Tag: BYU

Notre Dame Football: No September 19 opponent seems likely

When the MAC canceled their football season just over a week ago it was the first of what became multiple conferences to do so over the next couple days. For Notre Dame and a couple other ACC programs it meant that the “plus one” part of the …

When the MAC canceled their football season just over a week ago it was the first of what became multiple conferences to do so over the next couple days.

For Notre Dame and a couple other ACC programs it meant that the “plus one” part of the schedule needed reworked as the Irish were set to host Western Michigan of the MAC on September 19.

With that game canceled it doesn’t appear an announcement of a replacement opponent appears anything near imminent.

Irish Illustrated reports that the game may not even be filled and instead, Notre Dame would play only their ten scheduled ACC contests.

Notre Dame athletic director Jack Swarbrick is quoted in the piece by longtime Notre Dame beat reporter Tim Prister, saying:

“While the Big Ten and the Pac-12 made their final decisions on the fall, we made the decision to practice today…that gives us some leeway as the start of the season approaches.”

As Prister’s piece mentions, Notre Dame’s open game would have to be played against a member of the American Athletic Conference, Conference USA or Sun Belt as those three have no current restrictions on travel or out-of-conference games.

Army, BYU and Liberty are also possibilities as they’re the three remaining independents playing football this fall.

I have trouble believing that if Notre Dame wants to fill that open date that it wouldn’t be able to given the possible suitors.

Before you ask “what good would beating up a bad Sun Belt team do for anyone?” Ive already got your answer:

For the football team it’d provide nothing more than a Saturday afternoon to work some kinks out.

For NBC it’d be another Saturday to be able to sell a Notre Dame game, specifically on a weekend that the SEC isn’t scheduled to play on.

Notre Dame Football: Add BYU to 2020 schedule?

Notre Dame has a blank hole on their schedule September 19. Would having BYU come to South Bend make sense?

Some have asked through e-mail, other through comments on the Fighting Irish Wire Facebook page, why we act like there is going to be a college football season.

Simply put: until news comes out otherwise, what do you think we should do?  Get stuck with our heads buried in a deep, dark place?

As of now Notre Dame and the ACC are scheduled to start playing football games the second week of September.  Obviously that could change at any moment but as of right now the games are still set to be played so we’ll get ready for a season just like we would if we weren’t living in a pandemic.

With that in mind, Notre Dame doesn’t yet have an out-of-conference opponent scheduled since the MAC canceling their season meant the Western Michigan game on September 19 isn’t happening.

Searching the internet I stumbled into a post from Vanquish the Foe, a BYU blog.  There they were hoping for Notre Dame and BYU to meet up on that September 19 date since BYU is trying to find any Power Five opponent and Notre Dame suddenly has an open spot.

I’d be more than happy to see BYU come to South Bend the second week of September.  Despite the Cougars being responsible for stealing Rocket Ismail’s 1990 Heisman Trophy and messing up the opener in 2004, what has BYU ever really done to make you that upset?

I like that BYU plays football as an independent, just like how I like that Notre Dame does the same in any year that isn’t struck by a global pandemic.

The folks at Vanquish the Foe bring up compelling points that BYU feels owed to have the Irish come to Provo and as much as I’m not holding my breath waiting for that trip to happen, it’s the right thing to do to help BYU this season.

Sure Notre Dame could likely easily get a game scheduled against pretty much any Group of Five member who doesn’t have their season canceled.  BYU might not be the powerhouse they were under LaVell Edwards but it’s a heck of a lot bigger name brand than anything else that is likely to be out there.

BYU is hurting for a big opponent and wasn’t gifted the chance to join a conference like Notre Dame was.  With the rest of the ACC playing the likes of UAB, VMI, Western Kentucky, Charlotte, Samford, UCF, Old Dominion and Liberty as out of conference opponents, why not be different and schedule someone that’s of at least some interest?

Sorry UCF fans, that was mean.  Props to Georgia Tech for scheduling that game that will almost certainly be a Yellow Jackets loss.

You get my point though, there is a whole lot of uninteresting match-ups outside of ACC play this season.

Just because Notre Dame isn’t an independent in 2020 doesn’t mean they can’t throw a bone to an independent they’ve had a little bit of a history with before, having played the Cougars eight times before.  The game would have to be played in Indiana due to ACC guidelines for 2020 and I’d be fine with that.

It’s not the kind of game that would make me want to go perform cartwheels in the street, but it’d do a lot more for me than a UAB or Charlotte coming to South Bend.

Consider me in for BYU coming to South Bend in 2020 but yeah, I’ve still got no interest in that return trip to Provo happening anytime soon.

Report: Cardinals bringing in former BYU WR Aleva Hifo

He spent time with the Chiefs in the offseason.

The league is now allowing NFL teams to bring in players for workouts and the Arizona Cardinals are apparently taking advantage of the opportunity to potentially make changes at the back of the roster. According to NFL Draft Diamonds, they will host undrafted rookie receiver Aleva Hifo, who was recently waived by the Kansas City Chiefs.

Hifo played collegiately at BYU, where he caught 118 passes for 1,336 yards and seven touchdowns. He had his most productive season in 2019 when he caught 42 passes for 483 yards and three scores.

He also returned punts and kicks in college, averaging 15.5 yards on punt returns and 20.6 yards per return on kickoffs.

He is 5-10 and 190 pounds with speed. At his makeshift pro day this year, he ran the 40 in 4.41 seconds.

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Listen to the latest from Cards Wire’s Jess Root on his podcast, Rise Up, See Red. Subscribe on Apple podcasts or Spotify.

Latest show:

Previous shows:

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and

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Navy finds Notre Dame’s ’20 replacement, yet extends Notre Dame series

Notre Dame and Navy won’t be playing for the first time in almost a century. So who did the Midshipmen replace the Irish with this year?

For the first time since 1926, Notre Dame and Navy won’t be meeting up in football this fall.  I discussed this and how it will just be weird and I won’t like the game not taking place this year, even if it is about as non-traditional as a rivalry can be.

The Naval Academy was probably aware how difficult it would be to pull off the necessary changes in order to pull off the game after the ACC’s requirement of only one non-conference game that had to be played in the ACC team’s home state.  That eliminated Notre Dame from being able to travel to Annapolis for the first time in the history of the series and sadly meant there wouldn’t be a Notre Dame/Navy match-up in 2020.

Notre Dame instead plays Western Michigan as their only non-ACC game and it didn’t take long for Navy to find a replacement in independent BYU, who will now travel to Annapolis on September 7.

Related:  Predicting Notre Dame’s Game-by-Game Results for 2020

Navy also announced an extension to the Notre Dame series that will run through 2032.

Assuming 2020 is the only year that Notre Dame and Navy are unable to play, they will have played in 105 of 106 seasons after the contract runs out in 2032.

Big 12 media day cancelled, Texas-LSU game not happening

The Big 12 media day has now been cancelled and the SEC going with a conference only schedule. What is next for the Texas Longhorns?

What has been rumored in the last day is now official. The Southeastern Conference is going with a conference only schedule that will feature 10 games. This comes off the heels of the ACC announcing a 11-game schedule with one non-conference game. Ross Dellenger of Sports Illustrated was the first to report it.

This effectively cancels the Texas-Louisiana State matchup that was set for September 12th. Also removes the Oklahoma-Tennessee matchup from their schedule. This leaves Texas with an 11-game schedule that will likely be lessened even further with the impending Big 12 announcement that many thought would come shortly after the Big 12 media day.

The Big 12 conference has canceled the virtual media day scheduled for Monday, Aug. 3. Originally, AT&T Stadium was supposed to host the event on July 20-21.

No players were going to be available to talk to meetings, only coaches. Head coach Tom Herman was scheduled to talk for 25 minutes beginning at 4 p.m. CST.

The Big 12 has not announced if the event will be rescheduled in the future.

According to a report by 247Sports, there will be an emergency meeting with the Big 12 coaches. Kansas State head coach Chris Klieman confirmed. No other information has been given as to what this meeting will be about. One could presume it is about either going to a nine-game conference only schedule or a nine plus one schedule that involves one nonconference game.

Could the Big 12 actually pull a similar move to what the ACC did and add one independent for the 2020 season? Brigham Young University could potentially join for a year and reap the benefits of a full schedule giving the conference an 11-game calendar in 2020.

REPORT: Alabama is considering replacing USC with BYU in Week 1

Important news

The news hit the wires on Saturday that Alabama is strongly considering Brigham Young as a replacement opponent for USC in Week 1.

The importance of this story is not that USC is specifically being replaced. The importance of the story — similar to what we told you about TCU reportedly discussing replacements for the California Golden Bears in Week 1 — is that SEC and Big 12 schools are not yet at a point where they are accepting a reduced schedule for 2020.

This doesn’t mean SEC and Big 12 schools will play 12 games. The coronavirus drives this bus, not college football or any of its conferences or schools. Yet, the obvious importance attached to Alabama’s desire to find a Week 1 opponent is that while the Big Ten and Pac-12 have already accepted a reduced schedule (the Pac-12 hasn’t yet announced its specific scheduling plan, but a conference-only schedule puts a cap at 11 games, less than the full 12-game slate), the SEC and Big 12 show clear signs of wanting to play as many games as possible. If Alabama and TCU are both trying to fill a Week 1 nonconference gap in their respective schedules, that points to a desire to play 12 games.

How long is this dance going to continue? How long will this uncertainty about the 2020 schedule persist? Those are good questions.

Thankfully, the answer is that this coming week is the last week in which we will live with these particular voids and vacuums.

Remember: If six weeks is the widely accepted timetable for college football teams to get ready for the start of the regular season, any team trying to play a game on Sept. 5 must start that six-week preparation period this coming Saturday, July 25.

The Big Ten and Pac-12, by reducing their seasons in length, don’t have to meet this commitment. They can therefore unveil their schedules after July 25.

The Big 12 and SEC, along with the ACC, haven’t said anything yet.

They will need to say something by the end of this week.

The next four or five days might be boring in college football, but the political and logistical pressure on schools and conferences will definitely increase next week. Things are going to get very interesting (though not necessarily in a good way or for happy and positive reasons).

REPORT: Alabama and BYU will face off week one of 2020 CFB season

Sources told AL.com that “there’s a strong possibility the Tide will open the season against BYU.”

A few hours after reports surfaced of Alabama potentially facing Notre Dame for a week one matchup, there are now reports that Alabama will instead be facing BYU week one.

Sources told AL.com that “there’s a strong possibility the Tide will open the season against BYU.”

After Alabama’s September 5th matchup against USC was cancelled, the focus became on who Alabama would face for the 2020 season opener, if there was a football season this fall.

There’s no certain plan to what Alabama’s next step will be. Reports began surfacing in May that the Crimson Tide might have to face TCU instead of USC on September 5th.

Only time will tell what will happen, and who Alabama could face on September 5th.

BYU was slated to face Utah for a week one matchup, but since the PAC12 made the decision to play a conference only schedule, they’re in the same position to face a new season opening opponent like Alabama has to.

BYU Football Schedule. How Could It Change For The 2020 Season?

With Power Five conferences heading towards a conference-only format, what’s going to happen to the BYU football schedule?

With Power Five conferences heading towards a conference-only format, what’s going to happen to the BYU football schedule?

Who will be available for BYU to play with all the big schedule changes going on?

Will the Group of Five conferences – desperately looking for good matchups and games after being ditched by the Power Five programs – also lock it down, or will they want a high-profile game against BYU?

BYU isn’t in the same boat as Notre Dame, an independent with ties to the ACC. BYU loses five games against the Big Ten and Pac-12 combined, and will probably lose Missouri, so filling in the gaps with Mountain West teams would make a whole lot of sense.

What could a revised BYU schedule look like? Here’s what it is now, and what it might be.

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Sept. 5 at Utah

This really stinks because of the rivalry aspect, but maybe BYU can make up for it with something fun. Hawaii loses its home date against UCLA on September 5th, and hosting the Cougars could be just as interesting.

Sept. 12 Michigan State

Can the powers-that-be pull off a trip to Notre Dame? The Irish were supposed to play Arkansas, but that’s likely going to be be off. It might depend on whether or not BYU really does play Hawaii to start and where. Notre Dame might not be too keen on playing two straight road games – it starts at Navy – to kick things off.

Sept. 19 at Arizona State

This might be the Hawaii game depending on what the call is on the opener – the Rainbow Warriors were schedule to go to Oregon. Fresno State, though, has the week off – at the moment. It’s originally schedule to play at Colorado the week before, but that changes.

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Sept. 26 Minnesota

Just assume that Colorado State isn’t going to play at Vanderbilt, with the SEC likely to keep things in-house. Instead of going to Nashville, the Rams can come on over to Provo.

Oct. 2 Utah State

All good, all set. The Mountain West will want to keep this game between the Aggies and Cougars, especially on a Friday night.

Oct. 10 Missouri

It’s possible this could be the Notre Dame spot, with the Irish supposed to play Stanford this week. The easier call is Army, who needs to find a replacement for Princeton – the Ivy League has cancelled fall sports.

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Oct. 17 Houston

For now, this might stay as is. This would be a high-profile game for an American Athletic Conference that needs them, but if it plays a conference-only slate, Liberty could come calling – the Flames were scheduled to play at Syracuse.

Oct. 24 at Northern Illinois

A home game against BYU for the MAC? With the Big Ten bailing, this could be one of the biggest games of the conference’s college football season.

Oct. 31 OPEN DATE

There has to be at least one week off built into the schedule. Flexibility will be the key to the entire slate, but keep this open.

Nov. 7 at Boise State

If the Cougars get the week off before this, going to Boise State is more doable. The game likely stays as is.


Nov. 14  San Diego State

This is where the Cougars could have some flexibility. San Diego State also has an open date on October 31st, and the game could be moved if it’s more convenient.

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Nov. 21 North Alabama

The NCAA is likely going to allow two games against FCS teams count towards bowl eligibility. North Alabama will be a nice game to build up the win total.

Nov. 28 at Stanford

The Mountain West programs are all locked down at this point, but Notre Dame might be an option with the USC game gone. New Mexico State, though, is wide open – it’s season is scheduled to end the week before.

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Chiefs UDFA Spotlight: BYU WR Aleva Hifo

How does BYU WR Aleva Hifo fit with the Kansas City Chiefs?

Hifo was a multi-sport athlete in high school, playing both football and baseball. He played receiver, cornerback and punter and was considered a three-star athlete coming out of high school. He was recruited by BYU and Nevada but ultimately chose to join the Cougars because he was a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. His cousin, Sione Takitaki, also played for BYU and was drafted by the Cleveland Browns in 2019.

As a freshman in 2016, Hifo struggled a bit, but the coaching staff didn’t give up on him. He eventually became a pivotal part of the BYU offense, playing slot receiver. They used him in a variety of ways, including lining him up in the backfield. Hifo even threw a touchdown pass in 2018 against Wisconsin in an upset victory. Versatility was a big part of his success with the Cougars.

Stats:

2016: 13 games played. 11 receptions for 58 yards. 21 kicks returned for 440 yards.

2017: 13 games played. 37 receptions for 437 yards and two touchdowns. One kick returned for 23 yards.

2018: 13 games played. 28 receptions for 358 yards and two touchdowns. 29 carries for 124 yards and two touchdowns. Seven kicks returned for 135 yards. One punt return for 10 yards.

2019: 12 games played. 42 receptions for 483 yards and three touchdowns. 23 carries for 102 yards and two touchdowns. 14 punt returns for 222 yards.

Combine/pro day results

Height: 5-foot-10
Weight: 183 pounds
Hands: 8.5″
Arms: 31″
40-yard dash: 4.41s
10-yard split: N/A
225-pound bench: N/A
Vertical: 37.5″
Broad Jump: 130″
20-yard shuttle: 4.14s
3-Cone Drill: 7.09s

Highlights & Film:

2016

Fit with the Chiefs:

Like a number of the undrafted free agents that Kansas City added following the 2020 NFL Draft, Hifo has experience as a punt returner and kick returner. We know the Chiefs are looking for someone to take over return specialist responsibilities from Mecole Hardman as he takes a larger role in the offense. Hifo averaged 11.3 yards per kick return and 15.5 yards per punt return during his career with the Cougars, but he never scored a touchdown.

In addition to being a talented return specialist, Hifo is the type of player that Chiefs HC Andy Reid can get creative with. At the college level, he was a jack-of-all-trades type of offensive weapon. He excels when you give him the ball in space. Plays like screen passes, jet sweeps, swing passes and quick outs are where Hifo makes his money.

Reid always has a need for gadget players and he knows how to develop them to get the most out of them. Tyreek Hill and Mecole Hardman are the only receivers from the Super Bowl LIV team under contract beyond the 2020 season. Hifo has as good of a chance as any of the undrafted free agent receivers to be the one that sticks.

Chiefs’ undrafted free agents

Position Player School Article Release Date
QB Shea Patterson Michigan 5/26
WR Maurice Ffrench Pittsburgh 5/28
LB Bryan Wright Cincinnati 6/2
OC Darryl Williams Miss. St. 6/6
CB Hakeem Bailey West Virginia 6/8
P Tommy Townsend Florida 6/15
WR Kalija Lipscomb Vanderbilt 6/17
DB Rodney Clemons SMU 6/20
OT Yasir Durant Missouri 6/22
DE Tershawn Wharton Missouri S&T 6/24
WR Justice Shelton-Mosley Vanderbilt 6/29
CB Jalen Julius Ole Miss 7/1
WR Aleva Hifo BYU 7/6
LB Omari Cobb Marshall TBA
WR Cody White Michigan St. TBA
CB Lavert Hill Michigan TBA
WR Andre Baccelia Washington TBA
OG Jovahn Fair Temple TBA
CB Javaris Davis Auburn TBA

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Notre Dame Named 11th-Most Dominant Program of Past 50 Years

A story from The Athletic has sought to determine college football’s 25 most dominant programs over the past 50 years.

A story from The Athletic has sought to determine college football’s 25 most dominant programs over the past 50 years. Rankings in 23 categories were averaged together to construct the list. All 65 Power Five teams, plus BYU, were eligible for consideration. When the list was completed, Notre Dame made the cut at 11th with a dominance score of 7.26 (Alabama, which topped the list, had a dominance score of minus 6.22).

In the past half-century, Notre Dame has three national championships, a .689 winning percentage and an average national rank of 10.26. Over the previous 50 years, the Irish earned eight national titles and the country’s best winning percentage at .760. If this list had been constructed for the 1920-1969 era using the same criteria, it’s likely Notre Dame would be at the top.

Alas, the past quarter-century hasn’t seen many dominant Irish teams. The 2012 and 2018 teams came close to national titles, but they were anomalies among seasons that either disappointed or featured losses in big games that could have pushed the program over the top had they turned out differently. The Notre Dame entry on this list concludes by saying that the Irish remain prestigious and capable of being great, but the true glory days continue to become more distant over time.

It’s hard to disagree with the ranking. While we should be grateful that the Irish are as relevant as ever, they aren’t the intimidating force they were when our parents and grandparents were growing up. If we’re lucky, the next 50 years of college football will be kinder to Notre Dame.