Tag: irish

Reddit map: USC, Boston College fans consider Notre Dame biggest rival

How do you feel about this?

College football fans are an interesting breed. While some adhere to traditional rivalries involving their teams, there are other teams they just hate more when their team plays them. If only there was a way to track how fans feel about certain rivalries. It turns out there is.

A website called Know Rivalry tracks how fans feel about playing certain teams and what they feel their biggest rivalries are. A college football fan on Reddit decided to place all Football Bowl Subdivision teams on a blank screen geographically and then draw arrows from the teams pointing to what fans believe to be their biggest rival.

Notre Dame fans and USC fans both consider the other team their team’s biggest rival, which isn’t a surprise. But perhaps of the heavy Irish and Catholic connection to their location or university, Boston College fans also consider the Irish to be their top rival:

While the Irish and Trojans play each other every year, the Eagles pop up on the Irish’s schedule only five times between now and 2037. Also, the Irish have won nine straight in the series with the Eagles last emerging victorious in 2008. The teams last met in 2022.

If that’s how Eagles fans feel, fine. Let’s just hope they don’t get as upset if they lose to Syracuse.

Contact/Follow us @IrishWireND on X (formerly Twitter) and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Notre Dame news, notes and opinions.

Follow Geoffrey on X: @gfclark89

Notre Dame Quarterback Riley Leonard Health Update

Good news regarding Notre Dame’s starting quarterback

Much of former Duke quarterback [autotag]Riley Leonard[/autotag]’s time at Notre Dame has been marked with injury since his arrival this winter.

That’s left obvious concern with Notre Dame fans about where things stand for Leonard as the 2024 season approaches.  Despite the cleanups and such that kept Leonard off the field for much of spring (including the annual Blue Gold Game) there is a first-hand report that health appears close to 100%.

Jim Nagy is the Executive Director of the Reese’s Senior Bowl which showcases national talent in preparation for each year’s NFL draft.  He recently saw Leonard throw in-person and shared the following.

It may not guarantee anything but it certainly should give a little peace of mind to Notre Dame fans who are concerned about Leonard’s health at this point in time.

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Happy birthday to Notre Dame football great Tom Zbikowski

An all-time Notre Dame favorite!

Few players in the last 30 years have been as beloved of members of the Notre Dame football team as [autotag]Tom Zbikowski[/autotag].  The product from Buffalo Grove High School in Illinois was responsible for as many memorable highlights as any Irish player from 2004-2007.

He might not have been the fastest but when the ball was in his hands as a defensive back or as a returner, good luck getting him down.

But not only did he make big plays, he did them in the biggest of games.  When you look at a list of who he scored his seven career touchdowns against (all on punt or turnover returns) and you see the likes of Michigan State, USC, Penn State, and Tennessee.

He did against the biggest of opponents with none of them being bigger than his electric punt return in the 2005 thriller against USC.

Zbikowski went on to play in the NFL from 2008-2013 while also keeping a foot in his boxing career and at one point being a Chicago fire fighter.

Happy birthday to Zibby who turns 39 today!

Enjoy some of the best photos from his career below!

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National Analyst Weighs Notre Dame Title Chances in 2024

Playoff or bust, sure…but what about Notre Dame’s actual championship chances?

What are fair expectations for Notre Dame in 2024?

Personally I look at pretty much any year going forward being a disappointment if the Irish aren’t hosting a first round playoff game in the middle of December.

Anything short of a College Football Playoff appearance, essentially being one of the nation’s top 12 teams, would certainly be seen as a failure.

But what about more than that?

What about winning a national championship for the first time since 1988?

To do so will require beating multiple powerhouses in the postseason, something Notre Dame hasn’t done a single time since the 1994 Cotton Bowl when they beat Texas A&M.

Josh Pate of CBS Sports and host of The Late Kick Podcast recently discussed Notre Dame in the 2024 season to come.  Check out how Pate handicaps Notre Dame’s chances both at the playoff and at actually ending their title drought below:

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Watch Notre Dame Baseball Walk-Off No. 8 Wake Forest

A Walk-Off Winner over No. 8!

2024 hasn’t been an overly memorable year for Notre Dame baseball as the team struggled to just 21-20 record entering Sunday’s finale of a three-game series vs. No. 8 Wake Forest.

The Irish made quite the moment on Sunday though as they were tied with the Demon Deacons in the bottom of the ninth inning in the rubber game of the three-game series.

TJ Williams stepped to the plate to start the bottom of the ninth and if you blinked or had run to the bathroom quickly between half innings, you would have missed the conclusion.

The first pitch Williams saw was sent out over the left field wall to send the Irish to victory and capture the series win.  Check it out:

Notre Dame now sits at 22-20 overall and improves to 7-17 in the ACC.  The Fighting Irish will be in action again on Tuesday when they travel to take on Michigan State.

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.

Notre Dame Football: Are Irish a top 10 team entering 2024?

Notre Dame a top 10 team entering 2024?

College football’s 2023 season came to an official end just last night but already we’re looking ahead to what’s in store for 2024.

Here at Fighting Irish Wire we have rather high expectations for Notre Dame.  No, we don’t think the title drought will end (hope to be wrong) but we’re on record of the bare minimum being making the College Football Playoff next year as it expands to 12 teams.

Various outlets are coming out with their “way too early” top 25’s for 2024 today and we’re keeping a watchful eye on many of those.  One that stuck out so far though was what Bill Bender of The Sporting News had to say about Notre Dame, who the outlet ranked No. 8:

“The Irish will maintain independent status in the 12-team CFP era, and this first season is an interesting test run. Duke transfer quarterback Riley Leonard is the new answer for Marcus Freeman, and sophomore running back Jeremiyah Love and receiver Jaden Greathouse are set for larger roles. Clemson receiver Beaux Collins should thrive, too. The offensive line remains solid, and SN All-Americans Xavier Watts and Howard Cross III are back for the defense. Notre Dame opens with Texas A&M and could easily be 9-0 when Florida State comes to Notre Dame Stadium on Nov. 9. Will they have the strength of schedule of their SEC and Big Ten counterparts in the hunt?”

Strength of schedule or not it’s hard to imagine a Notre Dame team that can go 11-1 not being in the top 12 by regular season’s end.  Run the table and you’re looking at a fifth seed that gets a true home game coupled with playing the lowest ranked of the four conference champions in the quarterfinals.

See how things can be shaping up in a big way for Notre Dame in 2024?

We’ve got a long way to go but just some juice to send you into the non-game-months with.

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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 Baseball: Irish open season with win over Rice

Great pitching leads the way for Notre Dame’s season opening win

Despite mustering just three hits on Friday night, Notre Dame baseball opened the 2024 season Friday night with a 3-1 victory at Rice.

Rice designated hitter Nathan Becker singled in the first run of the game, scoring Jack Riedel.  That would be the only run Notre Dame starting pitcher Caden Spivey would allow in his three innings of work.

Radek Birkholz came out of the bullpen for the Irish and threw three shutout innings, allowing just one hit along the way, while striking out three.

Left fielder David Glancy got Notre Dame on the board in the second as he drew a bases loaded walk.

First baseman Josh Hahn put the Irish ahead in the fifth as he got hit by a Parker Smith pitch, making the score 2-1.  Simon Baumgardt then hit into a double play which did however end up in another Notre Dame run.

Bennett Flynn (2 IP) and Nate Hardman combined to allow just two base runners over the final three innings to secure the season opening victory, 3-1.

Notre Dame and Rice battle in game two of the series opening series in Houston on Saturday at 3 p.m. ET.

Notre Dame Football: Key Irish Assistant Inks Four Year Extension

A huge part of Notre Dame’s coaching staff is staying put!

A very key part of Notre Dame’s coaching staff is staying put as defensive coordinator Al Golden has inked a four year extension with the Fighting Irish.

The move was first reported by John Brice of Football Scoop.

Under Golden’s watch the last two years Notre Dame has produced one of the best defenses nationally.  The Irish defense is coming off a year where they allowed the seventh-fewest points in all of FBS football.

Although the move doesn’t guarantee Golden stays at Notre Dame for all four years, it certainly makes it harder for someone to come in and successfully poach him away.

My key takeaway from this extension coincides with the signing of Mike Denbrock earlier this off-season:

If you’re going to play big-time college football then you have to spend like a big-time college football program.  Notre Dame did that when getting Denbrock and certainly did that when extending Golden.

As much fun as it is to root for a mom and pop shop to succeed, winning big with that mentality in major college football simply doesn’t happen these days.