Noles – Syndication Server

Staff picks for No. 5 Notre Dame vs. Florida State

How does it play out when Notre Dame welcomes Florida State on Saturday? The FIW staff takes their best bets as to what happens here!

No. 5 Notre Dame welcomes Florida State to South Bend on Saturday night in what for the Fighting Irish faithful feels like the first game in an eternity.

The Irish haven’t played since a 52-0 win over South Florida on September 19 while 1-2 Florida State enters after a comeback win over Jacksonville State last week where the Seminoles fell to a 14-0 deficit before rallying to pick up that first victory.

Will there be rust for the Irish and will things be interesting late Saturday night?

Or does Notre Dame roll to 3-0 with a dominating performance?

Here is what our staff sees happening in the game, starting with Geoffrey Clark:

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Notre Dame football notes: Longest regular season break since…

This Saturday, Notre Dame will conclude their longest break between regular season games in a long time. Find out details here.

Notre Dame’s game against South Florida feels like forever ago.

By the time the Irish and Florida State do battle on Saturday night at Notre Dame Stadium it’ll have been a full three weeks since Notre Dame suited up for a regular season game.

Does that feel like a long time?

Of course, as well it should.

In case you were wondering, that’s the longest break between regular season games Notre Dame will have had since Knute Rockne’s first year as head coach.

The following from Eric Hansen of the South Bend Tribune:

The last time the Irish went as many as 21 days between regular-season games was 1918, coach Knute Rockne’s rookie season, during the Spanish Flu pandemic. Thirty-five days elapsed between the Sept. 28 opener against Case Tech, a 26-6 win, and a hastily scheduled 67-7 rout of Wabash on Nov. 2.

The original opponent, Nebraska, canceled just as the Irish were departing for Lincoln, Neb.

Hopefully that long of a break doesn’t mean it’s too rusty of a Notre Dame team we see on Saturday night. Based off how North Carolina looked against Boston College last week though I’m not expecting anything close to a flawless showing for the Irish.

However, it’s no excuse not to still cruise to a victory and 3-0.

Stay tuned to Fighting Irish Wire as we’ll release our staff predictions on Friday morning.

Bobby Bowden readmitted to hospital after COVID-19 diagnosis

Bobby Bowden was re-admitted to the hospital on Tuesday as he deals with fatigue after his positive COVID-19 test earlier in the week.

Earlier this week we found out that legendary college football coach Bobby Bowden had tested positive for COVID-19 after he was hospitalized because of a leg infection.

Bowden said earlier this week to the Tallahassee Democrat, “I don’t feel bad, yet. I guess I’ll loaf around the rest of the week. I just have to keep an eye out (for symptoms).”

It turns out that those symptoms must have started to show as Bowden’s wife Ann told the Democrat that he was readmitted to the hospital as a precautionary measure due to fatigue.

Ann Bowden went on to say:

“I feel sure he’s going to be OK,” Ann said.

“I am very positive. I am not an alarmist. He hasn’t been getting around much at all due to his leg; it has been pretty painful. He sleeps much of the day.”

Mrs. Bowden also went on to say that everyone that has been to the Bowden’s house recently has been tested and Bobby is the only person to have tested positive.

All the best to Bowden in his recovery.

Happy Friday, College Football Morning Announcements Style

2002 Miami vs. Florida State brought back all of the memories for me last night.

Congrats, you’ve made it to Friday.

I’m not sure if you’re working from home, still having to go to your place of employment or if you haven’t stopped going into work but you’re almost to the weekend and sometimes you just have to give yourself a small pat on the back for making it there.

Last night I was working on a couple things and scrolling channels, only to come across a college football game from when I was 16. It took me a bit down memory lane with the NFL talent that was everywhere and it made me really want to go back to my parents basement and play NCAA Football ’03 with my high school friends.

That game is the basis of most of this Friday’s podcast. Enjoy some discussion on the great Florida State vs. Miami rivalry, Sean Taylor and Greg Reid love and please tell me how a certain Hurricane was so loved nationally.

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We’ll be in touch on here with a few things throughout this Friday but enjoy your weekends.

Florida State Reportedly Interested in Brian Kelly

Fast-forward 17 days and we have found claims that Florida State is indeed interested in Notre Dame’s Kelly as their next head coach.

When Florida State fired head coach Willie Taggart back on November 3 we were quick to tell you to be on the lookout for rumors about whoever your favorite head coach is to be taking the job in Tallahassee, Brian Kelly included.

Fast-forward 17 days and we have found claims that Florida State is indeed interested in Notre Dame’s Kelly as their next head coach.

Bud Elliott and Ingram Smith of NoleCast cite independent sources that Florida State has interest in Brian Kelly and give reasons behind why it would at least a hair of sense.

“Two people have told us FSU has interest in Brian Kelly”

“There’s a little bit of question about the fit, but the proven track record of hiring assistant coaches and having them get promoted to other jobs and hiring new ones who are as good or better is really impressive.”

“He’s a really good recruiter with his staff. I think he knows what goes on in the south east, because we know he’s recruited some of these guys, and not always gotten them, but we know that’s due to some of the academic stuff”

-NoleCast Podcast on November 19, 2019

Elliott and Smith also discuss how Notre Dame’s academic standards and the difficulty winning big with them creates would make the Florida State job appealing to Kelly.

I get where they’re coming from and if you’re Florida State you should be looking anywhere and everywhere for a proven coach who is going to turn their recent sorry state of affairs around. As much as I’m not a Florida State fan, they’re a team that the game of college football, or at least the ACC, is just better when they’re good.

My only question though: Why would Kelly have any interest in going to a Florida State program where a massive rebuild is needed just to get in the same ballpark as Clemson, let alone pass them?

How likely is it to happen?

On a scale of “Beating Bowling Green to Lennay Kekua” I’d be somewhere near George O’Leary but short of Kekua.