Tag: Fighting Irish football

Notre Dame Football: New Found Confidence in Fighting Irish

Feeling better about Notre Dame football lately? You’re not alone…

Recently, with all of the massive changes going on within college football, there’s been plenty of talk from me and others about Notre Dame’s place and standing in whatever college football may end up looking like. How will the Irish adapt? How will they fare in the new College Football Playoff model? How will Notre Dame navigate a landscape that now feels more professional than collegiate?

These are legitimate questions and concerns. One that especially in the last 30 years would have been existential threats due to a lack of proper administrative action to protect and support football along with inadequate coaching leadership. I feel that this has changed recently on multiple fronts and I now have more faith than I have previously in Notre Dame’s ability to navigate this new landscape and still try to compete.

Let’s examine why I feel this way.

What If Notre Dame Joined the Big Ten?

We know almost nobody wants it – but what if…

Amid all of the recent alterations and changes to the playoff system and conferences themselves, the discussion about Notre Dame and if and or when they may join a conference has resurfaced. Many speculate, and I agree with said speculation, that if the Irish were to join a conference it would likely be the Big Ten. The same group that barred Notre Dame from joining about 100 years ago.

Why the Big Ten? Money, geography, and a good academic fit top the list.

Rather than debate if this will ever happen, which has no direct answer at this time, I’d like to take some time to focus on what it would look like for the Irish if it did happen. Traditional Notre Dame fans such as I would undoubtedly have some existential wounds from the move that may never fully heal, but it isn’t all bad. In fact, there would be many tangible benefits to joining.

For now, I will try to push aside my affinity for the Irish’s independence and explore the plus side of what football life would look like for Notre Dame in the B10.

Notre Dame Football: Reaction to NBC’s Booth Change

Will NBC start treating ND as a bigger brand than they have in recent years?

Notre Dame is going to have a new look and sound in the NBC TV booth in 2024 as long-time NBC Sports stalwart Dan Hicks will be replacing Jac Collinsworth alongside Jason Garrett. Judging from early social media reactions it seems like Irish fans are happy with the the adjustment.

It’s no secret that the presentation has lacked in its most recent iteration. It just never clicked. Something felt a bit off. This is nobody’s “fault”, per se, it’s just that this is a very unique job with a unique feel that must be present to make it click. Let’s go over some key things to keep in mind about this move and how may impact your viewing experience next fall.

Notre Dame Footbal: Winds of Change Blowing for Fighting Irish

The times are a changing in a good way…

Notre Dame football fans have been collectively holding their breath for the last couple of months regarding Al Golden and his Irish contract extension from the Irish. Rumors of a contract offered but not yet signed were abound. An eerily similar dynamic to the one that ended with Mike Denbrock heading back to South Bend from LSU. Much to Notre Dame fans’ delight, the speculation has ended as Golden has agreed to terms on a 4-year deal with Notre Dame.

As Marcus Freeman enters his 3rd year, the staff is led by two of the best coordinators in the country and recruiting is going very well. Notre Dame feels to be at the end and the beginning of something. This is the end of the beginning of the Freeman era. After a rocky couple of years to start, things have leveled out. Locking Golden long-term in has initiated the beginning of the next phase for the Irish.

Winning.

And winning big.

Let’s discuss why the timing suggests the Irish are about to crank it up a notch and truly compete for glory in the modern CFP era.

Notre Dame Football: 10 Ways Marcus Freeman Has Modernized the Fighting Irish

How has the Freeman Era changed things at Notre Dame?

College Football has always adapted and changed over time. It has never done so as quickly and in as many ways as it has in the last handful of years. Many “old school” fans do not like the way the sport has begun to feel much more like some version of professional football rather than collegiate.

Too bad as the proverbial “horse has left the barn”.

With these changes, such as pro-NIL court rulings, no sit-out transfers, expanding the CFP, and major conference reshuffling, the Marcus Freeman era started at Notre Dame with me asking a simple question:

Can and will Notre Dame adapt in enough ways and do so quickly enough to stay competitive with other “football factories” that do not prioritize school in any way?

I believe they are genuinely trying to. Let’s examine 10 ways the Irish program has changed since Freeman has been at the helm.

Notre Dame Football – As Season Ends, Questions Begin

Time for the Irish to get back to work…

It feels like just yesterday we were grinding through the dog days of summer begging for college football to start back up again. Just as fast as it all started, it’s now over, and Notre Dame has finished their regular season at 9-3 with more ups and downs than the newest roller coaster at your local Six Flags.

With the season complete, Irish fans are now asking what comes next. This applies to both bowl season this year and into next year as well. There are a lot of moving parts and I suspect more to come. This year featured lots of things to really appreciate and enjoy, it’s just unfortunate that in the big picture, the deficiencies that led to the 3 losses on the ledger weigh down the positivity, justifiably so.

Let’s examine the three big questions Irish fans have now that the regular season has concluded.

Notre Dame vs Clemson: Palpable Disappointment

Maddening. Frustrating. Angering. What else?

For the most part, people were fairly understanding of Notre Dame’s struggles last year. Marcus Freeman was new on the job, there were many moving pieces on and off the field, the roster was in major flux, the schedule was challenging, etc. This year was going to be different though. Everyone was more settled in, the roster felt deeper and let’s not forget that the Irish would be led by the best transfer quarterback available this year as well.

The ultimate goal of course was to make the College Football Playoff and win games. At a minimum be in playoff contention throughout the year. But that dream perished the first weekend of October after the Irish lost Louisville’s Super Bowl at their place. If Notre Dame could run the table from there, they could at least possibly make a New Years Six game and win it. Then Clemson happened. Be honest with yourself. What big-picture goals are left to attain? There are none. That makes this year a disappointment.

Let’s examine exactly what I mean and how Notre Dame can grow from this frustrating experience moving forward.

Notre Dame vs Clemson: Confidences & Concerns

What to like and not like about Notre Dame’s trip to Clemson…

In an ideal world, Notre Dame versus Clemson in November would be a game with playoff implications, not only for both teams involved but for the country as well. As it turns out, that won’t be the case as these two squads will meet with a total of six losses on their combined ledger. But that doesn’t mean the game isn’t important or doesn’t matter.

This will be Notre Dame’s toughest remaining game. If they can manage to notch a victory in Death Valley, the path to 10-2 looks very promising with games against Wake and Stanford remaining. Let’s examine some confidences and concerns Irish fans may have entering this matchup between two teams that had playoff aspirations that won’t be fulfilled regardless of the outcome.

Notre Dame Crushes Narduzzi & Pitt

Just a reminder – Notre Dame beat the daylights out of Pitt on Saturday.

The big question exiting the bye for Notre Dame was could the Irish manhandle an inferior opponent at home or would this turn into an all-afternoon ugly Pitt slugfest, the kind Notre Dame fans are quite familiar with when it comes to playing Pitt? The answer was quite emphatic as Notre Dame destroyed the Panthers to the tune of a 58-7 blowout.

For the Irish to hope for a spot in a New Year’s Six bowl game of note, they must end the year at 10-2 and go 4-0 in this final 1/3 portion of the season. Certainly, Pitt is a bad football team this year. The Irish have faced many of these over the years and struggled to dismantle them. Not this afternoon. Notre Dame dominated.

Let’s examine some particular notes of interest from this lopsided Narduzzi meltdown-inducing game.

The day after: Lasting thoughts on Notre Dame’s win over Pittsburgh

What still sticks out in your mind Irish fans?

That was a fun game to watch for [autotag]Notre Dame football[/autotag] fans, the Irish routing visiting [autotag]Pittsburgh[/autotag] to a tune of 58-7.

The second 50 point scoring output of the year, with four others in the 40 point range, which is the kind of point totals that will win a lot of games. All three phases were clicking, Notre Dame scoring on special teams and defense in addition to its offensive contributions.

It was a great day for the Irish and that will reflect in this. Take a look below at what Notre Dame thoughts have stayed with me after its impressive win over Pitt.