Tag: Football

Nick’s Notre Dame Mailbag: Should ND Still Play Navy Annually?

Is it enjoyable? Not in the moment, but at the same time it’s one of the most unique rivalries in all of sports.

Earlier this week I solicited questions for the first of the weekly mailbag series we’ll have on Fighting Irish Wire. If you missed it there are a few ways to leave questions that may end up getting used:

1. Leave a comment on this or any other post on Fighting Irish Wire

2. Leave a question on our Facebook page – either on one of our posts or on our wall

3. Tweet us @IrishWireND or me personally @Shep670

4. Leave a comment on our Instagram Page. And even if you don’t leave a question – you should go follow it as it’s going to become a lot more active soon.

5.  You can also click to e-mail me at the top of any of my posts on Fighting Irish Wire

With all of that said – here is your second Midweek Mailbag answered by yours truly.

Question 1: Should Notre Dame still play Navy annually?

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Pac-12 Predictions, Game Previews, Lines, TV: Week 12

Check out all the fearless predictions, game previews, lines and TV listings for Week 12 of the Pac-12 season.

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Check out all the fearless predictions, game previews, lines and TV listings for Week 12 of the Pac-12 season.

How are the Pac-12 predictions so far?
Straight Up: 49-23, ATS 31-34, o/u: 40-24

Click on each game for game preview & prediction 

Stanford at Washington State

4:30 Pac-12 Network | Get Tickets
BetMGM Line: Washington State -10.5, o/u: 63.5
Live Stream: fuboTV (click to watch for free)

Arizona State at Oregon State

7:30 FS1 | Get Tickets
BetMGM Line: Arizona State -2.5, o/u: 57.5
Live Stream: fuboTV (click to watch for free)

UCLA at Utah

8:00 FOX | Get Tickets
BetMGM Line: Utah -21.5, o/u: 52.5
Live Stream: fuboTV (click to watch for free)

Arizona at Oregon

10:30 ESPN | Get Tickets
BetMGM Line: Oregon -27.5, o/u: 68.5
Live Stream: fuboTV (click to watch for free)

USC at Cal

11:00 FS1 | Get Tickets
BetMGM Line: USC -6.5, o/u: 47.5
Live Stream: fuboTV (click to watch for free)

– CFN Fearless Predictions & Game Previews

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ESPN bowl projections: Matchups against historical programs

Currently at 9-3, Texas could end up anywhere this bowl season. ESPN projects the Camping World Bowl and the Alamo Bowl for the Longhorns.

Currently sitting at 9-3, which bowl game the Longhorns will make is still up in the air. They could go as high as the Allstate Sugar Bowl or they could end up as low as the Texas Bowl. According to ESPN’s bowl projections, Texas is somewhere in between there.

Here is a look at where ESPN thinks the Longhorns will be bowling:

First, Kyle Bonagura projects Texas to participate in the Camping World Bowl in Orlando, FL. Since 2015, it has been a bowl game between Big 12 and ACC teams. If the Longhorns were to play in the Camping World Bowl, it would be the first time they would participate in it. What sticks out is their opponent, Notre Dame. Two of the most historic programs of all time, both schools are in the top 10 in all-time wins in NCAA history.

Playing as recent as 2015 and 2016, the Fighting Irish and the Longhorns have played a total of 12 times, with Notre Dame leading the series 9-3. The latest game in 2016 is the infamous “Texas is back folks!” game when Tyrone Swoopes scored a touchdown to beat the No. 10 ranked Irish in Austin, 50-47.

With Mark Schlabach projecting both Oklahoma and Baylor to get spots in a New Year’s Six Bowl game, that would leave the second-best Big 12 bowl game, the Valero Alamo Bowl, open for the Longhorns. Texas has not played in the Alamo Bowl since doing it in back to back seasons in 2012 and 2013 when they played Oregon State and Oregon respectively. Playing Pac 12 opponents, Schlabach says Texas will face the Trojans of USC.

These two teams have a lot of recent history and if they met, would be playing each other for the third year in a row. The Longhorns lost a heartbreaker on the road in 2017, while they beat the Trojans by 23 at home last season.

As usual when talking about Texas and USC, you have to mention the 2006 Rose Bowl game for the National Championship. Widely considered the greatest college football game of all time, Texas fans will be remembering this game for the rest of their lives.

Even if the Longhorns are not able to make the most prestigious bowl game this season, these matchups could still be some fun ones. Especially when you are playing against historical blue blood programs like Notre Dame and USC.

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ACC Predictions, Game Previews, Lines, TV: Week 12

Check out all the fearless predictions, game previews, lines and TV listings for Week 12 of the ACC season.

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Check out all the fearless predictions, game previews, lines and TV listings for Week 12 of the ACC season.

How are the ACC predictions so far?
Straight Up: 64-24, ATS 38-36-2, o/u: 43-33

Click on each game for game preview & prediction

Thursday, November 14

North Carolina at Pitt

8:00 ESPN | Get Tickets
BetMGM Line: Pitt -3.5, o/u: 50.5
Live Stream: fuboTV (click to watch for free)

Saturday, November 16

Alabama State at Florida State

12:00 ACC Network X | Get Tickets
BetMGM Line: No Line, o/u: No Line
Live Stream: fuboTV (click to watch for free)

Wake Forest at Clemson

3:30 ABC | Get Tickets
BetMGM Line: Clemson -34.5, o/u: 60.5
Live Stream: fuboTV (click to watch for free)

Virginia Tech at Georgia Tech

3:30 ACC Network X | Get Tickets
BetMGM Line: Virginia Tech -5.5, o/u: 50.5
Live Stream: fuboTV (click to watch for free)

Syracuse at Duke

4:00 ACC Network | Get Tickets
BetMGM Line: Duke -10.5, o/u: 54.5
Live Stream: fuboTV (click to watch for free)

Louisville at NC State

7:30 ACC Network | Get Tickets
BetMGM Line: Louisville -3.5, o/u: 55.5
Live Stream: fuboTV (click to watch for free)

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Sun Belt Heat Week 12: Knockout

Sun Belt Heat Week 12: Knockout Time for some of y’all to hit the canvas. Contact @astatefanrules Sun Belt Heat is sponsored by O’Doul’s. Premium content requires a premium, non-alcoholic pilsner. Literally and pragmatically, roughly half the Sun …

Sun Belt Heat Week 12: Knockout

Time for some of y’all to hit the canvas.

Contact @astatefanrules

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Sun Belt Heat is sponsored by O’Doul’s. Premium content requires a premium, non-alcoholic pilsner. 

Literally and pragmatically, roughly half the Sun Belt field is playing solely for life’s most valuable coin: pride. Go get that pride! Everybody else wants that Sun Belt hardware.

In the East, Georgia State and Georgia Southern did Appalachian State a solid by falling to conference opponents, giving the Mountaineers a nice one-game cushion while enjoying the Sun Belt’s first ever College Football Playoff ranking.

Out West, Louisiana enjoys the same one-game buffer with Arkansas State and ULM. The Cajuns finish the season hosting Troy and ULM and get a road game against the conference’s cadaver, South Alabama, this week.  In summation, four teams are looking at one of two teams to “F” up. That’s the analysis, people. It’s all I got.

Coastal Carolina Chanticleers (4-5) @ Arkansas State Red Wolves (5-4), Thursday, November 16, 2:00 PM on ESPN+

Red Wolves get the 12.5-point home advantage

After the Chants dusted Kansas and finished the non-con with a 3-1 record, if felt like Coastal Carolina was positioned to make the East a more interesting division. One conference win later, it’s clear that the East is interesting enough and the Chanticleers are still a baseball school, despite getting a solid year from RB C.J. Marable. Red Wolves are on a two-game win streak, is second only to Troy in passing offense and will enter Saturday’s game rested from the Bye. Unless the Chants do something weird – like field 11 Love Boat guest stars or trick the Red Wolves into subscribing to three years of Disney+ – Arkansas State should out-muscle Coastal Carolina.

VERDICT: Red Wolves flex

ULM Warhawks (4-5) @ Georgia Southern (5-4), Thursday, November 16, 2:00 PM on ESPN+

Eagles are chosen by a higher power to win by 7

This isn’t the O’Doul’s “Maintain Your Edge” Game of the Week, but damn it’s sobering and refreshing. Warhawks like to pile on points and yards, courtesy of Caleb Evan’s arm and leg. The Eagles aren’t much for points this season, but they do boast the nation’s 11th best rushing offense (behind Louisiana and Georgia State) and have overcome a sluggish start to remain in contention in the East. However, Georgia Southern is coming off a crummy loss to Troy, who boasts a similar high power offense. The Warhawks won’t stop the Eagles on the ground very often – but a couple stops might be all ULM needs.

VERDICT: Warhawks slip in a win

Troy Trojans (3-5) @ Texas State Bobcats (3-6), Saturday, November 16, 2:00 PM on ESPN3

Eagles by a field goal

Man, Troy has sucked all year. Yet they delivered a flying elbow to the Eagles last week, so maybe the Trojan defense has finally caught up to Kaleb Barker and the offense. Even if it hasn’t, don’t expect too much fight from the Bobcats, who is offensively challenged and will likely throw more picks that TD passes on Saturday.

VERDICT: Troy slobberknocks the Bobcats

Louisiana Ragin Cajuns (7-2) @ South Alabama Jaguars (1-8), Saturday, November 16, 4:00 PM on ESPN+

Cajuns by 28 spicy points

This might be the worst game in the world.

VERDICT: Cajuns up by 28 after 1Q

O’Doul’s “Maintain Your Edge” Sun Belt Game of the Week

#25 Appalachian State Mountaineers (9-1) @ Georgia State Panthers (6-3), Saturday, November 16, 6:30 PM on ESPNU

The Mountaineers have the 16.5-point Edge

After becoming the highest ranked Sun Belt team ever by the AP, the Mountaineers followed it up by breaking into the “poll that matters,” the College Football Playoff Committee Poll. Two Power Five victories on the road and a stranglehold on a division will get you that. Meanwhile, the Panthers pretty much sapped the chill out of the O’Doul’s here by 1) losing to ULM and 2) losing dual-threat QB Dan Ellington for “an undisclosed amount of time.” Georgia State’s defense is ranked 116th in the nation. With Ellington, the Panthers might have traded scores and maybe received a bit of home magic. Without Ellington, the prognosis is pain.

VERDICT: Mountaineers yodel merrily out of Georgia

A former notary public, Jeremy Harper is a professional writer and Chief Instigator for Storm the Castle Creative. He spends much of his free time staring blankly into space. 

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Another Pair of Notre Dame Stars Headed to Senior Bowl

Pride has 33 tackles on the year along with one interception, as he recorded his first last-Saturday at Duke.

It seems like just about every hour at this point another Notre Dame player accepts an invitation to play in the Reese’s Senior Bowl

We’ve given you the stories on both Chase Claypool and Jalen Elliott but that’s not enough as a couple of other Notre Dame seniors accepted their invitations to the annual Mobile, Alabama event today.

Enter Troy Pride, Jr. and Khalid Kareem.

Pride has 33 tackles on the year along with one interception, as he recorded his first last-Saturday at Duke.

Kareem has four-and-a-half sacks on the season and 11 for his Notre Dame career.  The defensive lineman has totaled 31 tackles this season.

That brings the total to four for Notre Dame players headed to Mobile, a sign of a strong program.

Notre Dame Football: Sellout Streak Over

Where were you on Thanksgiving Day in 1973?

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Where were you on Thanksgiving Day in 1973?

If you answered with being at Notre Dame Stadium when the Irish dismantled Air Force 48-15 en-route to a national championship, then you were a part of history.

No, not just because that Ara Parseghian-led team went on to win it all, but because it was the last time Notre Dame Stadium failed to sell out for a home football contest.

Until this weekend.

It went over four-and-a-half decades and lasted 273 games but it appears that streak of consecutive sellouts is history.

“Based on ticket sales through Wednesday, we do not anticipate sellouts for our games against Navy and Boston College,” Notre Dame athletic director Jack Swarbrick said in a statement. “That this comes during a time of sustained success for our football program reflects both challenges impacting the ticket market nationwide and the unique dynamics of this year’s schedule.”

Swarbrick mentioned in an interview with Eric Hansen of the South Bend Tribune that the Irish playing three true home games this November and the weather that comes with that are the most-likely factors to seeing the streak end.

In the piece you find out how several games over the years counted as sellouts as well, even when plenty of empty seats were clearly evident.

The streak ranked second, behind only Nebraska who has sold out every one of their last 373 home contests.

Over the last ten seasons the Irish have played just one home-game five times, often playing the on-again, off-again Shamrock Series during the month.

Notre Dame can move to 8-2 with a win over No. 21 Navy and potentially 9-2 if they can also get by traditional pain-in-the-rear, Boston College in two weeks.

If you haven’t been to a game in quite some time, here’s your chance to see a potential top-10 finishing Notre Dame team up close.

Can Texas still make the Big 12 championship?

Even with losing twice, Texas is still alive for the Big 12 championship game. They’ll need to win out and get some help from other teams.

Despite losing the Red River Shootout to Oklahoma and losing on the road to TCU, Texas is still alive for the Big 12 championship. It has come down to three teams: Baylor, Oklahoma, and Texas. Here is a look at those three teams, how they have done this season, and what games they have remaining.

Baylor Bears 9-0 (6-0) Remaining games: Oklahoma, Texas, @Kansas

Baylor started the season out 3-0 in the nonconference, sneaking past Rice in their third game of the season, 21-13. In Big 12 play, the Bears have gone to double overtime with Texas Tech and triple overtime with TCU. Their impressive win of the season was a 31-12 road victory against Kansas State. All but two of their conference games have come down to one possession and have yet to make a statement. They can make that statement with a win against Oklahoma that would no doubt put them in the Big 12 championship game.

Oklahoma Sooners 8-1 (5-1) Remaining games: @Baylor, TCU, @Oklahoma State

After wrecking their way through Houston, South Dakota, and UCLA, Oklahoma came out firing in the Big 12, winning their first four games by an average of 28 points. That included a huge 34-27 win against Texas that seemed to put them in the driver’s seat in the conference. Then, a 48-41 loss on the road to Kansas State opened the doors up for teams like Texas to sneak back in. If the Sooners win out, not only are they still in contention for the Big 12 but the College Football playoff.

Texas Longhorns 6-3 (4-2) Remaining games: @Iowa State, @Baylor, Texas Tech

Starting the season out with now No. 1 LSU, Texas began the year 4-1 before coming across Oklahoma. The Sooners were able to take care of business in Dallas and the Longhorns have been struggling ever since. Losing to TCU and needing a game-winning field goal to get past Kansas and Kansas State is not what was envisioned for Texas this season. Despite all the struggles, the Longhorns are still in the race for the Big 12 championship game, they just need a little help.

That help will be determined based off of Saturday’s Baylor-Oklahoma matchup. One path is easier than the other for the Longhorns, but it may come at a cost. Here are the scenarios for Texas making the Big 12 championship:

Texas must win out

This is first and foremost the most important thing the Longhorns must do. If Texas loses any of its last three games against Iowa State, Baylor, or Texas Tech, they are more than likely done. It would still mathematically be possible, but odds are it will not happen. Texas’ schedule is the most difficult out of the three and faces an uphill battle.  Let’s assume the Longhorns are able to win against Iowa State so the other scenarios can play out.

If Oklahoma beats Baylor…

Then the Longhorns control their own destiny for the rest of the season. The Sooners would be in the driver’s seat to wear the home colored jerseys in the Big 12 championship game, but who they play would come down to Texas’ matchup against Baylor in Waco next week. It would become the most important matchup this season in the Big 12 for a couple reasons. If Texas were to win, a shot at a rematch against Oklahoma could save their season and propel them into another New Year’s Six Bowl. If Baylor were to win, they could avenge their loss against the Sooners and jump into the College Football Playoff. For any of that to happen though, Oklahoma must win in Waco Saturday night.

If Baylor beats Oklahoma…

Then the road becomes a lot more difficult. Baylor would become a lock to participate in the Big 12 championship, even if the Longhorns found a way to beat them next week. It would become a competition between Texas and Oklahoma. Each with two conference losses, if both teams are able to win out, the Sooners would get a rematch with Baylor at AT&T Stadium. Since Oklahoma beat the Longhorns back in October, they have the tiebreaker to get into the Big 12 championship. In order for Texas to get into the championship game, they would need to beat Baylor and Texas Tech, plus have Oklahoma lose one of their final two games against TCU and Oklahoma State.

Can they do it?

Yes, they can do it. As painful and weird as it may sound, Texas will most likely be cheering for Oklahoma to be beating Baylor Saturday night. Controlling your own destiny is easier than relying on TCU or Oklahoma State to beat Oklahoma. This would then set up a rematch of this year’s Red River Shootout. It would be the second year in a row these two teams met in the Big 12 championship game and would have College Football Playoff/Sugar Bowl implications on the line.

Texas will play Iowa State on Saturday at 2:30 P.M. CST on FS1, while Baylor and Oklahoma will play at 6:30 P.M on ABC.

How to Watch UEFA Euro 2020 Qualifiers, Portugal vs. Lithuania, France vs. Moldova Live Stream, Schedule, US TV Channel, Start Time

Watch the UEFA Euro 2020 Qualifiers Live Online.

France, Germany, Portugal, Croatia, England and the Netherlands can each secure automatic qualification to Euro 2020 when the qualifying phase resumes on Matchday 9. Cristiano Ronaldo and the defending champions are still in danger of missing out on second in Group B, but a win over Lithuania on Thursday could be enough if Serbia fails to beat Luxembourg.

UEFA Euro 2020 Qualifiers

  • Date: Thurs. Nov. 14 – Sat. Nov. 16
  • TV Channel: TUDN
  • Live Stream: fuboTV (watch for free)

Current world champions and Euro 2016 runner-up France remains second in Group H. While level on points with Turkey, who leads via head-to-head, France will qualify as long as it beats Moldova at home. Didier Deschamps’ side can still be knocked out of the top-two running by third-place Iceland, who travel to Turkey on Thursday in need of a win if its to snatch an automatic spot.

Germany and the Netherlands are engaged in another close fight for the summit in Group C. De Oranje holds the head-to-head advantage over Germany with the pair level on points, while Northern Ireland holds a glimmer of hope to finish top two, currently three points behind in third.

Ronald Koeman takes the Netherlands to Windsor Park in Belfast on Saturday, while Germany hosts Belarus, each needing just one more point to cement their places in first and second, respectively.

England has suffered one loss in qualifying and need one point at home to Montenegro to guarantee a top-two finish, while a win would ensure they take the top spot. However, third-place Kosovo hopes a result away to the Czech Republic can cause one last shift in Group A.

Croatia plays its final match of the qualifying campaign at home to Slovakia on Saturday. One point would be enough to ensure the team finishes first in Group E. Gareth Bale’s Wales team is currently fourth in the pool and four points below second-place Hungary, who it has to beat at home if it’s to prolong an automatic qualification chance.

Spain has already wrapped up its Euro 2020 fate and looks set to finish first in Group F, but it’ll host bottom-dweller Malta on Friday in what promises to be a fairly one-sided fixture.

Matchday 9 TV Schedule

Thursday, November 14:

Turkey vs. Iceland, 12:00 p.m. ET (TUDN)

Portugal vs. Lithuania, 2:30 p.m ET (TUDN)

France vs. Moldova, 2:30 p.m. ET (TUDNextra)

England vs. Montenegro, 2:30 p.m. ET (TUDNextra2)

Czech Republic vs. Kosovo, 2:30 p.m. ET (TUDNextra3)

Albania vs. Andorra, 2:30 p.m. ET (TUDNextra4)

Serbia vs. Luxembourg, 2:30 p.m. ET (TUDNextra5)

Friday, November 15:

Finland vs. Liechtenstein, 12:00 p.m. ET (TUDNextra3)

Armenia vs. Greece, 12:00 p.m. ET (TUDNextra2)

Norway vs. Faroe Islands, 12:00 p.m. ET (TUDNextra)

Switzerland vs. Georgia, 2:30 p.m. ET (TUDNextra5)

Denmark vs. Gibraltar, 2:30 p.m. ET (TUDNextra7)

Spain vs. Malta, 2:30 p.m. ET (TUDN)

Romania vs. Sweden, 2:30 p.m. ET (TUDNextra6)

Bosnia and Herzegovina vs. Italy, 2:30 p.m. ET (TUDNextra4)

Saturday, November 16:

Cyprus vs. Scotland, 9:00 a.m. ET (TUDN)

Azerbaijan vs. Wales, 12:00 p.m. ET (TUDNextra)

Slovenia vs. Latvia, 12:00 p.m. ET (TUDNextra2)

San Marino vs. Kazakhstan, 12:00 p.m. ET (TUDNextra3)

Russia vs. Belgium, 12:00 p.m. ET (TUDN)

Northern Ireland vs. Netherlands, 2:30 p.m. ET (TUDNextra4)

Germany vs. Belarus, 2:30 p.m. ET (TUDN)

Croatia vs. Slovakia, 2:30 p.m. ET (TUDNextra5)

Israel vs. Poland, 2:30 p.m. ET (TUDNextra7)

Austria vs. North Macedonia, 2:30 p.m. ET (TUDNextra6)

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UT News: November 14, 2019

UT News: November 14, 2019

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The start of college basketball’s fall signing period began yesterday with a big splash for both the Tennessee Volunteers’ men’s and women’s team. The men signed an elite trio while the the ladies picked up a dynamic duo. On top of that, the women’s volleyball team rallied to defeat the Razorbacks on the road to keep the winning week for Vols athletics going.

Men’s basketball signs three top recruits

The big news on Wednesday was the signing of National Letters of Intent from a trio of promising prospects.

The ball got rolling when four-star recruit Corey Walker signed his letter, and he was followed up by five-star prospects Keon Johnson and Jaden Springer who also gave their official signatures. Head coach Rick Barnes had this to say about his newest crop of players.

“The combined talent and potential of Keon, Corey and Jaden is really exciting. All three of them fit the culture of this program and come from incredible families who have provided wonderful support and guidance to get them to this point. It’s our responsibility now to help each of them take the next steps in their individual development—not only athletically but also as men.”

The three freshly-anointed Volunteers are expected to enroll at the university in the summer of 2020. Next season promises to be an exciting one on Rocky Top.

NEXT: Lady Vols basketball sign two

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