each conference. Luckily for Notre Dame, they have their own network contract with NBC that runs for the next 10 years.

Colts Week 3 Recap and QB Controversy

            It took three games but the Colts finally look like a team that is capable of winning some games this year. After being annihilated by the Houston Texans in Week 1 and losing to the Cleveland Browns in Week 2, the Colts came pretty close to beating the Pittsburgh Steelers last Sunday night.

            

            In the loss to Pittsburgh the Colts played incredibly well on defense, like the kind of defense you expect to watch the Steelers play. The front seven for Indianapolis really showed how much talent they actually have. Pro-Bowl defensive ends, Dwight Freeney and Robert Mathis, put pressure on Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger the whole game. The two combined for two fumbles, three sacks, and five tackles. The linebackers for the Colts also did a good job of containing the Steelers running backs and held them to just 67 yards rushing. That’s where the good news stop for the defense, as the cornerbacks and safeties for the Colts got lit up. They gave up catch after catch after catch as the Steelers racked up 350 passing yards.

           

            
            So now let’s get to that quarterback controversy I alluded to in the title of this post.

            
         Excluding the Colts’ final drive in the 4^th quarter that lead to a touchdown, the offense only accounted for two field goals which equals a whopping six points. In my honest opinion, this inability to score falls right on the quarterback’s shoulders and those shoulders belong to Kerry Collins. Collins threw the ball 29 times but only got 93 yards, an average of 3.2 yards per pass. 3.2 yards per pass average is nowhere near effective and will never win a game.

Kerry Collins. I'm gonna take flak for saying this, but a good rule to coach by would be "don't start a guy that has a gray beard"

            
            In the 4^th quarter Collins was pulled from the game because he was suffering from “concussion-like symptoms”. So who went into the game? Curtis Painter! Yes, the guy I have supported since August 26^th (after the preseason game against the Packers) finally came onto the field to lead the offense. The first two drives were disasters for Painter and he was making me look like an idiot. On the third drive though, Painter led the Colts down the field and into the endzone to tie the game at 20-20. For about the 8 minutes that Painter played, he went 5/11 for 60 yards.

           

            
            I’m sure most of you are wondering why I love Curtis Painter so much. So let’s start at the beginning shall we? Painter spent three years as the starting quarterback at Purdue University. In each of his three seasons he averaged a 60% completion percentage and 21 touchdowns.

            
            Let me say this, I absolutely hate the Purdue Boilermakers and all their teams. Mainly because they are a rival to Notre Dame, but also so many Purdue fans around Indy seem pretty arrogant. So when I found out the Colts drafted a Purdue quarterback I was a little more than upset.

            
            I became even more upset after Painter started getting playing time in 2009 and 2010 in the preseason and games that didn’t matter. To say Painter was dreadful would be an understatement. It seemed like just having Painter on the field was a hazard to everybody on the offense. Painter would fumble constantly, and when he didn’t fumble he threw interceptions or horrible passes.

            
            When Peyton Manning got injured and Painter was looking like the only option for the Colts, I knew immediately that the 2011 season was already down the drain. One night though, I decided I would practice my sports journalism skills and do a play-by-play analysis of the preseason game against the Packers. This would be the 3^rd preseason game for both teams, and in the NFL, the third game is the one that you treat like a real game. This would also be the game that changed my entire perception of Curtis Painter.

            In the first half when all the starters were in for both teams, Painter threw for two touchdowns and made several good passes. With the score 10-7 and the Packers leading with 1:55 left in the 2^nd quarter, Painter got the offense down the field and into the redzone. There he threw a beautiful pass into the corner to Reggie Wayne to take the lead into halftime, 14-7. This is the game that sealed the deal for me and my support for Painter. Those two quarters against the Super Bowl Champion Packers was excellent for a guy who’s been a backup for two seasons.

            
            
            After this game I realized that the best option for the Indianapolis Colts was to start Curtis Painter in place of Peyton Manning. Painter showed a lot of improvement and skill in the two quarters against the Packers, way more than Kerry Collins did against the Cincinnati Bengals in his preseason game. Painter deserves to the starter, esp. since Kerry Collins has been absolutely horrible, because is the best quarterback on the Colts roster. I have faith in the guy, everybody in Indy should too. Plus, I was right about Notre Dame QB, Tommy Rees, so have some faith in me.

Curtis Painter

            
            There’s a lot of talk in Indianapolis that the Colts should sign another quarterback. The possible players include Brett Favre, David Garrard, and Mark Bulger.  Let me just say, that would be a HORRIBLE idea.

1. A new QB would want money. That money would have to come from current player’s salary. It’s not fair to keep shuffling QB’s and getting rid of players that made the roster at the beginning of the season.

 2. A new QB would have to learn the Colts’ complicated offensive plays. (Plays that Painter has been studying 
for 3 seasons).

 3. It would take too long for a new QB to learn those plays, and if he did learn it, it would be too late in the season to make a difference in the playoff race. The Colts only hope to make the playoffs is to use one of the QB’s currently on the roster.

 4. Along with learning the plays and offensive system, the new addition would have to get timing down with all the receivers. (Again, Painter has been practicing with these receivers for three seasons). The receivers would also have to learn how the QB’s mind and body works, i.e. how fast does he throw the ball, what does he do on third downs, etc.

 5. None of those three possible QB’s I listed would be an upgrade. Brett Favre? PUH-LEASE. He hasn’t had a good season since 2009. He’s way too out of shape to be effective. David Garrard? He was no all-star in Jacksonville, why would he be in any different in Indy? Marc Bulger? Oh god, if they sign him I will not watch one more Colts game this season.

            
            I have a suggestion for a possible QB, how about Brady Quinn? You know, one of the most prolific passers in Notre Dame history. Think about all the great passers that have played at Notre Dame, and Quinn was one of the best statistically. Quinn is currently on the Denver Broncos roster as a backup to Kyle Orton and fan favorite, Tim Tebow. There is no chance that Quinn sees any playing time in the near future. I have a hard time believing that he is happy with his current situation. I want to know why he wasn’t an option before the season started.

Brady Quinn at Notre Dame.

            

            At this point in the season, unless the Colts sign Tom Brady or Aaron Rogers, there is no reason to bring in a new quarterback. The Colts coaches need to start Curtis Painter or Kerry Collins. The coaches and front office need to just face the fact that this season is going to be hard to get through. It will be interesting to see what the Colts do this week. I’ll update this post if anything happens.
UPDATE 9/27/2011- Colts have signed quarterback Dan Orlovsky. "O" as I will call him, was a part of the Colts during the preseason but was cut after the Colts signed Kerry Collins. O was signed as "insurance" for Painter and Collins.

Last minute preview

            I just want to get this out there before the game starts (it's about five minutes before kickoff). 

            
            The atmosphere around Indy concerning the Colts is one of disappointment and frustration. The Colts are 0-2 and show no signs on improving. This is clearly visible this weekend, when all of downtown Indy is blanketed by Steelers fans decked out black and yellow. You can't go anywhere without seeing a "terrible towel".

             

            It also seems like Colts fans are torn into two groups, the believers and non-believers. The believers are the ones that like to think we can still get to the playoffs and we are one of the best teams in the NFL. They also want to point out to everybody that they will always be a Colts fan, no matter what, unlike us non-believers.        

            

             As for the non-believers, we already know this season is gone. We know that this is just gonna be a bad season but there is always next year, which should be way better. We are not bandwagon jumpers, we just don’t like to get our hopes and then have them crushed.

             

            
            This brings me to the prediction for the game tonight. I'm thinking that the Steelers crush the Colts tonight at Lucas Oil Stadium. The Pittsburgh Steelers will win 30-10 in a game that is never close. The only hope for Indy is to START CURTIS PAINTER!

-At least my Fighting Irish beat a team from Pittsburgh, in the Steelers' stadium no less!

UPDATED- 9/26/2011 at 1:06 a.m. The Steelers beat the Colts 23-20 in a game that was close the whole time. So much for my predicted score. What made me happy was Curtis Painter came in the 4th quarter and led the Colts offense down the field and into the endzone to tie the game. This was the only offensive touchdown scored by the Colts, and further proof that Painter needs to start.

Notre Dame at Pittsburgh review

           It sure wasn’t pretty, but the Fighting Irish got the victory over the Pittsburgh Panthers on Saturday, 15-12. It was probably one of the most boring games I have ever watched. Besides the five scoring drives between each team the game was just penalty after penalty, and dropped pass after dropped pass, with the occasional run for no yards. It was a sloppy game that wasn’t really a “defensive battle” as much as it was “offensive ineptness”.

3 things I liked

Tyler Eifert- Eifert made a name for himself last season after filling in for injured starting tight end, Kyle Rudolph. This year there is no Rudolph, so Eifert has been the starter. He has had a good season but he definitely had the best game of his career on Saturday against Pitt. While the entire Panther’s defense was focused on stopping wide receiver, Michael Floyd, Eifert was open in the middle of the field all day. Eifert also made the game-winning catch in the 4^th quarter and finished the day with 8 catches for 75 yards. Eifert was born and raised in Fort Wayne, Indiana so it’s pretty cool to watch a fellow Hoosier make an impact for the Irish.

Jonas Gray- Gray is the “backup” (I explain this in a second) running back, playing behind Cierre Wood.  Gray is a senior, while Wood is a junior, so it’s nice to see Gray get a lot of touches in his final season. He has never been the starter during his career at Notre Dame, but he proved on Saturday that he has the talent to be a starter. Gray only ran the ball three times in the game, but his run of 79 for a touchdown was fantastic. He took the handoff, found the hole, broke through a couple of tackles, and sprinted into the endzone.

             
            Having Gray and Wood in the backfield gives the Irish offense a great advantage over opposing defenses. Both have their own style of running; Gray is more power while Wood is more finesse, but both have the speed to get into the secondary. Although Gray plays behind Wood, it’s not like he’s Wood’s backup. Both guys are great and either could start ahead of the other.

Defense- All everybody talks about is how incredible the offense is, but this unit deserves a lot of props for what they do. In four games this season they have given up eight touchdowns and seven field goals.  Check out these other defenses and how much they’ve given up:

#1 LSU- 6 TD’s and 5 FG’s

#2 Oklahoma- 7 TD’s 2 FG’s

#3 Alabama- 4 TD’s and 1 FG

#5 Oklahoma State- 11 TD’s and 6 FG’s

#13 Clemson-12 TD’s and 6 FG’s

Notre Dame- 8 TD’s and 7 FG’s

            
            Ok, so the Irish definitely aren’t anywhere near LSU, Oklahoma, or Alabama, but they’re just as good, if not better, than Oklahoma State and Clemson.  You have to remember though; Notre Dame’s offense has given up the ball 15 times, that’s the worst of any team in America.

            
            The Irish defense also racked up six more sacks against Pitt, proving that the defensive line for the Irish is a force to be reckoned with.

3 Things I didn’t like

Tommy Rees- You know I support you Tommy, but god did you make it hard to. Rees finished the game 24/41 on passing, with 216 yards and one touchdown, which isn’t a bad game at all. Then consider the interception and fumble he had and it’s pretty disappointing. Rees threw a lot of passes that left me shaking my head in utter confusion. Over and over he would snap the ball, drop back, and stare at the receiver he wanted to throw to, then try and force the ball to the receiver. Look around! Look at your other receivers! He makes it so obvious where he’s going to throw it. He needs to learn to look for 2-3 receivers each play, not just one.

Penalties- The Irish committed 8 penalties for 85 yards. That’s way too many esp. when the Irish offense turning the ball over and shooting itself in the foot every other drive.

           
            The worst of these penalties came in the 4^th quarter. The Panthers were punting near their own goal line and a Notre Dame defender went to block the kick and scraped against the punter’s foot. This was apparently such a traumatic and endangering play to the punter that the official called “roughing the kicker”. This resulted in the Panthers moving up 15 yards and getting an automatic 1^st down.

            
            The same call was made in favor of the Irish in the 1^st half, but even that penalty should not have been called. It appeared the Panther’s defender smacked into the Irish punter’s legs, but it was all an acting job by the punter.

            
            Moral of the story, there should be a better way to examine what actually happens during punting plays. It is absolutely insane to penalize a player that doesn’t affect the punter or the punter’s punting (That’s a lot, I know). There should be a 5-yard and 15-yard penalty, depending on how hard the defender hits the punter. In both cases on Saturday, a 5-yard penalty would have been appropriate.

            
            Not to keep harping on this, but I am SOOO sick of Big 10 officials at Notre Dame games. I swear the Big 10 wants the Fighting Irish to lose every game they referee.

Start time- I know what you’re thinking, “start time? How does that relate to the game?” Beside the fact that fans had to start the party a little earlier; it also meant this was the first game Notre Dame has had to play this season with a start time before 3:30 p.m. Before this they played a home game at 3:30 p.m., an away game in Ann Arbor(which is about 2 hours away from South Bend) at 8:00 p.m., and a home game at 3:30 p.m. Not only was this the first game that the Irish really had to travel to get too, but they had to wake up a few hours earlier.

           

             
            In my preview I noted that three keys to a victory would be: limit turnovers, don’t give up any big plays, and manage the offense. Notre Dame only had two turnovers, but did Rees did not manage the offense at all. Rees needs to learn that he has several people on the team that have big play capability and get the ball to those players. The defense did prevent Pittsburgh from getting any big plays as they held Pitt to just 268 total yards.

             I also predicted a final score of: N.D.-35, Pitt.-16. I was only a little off, right?

            Next up for Notre Dame is the Purdue Boilermakers and the Battle for the Shillelagh. The Boilermakers had a bye week so they’ve had an extra week to get ready for the Irish. The game is at 8:00 p.m. so the Irish should be good and ready to play.

Notre Dame at Pittsburgh preview

           
            The Notre Dame Fighting Irish are looking to even up their record at 2-2 after defeating Michigan State last weekend, 31-13. The Irish proved in their victory over Michigan State that they are a great team that is able to win every game they play in. If they play the same way against the University of Pittsburgh Panthers, they should have no problem winning the game.

            
            The Pitt Panthers are 2-1 with wins over Maine and Buffalo (oooohhhh I’m so impressed) and a loss at Iowa. The Panthers have a pretty mediocre team. They rank in the mid-50’s (out of 120 teams) in passing and rushing yards. Their defense is even worse. Their pass defense is ranked 119^th and total defense is 97^th. To sum things up here; Notre Dame should shut down Pitt’s offense, and Pitt’s defense won’t have a chance against Notre Dame’s offense. This doesn’t mean it’s gonna be a cakewalk though. The Irish need to come out and show that they are the best team on the field.

Keys to the game

Limit Turnovers- So I’m gonna stop asking for “no turnovers” because that appears impossible for the Irish. They had five in each of their first two games and three last week. That’s 13 in three games and the worst in America. Maybe there‘s a pattern here. 5-5-5-_.That means three this week!

Don’t give up any big plays- This means no plays that bring Pitt back into the game or win the game. This includes, but not limited to: kick returns for touchdowns, turnovers returned for touchdowns, long pass plays for touchdowns, and long runs for touchdowns. Notre Dame’s defense has given up several of these “big plays”. This was the biggest problem the Irish had in their loss to Michigan, esp. in the 4^th quarter.

Manage the offense- This one is for Irish quarterback, Tommy Rees. This isn’t gonna be a game where he needs to throw the ball deep every play and attempt to score touchdown after touchdown (like he’s had to do in the past three games). Rees just needs to keep the offense in rhythm and moving forward. Let the running backs, Cierre Wood and Jonas Gray, do the hard work on the ground. Then spread the ball around to the receivers and tight ends.

            
            Pittsburgh is nowhere near as talented as the past three opponents have been for the Irish; all of which have been fairly close games that weren’t decided until the final quarter. That being said, this should be a pretty easy game for Notre Dame fans to watch.

My predicted score: Notre Dame-35, Pittsburgh-16

So I decided to drop this bomb. Yeah, that's Taylor Swift, decked out in Notre Dame gear. Swift was on the sidelines for the Michigan State game last Saturday (9/17). I think this basically solidifies the fact that we were meant to get married.

2011 College Football- Recap of first three weeks

              “Life moves pretty fast. If you don't stop and look around once in a while, you could miss it.”

                
            Three weeks into the college football season and Ferris Bueller is sounding like a philosopher. In just one day (last Saturday), two Big East schools shocked the collegiate world when they announced they would leave the Big East Conference and join the Atlantic Coast Conference. The two schools, the University of Pittsburgh and Syracuse University, have been staples in the Big East for more than two decades. It is unknown how soon the two till join the ACC, but it is for sure happening. The move by the two schools has created mass chaos with nobody knowing how it’s all going to end.

                
            The chaos really all began in the Big 12 last year when three of the schools left for other conferences. Now the Big 12 is on life support and will probably be nonexistent by the end of 2011. There are nine teams currently in the Big 12, but Texas A&M has already declared they will be leaving to join the SEC after the 2011 season. The other eight teams are frantically trying to find new homes, while the president of the Big 12 is trying to keep everybody together. The big dogs in the B-12 are Texas, Texas Tech, Oklahoma, and Oklahoma State. The ACC and PAC-12 (the only conference whose number is correct) are licking at the chops to bring Texas and Oklahoma into their respective conferences. Texas has one of the most dominant athletic programs and a brand that is recognizable all across America; and Oklahoma isn’t far behind in them the total revenue.

                
            Looking into the future, the strongest conferences appear to be the Big 10, ACC, SEC (Southeastern Conference), and the PAC-12. They were the ones that anticipated collegiate athletics’ changing landscape and made sure they didn’t fall behind like the Big East and Big 12. It would not surprise me to see these “super conferences” each have 16 members in a couple of years. If that does happen, what would stop those schools from breaking away from the NCAA and creating their own league; a league that would allow the paying of players and less strict recruiting rules?

                
            It’s a very tumultuous time for college sports. For some universities (i.e. Kansas, Kansas State, and Missouri) it is a time of great fear and unknown, for others it is a time of great opportunity (i.e. Pittsburgh, Syracuse, and Texas).

               

                 
            I’m not sure if I like the idea of “super conferences” or not. One hand, the conferences will create incredible rivalries, games, and good overall competition. On the other hand, I think you’ll lose underdog teams like USF, Boise St., and TCU. The amount of competition in these huge conferences will also make it even harder for teams such as Northwestern, Vanderbilt, Baylor, and Washington State to compete with bigger name schools.

                 
            It’s also important to remember the students in all this. They are the ones who are putting their blood, sweat, and tears into each of their respective sports and generating money for their schools.

               

                
            So how about we get to what’s happening ON the field. After three weeks of playing the contenders and pretenders have begun to separate themselves. I’m gonna break down the first three weeks of the season conference-by-conference.

ACC

                The most impressive team in this league so far has been the Clemson Tigers. The Tigers started the season unranked but are now #21 and 3-0 with a victory over #21 Auburn. The #11 Florida State Seminoles came into the season with national title aspirations (which I said in my preview were ridiculous) but after losing pretty soundly to Oklahoma last Saturday, those aspirations are nearly toast. The Seminoles and Clemson showdown on Saturday, and the winner will likely be the Atlantic Division Champions at the end of the season.

                
            In the other ACC Division, the Coastal Division, there are three teams that stand out as contenders: #13 Virginia Tech, North Carolina, and #25 Georgia Tech. The Virginia Tech Hokies won’t play any real competition for another week, so the verdict is still out on them. The North Carolina Tar Heels have beaten average competition so far and get their first test at Georgia Tech on Saturday. The Georgia Tech Hornets run an option offense that has been impossible to stop so far this year. If they can beat North Carolina Saturday they will have a fairly easy road until late October.

Big East

                This is by far the worst of the six “power conferences” I’m writing about. There are two teams that are undefeated right now, the #18 USF Bulls and #16 West Virginia Mountaineers. The USF Bulls have a win at Notre Dame and look to be a solid team. The Mountaineers will be considered a legit team if they can defeat #2 LSU Saturday night. The final game for USF and West Virginia in November is against each other. This could be a huge matchup if it decides the Big East Champion, but that’s a long way down the road.

Big 12

                The conference has three teams in the Top 10, the most of any conference. As mentioned earlier, Oklahoma is the #1 team in America. Oklahoma State and Texas A&M are #7 and #8 respectively.  The Oklahoma Sooners have a powerful offensive attack, but also a great defense. They are the best in the Big 12 and one of the best in the country. Oklahoma State and Texas A&M have not played any quality teams, but that changes Saturday as they go up against each other. Whoever wins will remain as Oklahoma’s biggest competitor in the conference.

Big 10

                The only shockers(if you can call them that) so far are the Buckeyes losing to the Miami Hurricanes and Michigan State losing to Notre Dame. Other than that there isn’t a lot that’s going on in the Big 10. Wisconsin and Nebraska still look like the best teams in their respective divisions. Michigan is looking good but there’s no way their quarterback Denard Robinson can carry them too much farther. Penn State (as I predicted) flopped against Alabama and barely managed to beat Temple. The Penn State Nittany Lion’s second loss should be coming anytime now. Illinois is off to a good start at 3-0 but they could go typical Fighting Illini on us and lose the next three.

PAC-12

                There are also not a lot of surprises in this conference either. #10 Oregon and #5 Stanford are the best teams and only Oregon has a loss (The Ducks lost to LSU in the first week). These two teams are in the same North division though, so one will end up better than the other. The South Division, on the other hand, is wide open. USC, Utah, and Arizona State all have the capability to win the South. It’ll be interesting to see which team takes the reins and establishes themselves as the leader.

SEC

                The Southeast Beast (just made that up!) has five teams in the Top 25 and two in the Top 5. #15 Florida is one of the biggest surprises in all of college football and the biggest in the SEC. The Florida Gators had a losing record last season, plus brought in a new coach and new offensive scheme before the 2011 season. The Gators were expected to hover right around .500 all season but are 3-0 thus far. The #12 South Carolina Gamecocks were expected to win the East division without a problem, and possibly the whole SEC. They don’t appear to want that SEC Title too badly though. The Gamecocks barely beat unranked Georgia and Navy. Their first game against a ranked opponent doesn’t come until October 17^th so the Gamecocks have time to work out all the kinks.

                
            The West Division, much like the PAC-12 South Division but with better teams, is wide open. This division is home to #2 LSU, # 3 Alabama, and #14 Arkansas. These three teams all face huge matchups this weekend. LSU travels to #16 West Virginia, and Arkansas heads to Alabama. These games will not only give the winner an advantage in winning the division, but also in deciding who plays for the national championship.

               

                
            The 2011 season is still very young so anything can, and most likely will, happen. Be sure to check back after Week 6 for another recap of the season.

Notre Dame Wins!

           It’s a good day to be Irish. The Notre Dame Fighting Irish won their first game of the season against the #15 Michigan State Spartans.  It should not have taken three weeks to write “first win of the season”, but better now than later. The Fighting Irish didn’t play clean, but they played hard on both sides of the ball and won 31-13.

-The score was 28-13 with three minutes left. If Notre Dame’s David Ruffer hadn’t made a field goal I would’ve been spot on with my predicted score of 28-14.

3 Things I liked

Defensive Front- I swear I need to be getting paid to do this.  In my preview of this game I noted that one of the keys to an Irish victory would be stop the run. Guess how many rushing yards the Spartans had? 29! 29 yards on 23 rushing attempts (Compared to Notre Dame’s 114 yards on 32 attempts). The Spartans had absolutely no success running the ball, which led them to rely on their quarterback, Kirk Cousins. Cousins had a decent game, but the pressure by Notre Dame’s defensive line got to the QB the entire game, due to the lack of a serious running threat. Cousins threw an interception, fumbled the ball, got sacked twice, and got knocked down after he passed probably a dozen times.

            Freshman Aaron Lynch, who I highlighted after the Spring Game, put pressure on Cousins during the 4^th quarter and was nearly impossible to stop. He is going to be a monster in a few years.

UPDATED 9/19/2011- I just read that Lynch finished the game with five tackles, a forced fumble, and a sack. I'm not sure how I missed all that.
Defensive Secondary- This unit finally proved itself. Although they gave up 320 passing yards, they were able to get an interception and a couple of near interceptions. They knocked the ball out of receivers’ hands and made solid one-on-one tackles. Harrison Smith and Robert Blanton had tremendous days. Blanton was the guy that got the one interception late in the game to seal the win. Smith made a couple of tackles in the backfield and was flying around the field throughout the day.

Running game- Everybody knows about the passing game that involves Michael Floyd, T.J. Jones, and Theo Riddick. Running backs Cierre Wood and Jonas Gray go their time in the spotlight on Saturday. Wood ran for 61 yards and two touchdowns and Gray ran for 65 yards and no touchdowns.  Wood also had six receptions. With these two playing solid it will be nearly impossible to stop the Fighting Irish offense. It’s a good time to be Blue and Gold.

3(2 this week) Thing I didn’t like

Turnovers- This was again a slight problem for Notre Dame. They committed three turnovers in the game, which now makes 13 in just three games. I’m hoping they break the all-time interceptions in a season record of 61. There are 9 games left, so all they need is six a game to break the record! Rees had one interception that was clearly his fault. Then later in the game he got sacked from behind and fumbled. There’s not much you can do to prevent a play like that from happening. Fortunately the Irish defense forced two turnovers against the Spartans offense.

Michigan State Trickery- Do the Spartans think they’re playing idiots? In the second quarter of the game, the Spartans had 4^th & goal on Notre Dame’s 10 yd line. They lined up for what appeared to be a field goal. When the ball was snapped the place holder picked the ball up and went to pass but was immediately tackled by Irish defenders. The Spartans tried to pull off the same play that beat the Irish last season in overtime. It didn’t work this time Sparty.

            
           With this first win Notre Dame is now 1-2. The schedule for about the next month doesn’t get much easier for the Fighting Irish. The next two games are on the road against Pittsburgh (2-1) and Purdue (2-1). The three after that are at home against Air Force (1-1), #23 USC (3-0), and Navy (2-1). USC has a lot of talent but they definitely aren’t the team they were a few years ago. Navy looked great against South Carolina and has beaten the Irish the past two seasons. If the Irish can win those games they’ll be at 6-2 and be in good position to make a final run for a BCS Bowl.

Notre Dame vs. Michigan State: Preview

            The #15 Michigan State Spartans head to South Bend Saturday to take on the reeling Notre Dame Fighting Irish. Just when you thought it couldn’t get any tougher for the Irish, they get an opponent that is one of the best in the Big 10.

            
            Even though the Spartans are ranked #15 (one spot ahead of where the Irish started the season) they are a team that has not been tested at all. The Spartans have played against mighty Florida Atlantic and Youngtown State; both were home games for the Sparty. If Notre Dame played weak opponents we’d be sitting at 2-0 too. The Spartans have something to prove on the field too, not just Notre Dame.

            
            It’s hard to really judge what the Spartans bring to the game because they haven’t played any quality opponents yet. All you can really go off of is the players that returned from last season. One of those players is senior quarterback, Kirk Cousins. Unfortunately Notre Dame’s secondary doesn’t get a week off as Cousins can really throw the ball. Michigan’s Denard Robinson lit up the Irish cornerbacks and safeties last week, so I’m sure Cousins will want to try and do the same.

           

Keys to a Victory

NO TURNOVERS- What happens if they commit a lot of turnover and lose? Where can I go after writing in “all caps” and bold? I’m not sure about that question, but I know that the Irish desperately need to lower the number of turnovers. Maybe a good goal would be one turnover a quarter. If they commit a lot of turnovers, then the defense needs to produce some turnovers themselves.

Stop the Run- I know what you’re thinking, besides that this is the best blog ever, didn’t I just write that Kirk Cousins is great and will be hard to stop? Yes I did just write that, but stopping the run is Notre Dame’s strength on defense. The front seven of Notre Dame is full of playmakers and have only given up 324 rushing yards. That sounds like a lot but Notre Dame has gone against two quarterbacks that not only pass but run, run a lot. I’m sure the Fighting Irish coaches and players are all excited about going up against a quarterback that doesn’t scramble every play. Ok, back to stopping the run. Kirk Cousins is the heart of the Spartans offense, so stopping the run shouldn’t be hard. The Spartans have no definitive “best” running back, they rotate between four of them, so have fun keeping track of which back is in the game. If the Irish defense can force Cousins to throw they’ll have a better chance of interceptions and sacks.

Keep passing to Floyd- Floyd has three touchdowns and over 300 receiving yards in the past two games. The Spartans secondary will be focusing their whole defense on stopping him. Until they prove they can do that, keep passing to Floyd! While the Spartans are using extra players to stop Floyd, quarterback Tommy Rees needs to get the ball to receivers T.J. Jones and Theo Riddick. Then while the Spartans are stopping all the receivers, hand the ball of Cierre Wood.

-This is how a productive offense should work, which Notre Dame hasn’t had since the days of Brady Quinn and Charlie Weis in 2005 and 2006.

               
            This should be a game between two of the top ranked teams in the country. This should be a showdown that everybody in the country is talking about. Instead, Notre Dame has gone and blown the last two games. The Irish need this win, badly. It will probably be another close game and won’t be decided until the final minutes. The past 9 of the 11 games have been decided by 7 points or less. Last year’s game was won in overtime by Michigan State on a fake field goal.

Predicted Score: Notre Dame-28, Michigan State-14.

            
            Recently, my loyalty to Notre Dame has been tested (thanks to Michigan) and questioned, particularly by girlfriend and younger brother. Let me say this, for the past ten years that I have been a fan of Notre Dame I always looked forward to the upcoming season, just like every other Irish faithful, as the season that the Irish finally "returned to glory" None of those seasons ever resulted in any kind of glory and some of them ended up being losing seasons. Needless to say, this past decade has been the least successful in Notre Dame Football history. Yet I still wear my official Notre Dame Football T-shirt every game day. I still drink out of only Notre Dame cups. I still have a wall in my bedroom covered in everything Notre Dame. I still argue with people every week about how Notre Dame is still a powerhouse program. I will always be Blue & Gold, through and through.

GO IRISH!

Miscellaneous Racing News

            It was announced on Tuesday that Dan Wheldon will participate in IndyCar’s finale at Las Vegas in October. The more intriguing part is that if he wins he will also win $5 million. That would be one heck of a year for a race car driver. He already has a win at Indy that rewarded him $1 million so if he could win at Vegas he would have only driven two races in 2011 and earned $6 million.

          The part that got me really interested in this story is what Wheldon had to say at the press conference regarding NASCAR.

            "When you look at the depth of the field in the Izod IndyCar Series right now, it's full of talent. When you consider the talent level of the grid, I think quite honestly, it far outweighs NASCAR."

            Really? Seriously? Are you kidding me? I am just stunned at why or how he could say this. Should I remind IndyCar fans and Mr. Wheldon of how the NASCAR careers of Dario Franchitti or Sam Hornish Jr. went? Those were two Indy 500 and IndyCar Series champions that completely failed at racing in NASCAR. Juan Pablo Montoya won an Indy 500 and a few F1 races but only has one win in his four-year NASCAR tenure.

            Look at the Top 10 drivers in the NASCAR Sprint Cup drivers and compare them to IndyCar’s Top 10.

            Sprint Cup: Kyle Busch, Kevin Harvick, Jeff Gordon, Matt Kenseth, Carl Edwards, Jimmie Johnson, Kurt Busch, Ryan Newman, Tony Stewart, and Dale Earnhardt Jr.

            IndyCar: Franchitti, Will Power, Scott Dixon, Oriol Servia, Tony Kanaan, Ryan Briscoe, Ryan Hunter-Reay, Marco Andretti, Helio Castroneves, and Graham Rahal.

            Put any of those Sprint Cup drivers in an IndyCar for a season and I’ll guarantee you they’ll at least contend for a win. Could you say the same for ALL those IndyCar drivers? NO WAY.

            
            Kevin Harvick announced that he will be shutting down his “Kevin Harvick Inc.” racing team. The team participates in the already financially struggling NASCAR Camping World Truck Series. Many see this as a move that triggers the eventual demise of the series. I hope not because the racing in that series is all great. It lets some of the older NASCAR drivers race against the best up-and-coming drivers.

           

            
            Staying in the NASCAR World, Carl Edwards recently signed a contract renewal to continue racing at Roush-Fenway. This leaves current Richard Childress Racing driver, Clint Bowyer, as the sport’s biggest free agent. It is almost a certainty that Bowyer will not be at RCR next season. Some speculate that he will be at Joe Gibbs, Michael Waltrip Racing, or even Richard Petty Motorsports.

            
            I apologize for not covering one of drag racing’s biggest events, the NHRA U.S. Nationals. The “Big Go” took place at Lucas Oil Raceway Park in Clermont, Indiana over Labor Day Weekend. I have never been out to Clermont to see the races but I do want to go eventually. I live about 5 miles east of Clermont and you can hear the roar of the cars clear as day. I can only imagine what it would be like in person.

            
             I did however get out to the Indianapolis Motor Speedway for some GRAND-AM testing. The test session was two days but the only day I was able to go it rained shortly after I got there. From the 20 minutes I saw, I was thoroughly impressed. It was great to hear the tires squeaking in the turns and seeing the cars nearly banging into each other to get by slower traffic. I bashed everybody involved in bringing the GRAND-AM racing to IMS, but it should be a great race that draws plenty of fans.

Here’s some pics I took:

           

More Playoffs!

            
            The Indiana Fever are back in the Playoffs for the 7^th straight year. The Fever finished 21-13 and atop the Eastern Conference in the WNBA and will have home court advantage throughout the playoffs.   

            
            The Fever are led by one of the best women basketball players in the world, Tamika Catchings. Catchings has achieved so much, but has never won a WNBA Championship. The 32-year old forward has two Olympic Gold Medals, a collegiate national championship, and a four-time defensive player of the year in the WNBA. She says that not winning a championship has been a burden on her and is determined to lead her teammates to the top.

            
            Catchings doesn’t have to do it by herself though. Teammate and Purdue graduate, Katie Douglas, has proved to be a great player in the WNBA.  Douglas is the Fever's starting guard and has averaged 14 points per game and a .440 three point shooting average in 2011.

Tamika Catchings (left) and Katie Douglas (right)

            

            Catchings, Douglas, and the rest of the Fever begin a best-of-three series against the New York Liberty tonight.

9/15: Liberty at Fever - 8pm on ESPN 2

9/17: Fever at Liberty- 4pm on NBA TV

9/19: Liberty at Fever- 8pm on ESPN 2*

*-if necessary

Playoff Time!

           “PLAYOFFS?!? PLAYOFFS?!?!” 

            
            Don’t worry, that’ll be the only Jim Mora reference in this post. However, I am talking about the playoffs. Not for the Indianapolis Colts though, who probably won’t be talking playoffs, but for the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series. NASCAR’s version of a playoff system, “The Chase for the Sprint Cup", starts Sunday afternoon at Chicago Speedway. It is the first of 10 races to decide the 2011 Champion.

            
            After last Saturday night’s race in Richmond the Top 12 in points were reset at 2000, and three bonus points were given for each win each driver had. So tied for the points lead now is Kyle Busch (unfortunately) and Kevin Harvick who both have four wins this season. Jeff Gordon starts 3^rd, three points behind Busch and Harvick. Matt Kenseth starts 4^th, six points behind the top two. Then there are four drivers that are nine points behind the leaders; Jimmie Johnson, Carl Edwards, Kurt Busch, and Ryan Newman. The final four positions start 12 points behind, these drivers are: Tony Stewart, Dale Earnhardt Jr., Brad Keselowski, and Denny Hamlin.

Here’s a list of the Top 12 going into Race 1 in Chicago

Driver                         Points

1. Kyle Busch              2012               

2. Kevin Harvick         2012

3. Jeff Gordon              2009

4. Matt Kenseth           2006

5. Jimmie Johnson       2003

6. Carl Edwards           2003

7. Kurt Busch               2003

8. Ryan Newman         2003

9. Tony Stewart           2000

10. Dale Earnhardt Jr.  2000

11. Brad Keselowski   2000

12. Denny Hamlin       2000

            
            What sets this year apart from past years is that there really seems like anybody could win it. If somebody is going to end Jimmie Johnson championship-winning streak at five, this is the best year to do it.

            
            Kyle Busch has been knocking on the door of a Cup Championship for a while and it seems like he finally has the consistency to get it done. Kevin Harvick has four wins but he has trouble getting consistent Top 10 finishes which are necessary to win it all. Jeff Gordon and Matt Kenseth, both previous Cup Champions, have multiple wins this season. Kenneth’s teammate, Carl Edwards, was great until the past few weeks but he says that’s because he and his crew chief have been working on different setups. The hottest driver in NASCAR (and my girlfriend’s favorite for some reason), Brad Keselowski, has to be considered a contender as well. Ever since Brad’s win at Pocono in August he has jumped up nearly 10 spots in the points standings and has been better than any other driver.

            
            So who doesn’t have a great shot at winning? Kevin Harvick has four wins but he has trouble getting consistent Top 10 finishes which are necessary to win it all. If he gets a couple of Top 5’s or 10’s the first two races then I’ll put him in my “contenders list”. Stewart-Haas teammates Tony Stewart and Ryan Newman have not been strong this season and even Stewart believed he wouldn’t make the Chase. Denny Hamlin made it into the Chase by the skin of his teeth. He is having a serious letdown after last season’s Championship runner-up performance. Last but not least is Kurt Busch. This guy must have switched brains with neurotic brother, Kyle. At the last race he wrecked, then got wrecked, by Jimmie Johnson. He verbally attacked a newspaper reporter and “snatched” papers out of the hands of another reporter. Attacking a journalist cost you a few points with me, Kurt.

The 12 "Chase for the Sprint Cup" drivers

             
            Prediction for the Chase: Jimmie Johnson, Kyle Busch, Jeff Gordon, Matt Kenseth, and Carl Edwards will separate themselves from the other “Chasers” as legit contenders by the 5^th or 6^th race.  Kevin Harvick will find a way to get a bad finish and take himself out of contention. The other six just won’t get it done on the track and will fall too far behind in the points standings. Going into the final race at Homestead, only Johnson, Busch, Gordon, and Edwards will remain in contention. Edwards will win the race and the Championship.