Tag: Football Bowl Subdivision

Mike Moon hired as Notre Dame assistant defensive line coach

Notre Dame always is looking for the next member of its coaching staff to help maintain its tradition of excellence.

Notre Dame always is looking for the next member of its coaching staff to help maintain its tradition of excellence. Irish defensive line coach Mike Elston decided he needed some young blood to assist with his unit. He’s found it in Mike Moon:

This is an abrupt switch for Moon, who recently accepted the defensive line coach job at Fairmont State. Apparently, the chance to coach at Notre Dame was too tempting. Plus, someone accepting one job only to have a greater opportunity suddenly come along surely has happened more in the real world than we know.

Before that, he was a graduate assistant for the defensive line at Old Dominion. He didn’t get a chance to show off his coaching skills this past season as Old Dominion canceled its fall sports season in light of the COVID-19 pandemic. That made the Monarchs one of the few Football Bowl Subdivision programs not to compete in 2020.

Mid-American Conference Becomes Last FBS Conference to Resume Football

Every Football Bowl Subdivision conference will see action in 2020.

Every Football Bowl Subdivision conference will see action in 2020. On Friday, the Mid-American Conference’s 12 presidents voted unanimously to have football this season. Only six games will be played by each team in conference-only schedules. A championship game is set for Dec. 18 or 19.

The conference initially canceled its season, but its stance has changed just like every other conference that previously announced a season cancelation. This announcement came a day after the Pac-12 and Mountain West both announced that they would have football after all in 2020. The Big Ten also recently announced it will have a season. Also like with every other conference, daily testing will be implemented.

Conference commissioner Jon Steinbrecher released the following statement:

“I am pleased to inform our student-athletes, coaches, and fans, that the Mid-American Conference will resume the fall football season, Our decisions, in August and again today, have been guided by an overriding concern for the well-being of the student-athletes, institutions, and the community at large. Our medical advisory group, presidents, directors of athletics, and others, have worked hard to develop a plan that provides the opportunity for student athletes to compete. We will be diligent in monitoring the dynamic health environment across the Conference footprint and the country.”

Pac-12, Mountain West Will Have Football in 2020

It appears the demand for college football in 2020 has become too great.

It appears the demand for college football in 2020 has become too great. On Thursday, the Pac-12 announced it will play a seven-game conference schedule beginning Nov. 6. Soon after, the Mountain West announced a eight-game season that will begin the weekend of Oct. 24. That leaves the Mid-American Conference as the only Football Bowl Subdivision conference without a season, but a vote on what could be a six-game season is expected Friday.

All of that talk about keeping college football players safe during the COVID-19 pandemic officially was for naught. The conferences can discussing daily testing all they want, but it doesn’t change the fact that they’re going back on their word and have decided to chase the dollars after all. Pressure from players, parents and others didn’t help, but the conferences couldn’t or wouldn’t stand their ground. Any compassion and goodwill they’ve gained over the past couple of months is gone, and if you haven’t figured it out by now, they never had souls.

Power Five AD believes cancelation of fall football is ‘inevitable’

There is a strong possibility that college football will not be played this fall, according to CBS Sports’ Dennis Dodd

There is a strong possibility that college football will not be played this fall, according to CBS Sports’ Dennis Dodd. In fact, in the words of one Power Five athletic director, it is “inevitable” that the college gridiron will be empty come autumn.

Dodd offered the following quotes from two Power Five athletic directors.

“It’s not fair what we’re doing to our coaches and student-athletes,” one long-time Power Five AD said. “The sooner we can come to a finality, the better.”

“I think it’s inevitable [the season will not be played in the fall],” said another veteran Power Five AD.

Neither AD wished to be identified due to the sensitivity of the situation.

On Saturday, the Mid-American Conference became the first Football Bowl Subdivision league to cancel its season, a decision that came on the heels of the Power Five conferences’ decision to adopt a conference-only schedule. MAC programs rely on the financial compensation that games with Power Five schools provide for a large part of their yearly revenue.

“I’m of the opinion it’s when, not if [the 2020 season is canceled],” the first AD said. “[The MAC announcement] adds more momentum to the finish line. I think everyone’s medical group is now all telling them the same thing. We all keep having the same conversations.”

Rumors continued to swirl Saturday that the Pac-12 and Big Ten would indeed be the next FBS conferences to cancel their respective 2020 seasons.

Big Ten presidents met on Saturday, though a league source told CBS Sports not to expect an immediate announcement to cancel its season — the feeling being that the league wouldn’t alter its practice schedule and announce a cancellation on the same day.

The Big Ten on Saturday announced it was “indefinitely” delaying a move to Phase 3 of practice that would have allowed players to use pads. The Detroit Free Press reported that Big Ten commissioner Kevin Warren is believed to prefer attempting to play a season in spring 2021.

Pac-12 presidents will meet in a regularly scheduled call on Tuesday. However, that timeline could change in “20 minutes” to organize a conference call if the situation continued to shift, according to one league official.

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No Notre Dame Players Test Positive in Latest COVID-19 Testing

As we get closer to the start of college football, the question of whether any level of the sport will be played this year gets louder.

As we get closer to the start of college football, the question of whether any level of the sport will be played this year gets louder. But if you’re involved with the Notre Dame program, there’s some encouraging news. The following statement was released Monday:

While this report obviously represents a step in the right direction, it only comes from one program out of 130 in the Football Bowl Subdivision. This low testing result from Notre Dame will not save the season alone. We need to see this across the board. If we don’t, Saturdays this fall will be awfully quiet.

It’s also worth remembering that even though no one tested positive this time around, that doesn’t guarantee it will happen in the next round of testing. The news only is as good as the next test, and we easily could be looking at a different picture at that time. Welcome to the new normal of college football.

What Revamped 2020 Season Could Mean for Notre Dame’s Independence

With all the talk about college football teams only playing conference games for a shortened 2020, Notre Dame is back at the forefront.

With all the talk about college football teams only playing conference games for a shortened 2020, Notre Dame is back at the forefront. The Irish and their fans take a lot of pride in the program’s independence, and if you asked most people who align themselves with the program, they wouldn’t have it any other way. After all, why would they ever admit that Michigan was right to deny them admission into the Big Ten?

But as Pat Forde of Sports Illustrated points out, the COVID-19 pandemic will create new issues and reignite old ones, namely whether the Irish should bite the bullet and join a conference. Although Notre Dame is not the only independent Football Bowl Subdivision program, it’s the only one regularly discussed as a College Football Playoff contender. To other fans, it’s not fair that their team has to devote most of its schedule to the same opponents every year while the Irish can play whoever they want and still get a seat at the head table if the committee deems them worthy.

The best solution for the Irish would be for the FBS to adopt the “conference-only, plus-one” model that athletic director Jack Swarbrick has talked about. That would almost certainly ensure that Notre Dame plays the same number of games as everyone else. Besides, everyone and their grandmother knows any game involving the Irish means greater exposure for their opponents.

Forde breaks down the Irish’s current 2020 schedule and what every game’s fate could be. Navy and the six ACC opponents should be safe, as should the Shamrock Series game with Wisconsin and the one involving Western Michigan of the Mid-American Conference. Arkansas also is scheduled to play in South Bend, but would an SEC team want to play its only nonconference game on the road? Meanwhile, the Pac-12 has discussed its teams only playing within the conference, which could spell trouble for the annual games against Stanford and USC.

Whatever happens, Notre Dame’s football independence might be more contentious than ever. But even the most ardent Irish haters have to admit that without them, the overall college football brand would suffer greatly. Plus, it’s unlikely the university will have wanted to give away scholarships for nothing, even if it decided to honor them without the reason these particular students came to South Bend. The only thing to do is set up an abbreviated schedule in way that gives independent programs the same number of games as everyone else.

It’s really simple:  If there’s no Notre Dame, there’s no college football. Period.

Jack Swarbrick Confident Notre Dame Will Play Full Season

Notre Dame athletic director Jack Swarbrick said Tuesday that he has confidence the Irish will play a full 2020 season.

Notre Dame athletic director Jack Swarbrick told reporters in a Zoom news conference Tuesday that he has confidence the Irish will play a full 2020 season. College football is in a state of a limbo overall thanks to the COVID-19 pandemic, but in the event of a shortened schedule, it’s possible that Power Five commissioners could decide their teams only will play within their conferences. Because the Irish remain independent for football, this would cost them 10 of their 12 scheduled opponents.

Notre Dame’s 2020 schedule includes games against six ACC teams, one apiece from the Big Ten and SEC and its annual meetings with Pac-12 teams USC and Stanford. An 11th game, the annual contest against Navy which currently is scheduled to open the season in Dublin, Ireland, also could be in jeopardy if non-Power Five conferences also choose to play conference games only. Obviously, this arrangement would decimate the Irish of their competition, and who knows what would happen after that?

In his regular conversations with the 10 Football Bowl Subdivision commissioners, which come with being part of the College Football Playoff management committee, Swarbrick said he has pushed for a conference-only model “plus one”. This would maintain such traditional rivalries as Clemson-South Carolina and Cincinnati-Miami (Ohio). Regardless, he believes the committee’s collaboration and communication gives college football “a chance” to develop a policy to bring the sport back.

There are many hurdles to clear to have the season everyone wants, but Swarbrick doesn’t sound willing to allow his football program to be left out in the cold. In a worst-case scenario, Irish fans will circle back to this and point out an empty promise. However, even the most conference-loyal leaders have to admit that college football simply can’t exist without Notre Dame. It’s only fair to give the Irish just as much a chance to compete as everyone else.

Notre Dame 15 Years Tournament: Introduction

Nick Shepkowski had a brilliant idea to fill the void left by sports during the time that would have been March Madness.

Nick Shepkowski had a brilliant idea to fill the void left by sports during the time that would have been March Madness. The 2020 Best Game Tournament was terrific, and we hope you had fun reminiscing about the best Notre Dame football games since 1986. Now, it’s time for a different kind of tournament that shifts the focus from the gridiron to the hardwood. Welcome to the Notre Dame 15 Years Tournament.

For the most part, Mike Brey has coached quality basketball teams in South Bend. As the head of the program, it’s a given he thinks far less about the past than about his next recruit. But in these times, we fans only can think about the past to get our sports fix. To that end, we’ve constructed a single-elimination bracket featuring every Irish team since the 2005-06 season and seeded them by overall winning percentage.

As you might have figured out from looking at this image, this tournament will be conducted in the same way as the ACC tournament. The lowest seeds will battle each other in the first round for the right to face the next tier of Irish teams in the second round. The top four Irish teams of this era have automatic quarterfinal berths. This is better and more exciting than just giving the 2014-15 Irish a first-round bye, and it allows for more competition.

The games will be decided using the simulation tool WhatIfSports.com, which is fantastic if you’ve ever wanted to pitch historical teams against each other. It allows users to do this for the four major North American professional sports leagues, Football Bowl Subdivision teams and Division I basketball teams. In the case of college basketball, the site allows to select games to be played on the home team’s floor at a neutral site. Even though these are all Notre Dame teams, these games will be played on neutral courts in the spirit of power conference tournaments.

Every day, one game will be simulated and recapped. Names you might have forgotten about will come back to your memory, and some of them might even become heroes in these games. And if anyone has a problem with one team defeating another team, well, blame the computer program and not us.

Let virtual April Madness begin!

Kyren Williams Gets Ready to Show His Speed

Kyren Williams hasn’t let COVID-19 and the subsequent shutdown of all organized sports stop him.

Kyren Williams hasn’t let COVID-19 and the subsequent shutdown of all organized sports stop him from preparing from what he hopes will be his first chance to make a real difference for Notre Dame. On Sunday, Williams tweeted out a video in which he puts his speed on display while working out away from South Bend. If this is any indication from the St. Louis native, opposing defenses will dread having to face him:

Williams redshirted after appearing in only two games in 2019 and registering equally minimal numbers. He’s on a mission to prove he made the right call by turning down scholarship offers from many other Football Bowl Subdivision programs and going to Notre Dame instead. The former Missouri Offensive Player of the Year was electric in high school, and he’s ready to show he can be equally dominant at the next level. Choosing to do so with the Irish means a lot of pressure, but if he didn’t think he could handle it, he wouldn’t have put it all on the line with them.

See where Wisconsin fits in end-of-season grades for every FBS team

Grading Wisconsin and the FBS

USA TODAY Sports college football analyst Paul Myerberg has his report cards filled out. He is delivering them to all 130 Football Bowl Subdivision programs. You can see for yourself where the Wisconsin Badgers fit by reading the article.

Without giving away the answer on which grade Myerberg gave to Wisconsin, a few points are worth noting about the Wisconsin grade and the basis for all 130 grades presented in the article (which are not an ENDORSEMENT of the article’s views, merely an explanation of what they mean in context).

First of all, Wisconsin has set a relatively high standard the previous few years, especially in 2017, when the program went 13-1 and captured a New Year’s Six bowl win for the second straight season. Wisconsin entered this season with five straight bowl wins, coming off a 2018 season which was rough not just because of bad quarterback play, but due to a lot of injuries on defense which plainly prevented the Badgers from reaching their full potential.

I mention Wisconsin’s high standard the previous few seasons because Myerberg bases his grades, in part, on the standards and expectations held by various programs entering the season. Myerberg notes, for instance, that while Alabama and Minnesota both won New Year’s Day (non-NY6) bowl games to finish 11-2, Minnesota got the higher grade of the two because its standards and expectations were not nearly as high entering the 2019 season. The context in which various football programs compete is a part of the intellectual architecture for handing out a specific grade this past season.

This raises a basic question: What is YOUR idea of how you would grade a team for its season? Would it be fundamentally in line with Myerberg’s evaluation? What might be different in your intellectual framework? This is a very subjective question. Feel free to weigh in on this and more Badgers posts (for football and basketball alike) on our Facebook page.

Some brief final notes: Only four programs earned an A-plus grade. LSU and Baylor are the two obvious choices. Find out the other two in Myerberg’s article.

Only seven programs received an A grade, and five were from the Group of Five. Find out which two Power Five conference programs received an A.

Without giving away Wisconsin’s grade, I can also tell you this: Myerberg gave Wisconsin a grade which was better than Alabama’s… and worse than Indiana’s.

I’m done. Go read the article and see what you think of UW’s grade.