Sports blog information from USA TODAY.
Here’s who to look for against Wake Forest.
Notre Dame has two games left to improve the quality of the bowl it will play in. That might not mean much given that the New Year’s Six bowls are out of play, but it still is something to shoot for. The first of these contests comes against Wake Forest.
Here are the players statistically leading the Irish going into their home finale, one of which knows the Demon Deacons very well:
We know. You’re not happy.
Despite Clemson not being far removed from its championship days, all arrows appeared to be pointing towards Notre Dame in this one. Even though I reluctantly picked the Irish to win this one, I couldn’t help but wonder if I was better off choosing Clemson as I did before the season. That doubt turned out to be correct as the Irish lost, 31-23.
For the second consecutive season, the Irish will be relegated to playing in a lesser bowl. Even with the College Football Playoff out of reach, a New Year’s Six bowl berth would have been a nice consolation prize. Instead, they’ll be in a game that far fewer people care about, and that’s not good for the program that purports to be elite.
Irish fans undoubtedly were feeling all of this and more as they took to social media after the game to voice their frustrations. Here are a few examples:
This has been pretty bad.
Well, this is as bad a half as Notre Dame has had in quite some time. I originally had Clemson winning this game, but I gave into the narrative of the Tigers’ struggles and reluctantly picked the Irish. Now, I’m regretting that decision eve more.
Late in the first half, the Tigers held a shocking 24-9 lead over the Irish. Really getting the home crowd going was [autotag]Sam Hartman[/autotag] throwing an interception that Jeremiah Trotter Jr. returned 26 yards for a touchdown. Meanwhile, the Irish have yet to find the end zone themselves.
While the majority of the game remains to be played, Irish fans are very pessimistic and rightfully so. If this hole grows any deeper, they can kiss a New Year’s Six bowl goodbye. The only thing to do in this spot is vent on social media, and that’s what Irish fans have done.
Here’s how Irish fans specifically reacted to Hartman’s interception:
Imagine the hype for this one.
How crazy would it be for Notre Dame to face Brian Kelly and LSU only two years after Kelly bolted for Baton Rouge? Well, at least one projection has it happening. Bryan Driskell of Irish Breakdown has flipped through the annual college football preview published by Lindy’s Sports and learned that the magazine is projecting an Irish-Tigers matchup in the Peach Bowl. This would mark the Irish’s first appearance in this particular New Year’s Six bowl.
While this obviously would mean the Irish have come up short in making the College Football Playoff, it would generate just as much hype as if they had. With the Tigers not currently showing up on any future regular-season schedules, a bowl game is the only possibility for these programs to meet for the foreseeable future. To have it happen when emotions still are a bit raw over Kelly’s decision simply needs to happen. You know you want it, so let’s wish it into existence unless a national championship becomes possible.
Contact/Follow us @IrishWireND on Twitter, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Notre Dame news, notes, and opinions.
Follow Geoffrey on Twitter: @gfclark89
Is this a fair ranking?
Because there aren’t enough methods to rank college football’s best, ESPN has its Football Power Index. This is the outlet’s ratings and projections system which helps determine how the season likely is to go and who might qualify for the College Football Playoff. Notre Dame has clocked in at ninth with a rating of 18.4 as well as the ninth-best chance to win the national championship at 2%.
[lawrence-related id=71595]
Irish fans like to think of their team as their absolute best, but until the Irish prove they can best the absolute best in college football, they will remain a tier below that group. Sure, a New Year’s Six bowl is a nice consolation prize for falling outside the final playoff rankings (at least through this year), but it’s not necessarily what anyone strives for these days. The pressure is on [autotag]Marcus Freeman[/autotag] to get the Irish to the next level, and we soon will see his progress in his second season.
[mm-video type=playlist id=01eqbz1mmy7gev0xbr player_id=01eqbvp13nn1gy6hd4 image=]
Contact/Follow us @IrishWireND on Twitter, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Notre Dame news, notes, and opinions.
Follow Geoffrey on Twitter: @gfclark89
People love to watch the Irish in big games.
Having Notre Dame in any bowl is bound to draw a lot of interest for that bowl. This year, the lucky recipient was the Gator Bowl. The Irish didn’t need to win to affect the interest in the game, but they beat South Carolina anyway. Call it a bonus for anyone who had anything significant invested in the game.
We now know how big the Gator Bowl viewership on ESPN was: 5.766 million. That makes it the most-watched bowl this year outside of any New Year’s Six bowl. Making it more impressive is that it beat out bowls that could have drawn more interest like Florida State and Oklahoma in the Cheez-It Bowl and Washington and Texas in the Alamo Bowl. Instead, the Irish and Gamecocks have enough interest that they won the race for viewers.
Maybe Notre Dame and South Carolina will meet in a New Year’s Six bowl in the future. Until then, we have an idea of what the ratings would be.
[listicle id=67109]
[mm-video type=playlist id=01eqbz1mmy7gev0xbr player_id=01eqbvp13nn1gy6hd4 image=]
Contact/Follow us @IrishWireND on Twitter, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Notre Dame news, notes, and opinions.
Follow Geoffrey on Twitter: @gfclark89
5 Kansas State Wildcats that Alabama fans should know about.
It was announced on Sunday that the Alabama Crimson Tide would be facing the Big 12 champs, the Kansas State Wildcats in the 89th annual Allstate Sugar Bowl on Dec. 31.
While the disappointment may still be fresh on the mind of Alabama football fans about missing out on the College Football Playoffs, making it to a New Year’s six bowl game is nothing to hang your head about.
[autotag]Nick Saban[/autotag] and the Crimson Tide now have just one more opportunity to show what this version of Alabama can do on the gridiron.
Since the Wildcats are not a traditional powerhouse and it’s likely that not many Alabama fans are familiar with their roster, I thought it was a good time for Tide fans to get to know some of Kansas State’s best players.
Let’s roll!
Seven Big 12 teams are bowling in USA TODAY Sports’ latest Bowl Projections. Where are the Oklahoma Sooners headed?
At this point through the Big 12 schedule, the TCU Horned Frogs are the last team in the conference with a shot at playing for a national championship. Though they don’t have a ranked team on the remainder of their schedule, the Big 12 championship, assuming they get there unscathed, will be the last shot for the Horned Frogs to stake their claim to a College Football Playoff spot.
The reality is the Horned Frogs may need a lot of help to get to the playoff. As USA TODAY Sports’ Eddie Timanus described in his week nine overreactions, the Horned Frogs’ schedule doesn’t do them any favors.
As for the Horned Frogs, they handled their business at West Virginia, but their non-conference achievements are unexceptional and the remainder of their Big 12 slate affords them no opportunities for top-tier wins except possibly on championship weekend. Would the résumé of an unbeaten ACC or Big 12 champion automatically be viewed as superior to, say, a one-loss SEC or Big Ten runner-up, or a 12-1 Oregon team with only that season-opening loss to Georgia marring a clean Pac-12 record? – Timanus, USA TODAY Sports
Being undefeated may not be enough for TCU. They’ll need to be impressive down the stretch and in the Big 12 title game, which would be their last shot at a ranked win before the playoff committee decides which teams will vie for the national championship.
Elsewhere, USA TODAY Sports Erick Smith projected seven Big 12 teams to land in bowl games this season. Let’s take a look at who’s going bowling.
A look at the newest projections and bowl matchups ahead of Week 9.
Another week of games is in the books which means we are one week closer to the College Football Playoffs.
For the Pac-12, the Oregon Ducks might be the conference’s best chance to land a team in the final four. Even then they will likely need some help with teams ahead of them in the perceived rankings.
With Week 9 set to feature plenty of games with College Football Playoff ramifications, we have the newest CFP rankings and bowl projections. These projections are based on how I feel the committee will view the playoff and not my own personal rankings.
Without further ado, let’s dive in.
Hot takes after week one
The first official week of college football is finally over and everyone is having their hot takes from just one data point. ESPN’s Kyle Bonagura and Mark Schlabach have made their bowl projections, which will undoubtably change between now and when the matchups are announced. Find out where Notre Dame landed along with the New Year’s Six and College Football Playoff pairings and who advances to the CFP Finals.
Contact/Follow us @IrishWireND on Twitter, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Notre Dame news, notes, and opinions.
Follow Mike on Twitter: @MikeFChen
