NCAA Football FanHouse

Charlie Weis 'Privately Projects' 9-12 Wins

Ryan Ferguson — Mon, 07 Jul 2008 08:14:00 EST

Filed under: Notre Dame Football, NCAA FB Gossip, NCAA FB Coaching

Being a neuron inside Charlie Weis' cranium has to be good for a wild ride. After a 3-9 season (and let's be honest here, Weis was lucky to get to three) Weis is irrationally exuberant about 2009. He's "privately" expecting a 9 to 12 victory season for the Fighting Irish of Notre Dame.

This isn't exactly rock solid stuff. Detroit Free Press picked up the story from Blue and Gold Illustrated, an Irish beat site. But it's still entertaining.

"From what I'm hearing around the way, Weis is privately projecting anywhere from nine to 12 victories this year. And yes, a 12-1 mark would equal the biggest turnaround (+8.5 games by Hawaii from 1998-99) in major college football history. But given the schedule, it's not unrealistic.

"The only regular-season game in which Notre Dame figures to be a serious underdog is the finale at USC, so Weis could conceivably have an 11-0 team heading out there if everything comes together. At that point, anything's possible. (Kevin Garnett even said so.)"

9 wins would be astounding. 12 would be fall-off-the-couch, spaz-out, never-happen-in-a-million-years amazing. Still, though, doesn't this kinda sorta fit with Weis' M.O.? He took a potshot at Michigan in April, and said recently that he could get "hoodlums and thugs and win tomorrow, but I won't do it that way." And don't forget Weis' "schematic advantage" that he brings to every Irish game! Ubersized dreams of grandeur for '08? Why not?

Charlie Weis 'Privately Projects' 9-12 Wins originally appeared on NCAA Football FanHouse on Mon, 07 Jul 2008 08:14:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Weird Moments in Big Ten Football History #2: Faint, Faint For Old Notre Dame, 1953

Mark Hasty — Wed, 25 Jun 2008 11:03:00 EST

Filed under: Iowa Football, Notre Dame Football, Big 10, NCAA FB History

FanHouse is counting down the ten best, ten worst, and ten weirdest moments in Big Ten football history.

ABOVE: Touchdown Jesus wept. Or would have, if only Hesburgh Library had been built in 1953.

You're the coach of the #1 ranked football team in the nation. It's 1953, and your school doesn't accept bowl bids. You're trailing at home, 7-0 to an unranked team. It's just before halftime. You have the ball deep in their territory. The clock is running. You're out of time outs. What do you do? Do you (a) run a quick pitch towards the sidelines, (b) spike the ball, (c) take a knee and regroup at halftime, or (d) order your players to flop around like carp thrown on the riverbank, hoping the referee will call an injury time out so you can run one more play?

Now let's say it's late in that same game (very late) and you're now down 14-7. Again, no time outs. Would you dare try (d) again, assuming you got away with it the first time? Would you even suggest that more than one player fake an injury, just to be sure the refs have no choice but to stop the clock? You would? Well, you know what that makes you?

That makes you Frank Leahy, legendary Notre Dame coach and member of the College Football Hall of Fame. He pulled the fake-injury gambit not once but twice against the Iowa Hawkeyes in the 1953 season.

Faking injuries wasn't unknown in college football then and probably still happens now. It's possible to fake an injury convincingly, if one exercises a little restraint. The Irish, however, faked their injuries with all the subtlety of Amy Winehouse applying eye makeup. In the words of Iowa broadcaster Bob Brooks, "Players went down like they were shot." Everybody knew what was happening, and why. The refs, however, were powerless. Faking injuries wasn't against the rules in 1953. (It was in 1954, largely as a result of this game.)

The Irish managed to salvage a 14-14 tie, preserving hopes that they would retain their #1 ranking. They failed. Outraged voters put them down to #2, while boosting the previously unranked Hawkeyes to #9. The Irish took it in the shorts in the national press, quickly being dubbed the "Fainting Irish."

Iowa coach Forest Evashevski, not exactly the shy, retiring type, was livid during and after the game, insisting that no matter what the scoreboard said, he was convinced his team won the game. He even modified the last lines of Grantland Rice's well-known poem "Alumnus Football" to fit the situation: When the one Great Scorer comes to write against our name/He writes not that we won or lost/But how we got gypped at Notre Dame. (Evashevski later apologized for these remarks.)

It's an amusing little footnote now, this "Fainting Irish" game, but the universal scorn that fell up Leahy and his team for their unsportsmanlike tactics may well have hastened his exit from South Bend. Leahy resigned abruptly in January 1954, first citing health reasons, then claiming he felt like he wasn't wanted any more at Notre Dame.

It's difficult to imagine why he may have felt that way.

Weird Moments in Big Ten Football History #2: Faint, Faint For Old Notre Dame, 1953 originally appeared on NCAA Football FanHouse on Wed, 25 Jun 2008 11:03:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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NBC Renews Notre Dame Contract For 8 More Years, Cancels 'Bionic Woman'

Brian Stouffer — Thu, 19 Jun 2008 14:57:00 EST

Filed under: Notre Dame Football, NCAA FB Fans, NCAA FB Media Watch

Despite sagging ratings, the departure of many beloved characters, and a marked downward trend in its plotlines over the last few seasons, NBC announced today that they are renewing the Notre Dame Show through 2015. I'm not going to sit here and defend the worthiness of last year's 3-9 Notre Dame team over television behemoths like "My Dad is Better than Your Dad", "Clash of the Choirs", and "Quarterlife" that didn't make it off the NBC chopping block, but hey, that's business for you.

A disturbing sidenote for Irish fans is that the contract stipulates that between 2011 and 2015, NBC will carry eight Irish home games a year. As a result, the Irish will have to play 7 games in Notre Dame stadium plus one more quote-unquote "neutral site game" a year against a body bag team willing to take a payout to play what financially works out to be a Notre Dame home game. Any hope that this cheeseball scheduling would disappear with the launching of Athletic Director Kevin White has been dashed, as it is now a contractual necessity.

At the end of the deal, Notre Dame will have been on NBC for 25 years, longer than "Seinfeld" and "Cheers" combined.

Bionic Woman'

LONDON - MAY 18: (UK TABLOID NEWSPAPERS OUT) Actresses Mischa Barton (L) and Michelle Ryan arrive at the Britain's Best 2008 awards at London Television Studios on May 18, 2008 in London, England. The award ceremony honours outstanding Britons in categories including business, art, television, music, film, sport and fashion. (Photo by Dave Hogan/Getty Images)

Getty Images

LONDON - MAY 18: (UK TABLOID NEWSPAPERS OUT) Actress Michelle Ryan arrives at the Britain's Best 2008 awards at London Television Studios on May 18, 2008 in London, England. The award ceremony honours outstanding Britons in categories including business, art, television, music, film, sport and fashion. (Photo by Dave Hogan/Getty Images)

Getty Images

LONDON - MAY 12: Actress Michelle Ryan attends the World Premiere of 'Sex And The City' held at the Odeon Leicester Square on May 12, 2008 in London, England. (Photo by Gareth Cattermole/Getty Images)

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MILAN, ITALY - MAY 11: Actress Michelle Ryan attends the press conference for "Bionic Woman" during the 2008 Telefilm Festival at Cinema Apollo May 11, 2008 in Milan, Italy. (Photo by Vittorio Zunino Celotto/Getty Images)

Getty Images

NBC Renews Notre Dame Contract For 8 More Years, Cancels 'Bionic Woman' originally appeared on NCAA Football FanHouse on Thu, 19 Jun 2008 14:57:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Notre Dame Is on a Mission From God

Brian Cook — Fri, 06 Jun 2008 08:48:00 EST

Filed under: Notre Dame Football

There's nothing like your tight ends coach guaranteeing a successful season:

"I guarantee you (Irish fans) that you won't be disappointed this season. Mark it down, we're on a mission," Bernie Parmalee, tight ends coach, told members of the Notre Dame Club of Northwest Indiana in St. Patrick's church hall.

And by god, the Notre Dame tight ends are going to be wholly responsible for it! So many questions:

Notre Dame seriously has a coach who just does tight ends?
Notre Dame seriously has a coach who guarantees Notre Dame fans, who have been disappointed every year since 1993, that they will not be disappointed this year?
...and this guy is the uber-responsible-for-all-accomplishments tight ends coach?
Notre Dame seriously has a coach who claims the team is on a mission and doesn't reflexively insert "... from God" afterwards?
Bernie Parmalee?

Answers: uh... yup... weird, uh... evidently, seriously, uh... disapointingly, and yeah, weird.

Notre Dame Is on a Mission From God originally appeared on NCAA Football FanHouse on Fri, 06 Jun 2008 08:48:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Adventures In Fandom: 3-D College Football Stadia in Google Maps

Brian Grummell — Mon, 02 Jun 2008 14:44:00 EST

Filed under: Notre Dame Football

Now, you too can be like Rudy's father and cry inside Notre Dame stadium -- from the comfort of your home computer.

Google has just released the Google Earth plug-in for Internet browsers using Windows. This means you'll be able to view Google Earth and college stadiums in 3-D right from the comfort of your browser.

Currently about 40 stadiums have 3-D animation capability

Who doesn't want to have their very own "greatest sight these eyes have ever seen" moment at say, Doak S. Campbell Stadium? Or, the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum?

OK so it's not the real thing but don't let that distract you from 3-D brilliance of pretending to be there. It's internet porn for the college football obsessed. Sort of. Maybe. Moving along ...

(H/T: The Wizard of Odds, via MapGameDay)

Adventures In Fandom: 3-D College Football Stadia in Google Maps originally appeared on NCAA Football FanHouse on Mon, 02 Jun 2008 14:44:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Charlie Weis Wants You to Make His Day, Punk

Brian Stouffer — Fri, 23 May 2008 13:40:00 EST

Filed under: Notre Dame Football, NCAA FB Coaching, NCAA FB Media Watch

The internet is a strange and magical place, especially when random pictures like this show up. Taken out of context, they're tremendously disturbing and infinitely hilarious, and really press the creative limits of your overworked headline writer. Have a gander, ladies and gentlemen, at ass-kicking robot soldier of fortune Charlie Weis:

No, folks, that's not a Photoshop, that's the real deal. As a part of the Armed Forces Entertainment, Charlie Weis traveled to Germany with fellow coaches Mark Richt, Tommy Tubberville, and Randy Shannon to support our troops overseas. There's a full gallery at Weis' autism awareness charity website Hannah and Friends (Weis in a gas mask is particularly hilarious), and some more context on the trip over here.

I kind of like the look.

Charlie Weis Wants You to Make His Day, Punk originally appeared on NCAA Football FanHouse on Fri, 23 May 2008 13:40:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Nate Montana, Oldest Son of Joe, to Walk On at Notre Dame

Michael David Smith — Thu, 15 May 2008 11:41:00 EST

Filed under: 49ers, Notre Dame Football, NCAA FB Recruiting, San Francisco

During his senior season at Concord De La Salle High School last fall, quarterback Nate Montana didn't exactly set the world on fire. He was the third-stringer, and he finished the season 12-of-19 for 166 yards and one touchdown passing, plus 33 yards on 17 carries running.

But when your dad is Joe Montana, maybe the greatest quarterback ever to play the game, people look at you and see potential. So 30 years after Joe Montana's senior season at Notre Dame, Nate Montana is following in his footsteps and will be a walk-on for the Fighting Irish. Joe says there was no pressure on his end:

"In the end I told him, 'Look, don't go to school for me, don't go to school for mom, you got to do what you got to do and go to the school you'll be happiest at if football doesn't work out,'" Joe Montana says, "and he chose Notre Dame."

Although some Notre Dame fans will be excited just to see the name "Montana" on the roster, it's certainly not realistic to think that Nate can be the kind of player his father was, and it's probably not even realistic to think Nate will play in anything more than mop-up duty. Then again, Joe Montana came to South Bend as the seventh-string quarterback. Things turned out OK for him.

Nate Montana, Oldest Son of Joe, to Walk On at Notre Dame originally appeared on NCAA Football FanHouse on Thu, 15 May 2008 11:41:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Video: Uhhhhhhh, Who's Notre Dame's Defensive Coordinator?

Brian Grummell — Wed, 14 May 2008 12:36:00 EST

Filed under: Notre Dame Football, NCAA FB Video

Interesting YouTube video here. It's a four minute interview with apple-massaging Notre Dame "Assistant Head Coach" Jon Tenuta. Corwin Brown is Notre Dame's de jure defensive coordinator, but listening to Tenuta it's hard to tell who is the D.C. and who is the underling.

Video: Uhhhhhhh, Who's Notre Dame's Defensive Coordinator? originally appeared on NCAA Football FanHouse on Wed, 14 May 2008 12:36:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Charlie Weis Takes the Words Straight Out of Our Mouths and Tells Michigan Where to Go

Brian Stouffer — Thu, 08 May 2008 11:03:00 EST

Filed under: Michigan Football, Notre Dame Football, Big 10, NCAA FB Gossip, NCAA FB Coaching

The Detroit Free-Press gets points for due diligence on this article, which is about a shoddy homemade video on YouTube. The home movie shows a surly Charlie Weis delivering a speech at the pre-game luncheon before the spring game. In front of a handful of fans and donors, Charlie cracked candidly about his feelings for that lovely academic institution in Ann Arbor:

"And then we'll listen to Michigan have all their excuses as they come running in and saying how they have a new coaching staff and there's changes. To hell with Michigan!" (exclamation mark is [sic] -Ed.)

The exclamation mark, in my opinion, comes from the overactive imagination of the article's author. A viewing of the video (the quote in question is at the 1:10 mark... be warned, though, it's a really obnoxious video) will convince every rational person with a cursory understanding of what counts as an "exclamation" that the more commonplace period is a more appropriate punctuation mark for the transcription.

Weis' remarks come from a long tradition of Notre Dame and Michigan trading damnations upon one another. Most famously, Bo Schembechler was known to quip "To Hell With Notre Dame" to anyone who asked him about scheduling the Irish, the Big 10's relationship to Notre Dame, or if he wanted syrup with his pancakes.

In related news, Hell has politely refused to accept Michigan, as doing so would drastically drop property values throughout the area.

Charlie Weis Takes the Words Straight Out of Our Mouths and Tells Michigan Where to Go originally appeared on NCAA Football FanHouse on Thu, 08 May 2008 11:03:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Rutgers Refuses to Give Up Home Field to Notre Dame

Charles Rich — Sat, 26 Apr 2008 18:03:00 EST

Filed under: Notre Dame Football, Big East, Rutgers Football

When the Big East was reconfigured a few years back, the conference was able to persuade their non-football member Notre Dame to commit to playing more Big East teams in football. To that end, the Irish have a six year home-and-home series with Pitt starting this season, they agreed to play UConn and they also set up a six year series with Rutgers.

Pitt is actually one of their most played opponents in the Irish history (5th behind Navy, USC, Purdue and Michigan State), so that wasn't a surprise. The UConn series required the Huskies to essentially go to neutral fields for their home games by making the games at NFL stadiums in the Northeast.

Rutgers is presently expanding their seating capacity to 55,000 at a cost of over $100 million. The expansion would be completed for the 2009 season. The year the Notre Dame series was to begin was in 2010. Notre Dame, however, was insisting that the Rutgers home games take place at the new NFL stadium at the Meadowlands. Rutgers, unlike UConn, wouldn't accept leaving their own facility so the series is now off.

Rutgers entered into discussions about a possible long-term series with Notre Dame, but at the end of the day both schools could not agree about the site of the games," [Athletic Director Bob] Mulcahy said in a statement issued by the school. "We feel Rutgers' home games should be played on-campus at Rutgers Stadium."

Unlike UConn coach Randy Edsall, Rutgers head coach Greg Schiano had no interest in surrendering true home field advantage just to play Notre Dame.
It's hard not to notice and draw the stark contrast between Rutgers and UConn with their decisions on playing Notre Dame. Some of that has to do with where the programs are.

UConn is less than a decade removed from being a 1-AA football team and still trying to prove they are a legitimate program in the BCS. Their stadium was only built a few years ago, and not in any position to expand. They are in upstart, crashing the party attitude. It's about getting attention and making people (and more importantly, recruits) believe they are a legitimate choice.

For Rutgers, they may have been akin to Temple for many, many years, but at least they were a 1-A team (technically). Things have changed for the better with Rutgers. Under Schiano the program has finally moved from that "sleeper" mode to legitimate program. They are just further along in their growth. They have been ranked for more than one week. They have scored big upsets that got national attention. They are in the process of expanding their stadium.

The Scarlet Knights are not about to give Notre Dame a chance to come to New Jersey for a game -- and to recruit -- without at least having them play in Rutgers true home field.

Rutgers Refuses to Give Up Home Field to Notre Dame originally appeared on NCAA Football FanHouse on Sat, 26 Apr 2008 18:03:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Christ Overruled as Connecticut Legislature Permits UConn to Play Notre Dame

Charles Rich — Thu, 24 Apr 2008 08:01:00 EST

Filed under: Notre Dame Football, Big East, Connecticut Football

Proving that politicians can be bat-crap crazy fans even in the Northeast, the Connecticut legislature gave its approval for UConn to play Notre Dame in a six game home-and-home series starting in 2011, over the objections of Rep. Michael Christ.

Why did they even get involved in whether the football team could schedule a series with Notre Dame? It wasn't about religion. As usual, it was about the money. The way the series with Notre Dame was established, none of UConn's "home" games would take place in Connecticut.

The UConn "home" games would take place in NFL stadiums in Massachusetts, New York (if built) and New Jersey. None of the games would take place in the Connecticut taxpayer subsidized $91.2 million home stadium built in East Hartford. No economic benefit to the state or the local service industries.
So it shouldn't be a shock that the legislators for East Hartford, Michael Christ (who also happens to be the Deputy Majority Leader of the Connecticut House of Representatives) and Gary LeBeau objected to the series quite vehemently.

...I find it insulting that the school's athletic department is now considering leaving "The Rent" in favor of outsourcing our home games against Notre Dame.

Can there be a moratorium on the use of the term "outsourcing" for the rest of 2008? Please?

The original series was supposed to be for 10 games, but the legislature did get UConn to agree to limit the initial deal for 6 years (plus another game at ND in 2009). Originally, it was going to be a 10 year agreement. The reason for shortening it was so the Connecticut lawmakers could save face hold out hope that if the series is renewed, there might be some games played at Rentschler Field.

UConn also agreed to still play 6 real home games in the years where it plays Notre Dame at "home," and guarantee tickets to the game for season ticket holders and the students.

UConn wants the series for the extra national exposure and money it will get. The mocking and derision for playing a neutral site game where everyone knows the ND fans will outnumber Husky fans is apparently a small price to pay.

Christ Overruled as Connecticut Legislature Permits UConn to Play Notre Dame originally appeared on NCAA Football FanHouse on Thu, 24 Apr 2008 08:01:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Best Moments in Big Ten Football History #7: Notre Dame-Michigan State, 1966

Mark Hasty — Wed, 16 Apr 2008 11:44:00 EST

Filed under: Michigan State Football, Notre Dame Football, Big 10, NCAA FB History

FanHouse is counting down the 10 best, 10 worst, and 10 weirdest moments in Big Ten football history.

ABOVE: Spartan Stadium in East Lansing hosted the 1966 Game of the Century.

Any game which matches the #1-ranked team against the #2-ranked team will almost inevitably be called a 'Game of the Century.' It seems like there's a GotC every three to five years or so. But the 1966 game between Notre Dame and Michigan State was among the very few that actually managed to live up to their billing, and it's a sign of this game's signficance that it's still controversial forty-two years later.

This was a #1 v. #2 game, but it was not so clear which team was #1 and which was #2. The Spartans and the Irish were both ranked #1 in one poll and #2 in the other. Coach Duffy Daugherty's Spartans were the defending national champions. Neither team had lost. To to it all off, it was the last game of the season for the Spartans, and they knew it. Big Ten rules of the time prevented any team from playing in back-to-back Rose Bowls, and from playing in any bowl other than The Grandaddy of Them All. Notre Dame had one game left against Southern Cal, but that would be it for them as well. The Irish didn't accept any bowl bids until 1969.

So, with the two teams so evenly matched, something had to give. Right?

That depends on who you ask. I'll spare you the suspense; the game ended in a 10-10 tie. Some say the teams were so evenly matched that a tie was the only appropriate outcome. Others say Notre Dame coach Ara Parseghian could've won the game but lost his nerve.

Here's what we can be certain of. After trailing 10-7 at the half, the Irish managed to tie the game early in the fourth quarter. The Irish defense did its job, keeping MSU from scoring. Notre Dame had a chance to take the lead but missed a field goal. Eventually, the Irish got the ball on their own 30 with 1:10 left.

Anybody who's watched enough football knows what a team should do in these circumstances. The "get us in field goal range" protocol calls for quick slants and outs to pick up as much yardage as possible without letting more than a few seconds run off per play. The Irish needed about 40 yards, they had a good quarterback (Terry Hanratty), and most importantly, they had more than enough time.

Parseghian chose to run out the clock instead, not even trying to get into field goal range. There was no overtime in those days, of course, so the game ended without the Irish trying to win it outright.

These days we call it "playing not to lose." It gets under our skin when we see our team doing it, but we understand what motivates it. Back in 1966, many called it cowardly and poor sportsmanship instead. Parseghian was savaged in the press, but defended himself by saying that he feared a turnover would hand Sparty the game. He knew there was little shame in tying the Spartans, and a good showing against USC the next week would ensure the Irish would win their first national title since 1953. ('Good showing' indeed. The Irish won 51-0.)

Parseghian was no dummy. A 40-yard field is not a 'gimme,' and if his nightmare scenario had come true the criticism he would have endured for handing MSU a victory would have been far worse than the grief he got for not trying to win. It probably took Irish fans all of about a week to forgive him. National titles cover a multitude of sins, after all.

As far as Games of the Century go, this one doesn't quite pass muster, and not just because of Parseghian's decision. The 1971 Nebraska-Oklahoma game was far better. But was this the greatest game in which a Big Ten team was involved? I think it was.

Best Moments in Big Ten Football History #7: Notre Dame-Michigan State, 1966 originally appeared on NCAA Football FanHouse on Wed, 16 Apr 2008 11:44:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Man Who Broke George O'Leary Resume Exaggeration Story Dies

Brian Grummell — Mon, 07 Apr 2008 17:31:00 EST

Filed under: Notre Dame Football, UCF Football, NCAA FB Coaching, NCAA FB Scandal, The Word

John 'Doc' Hussey, a longtime journalist in New Hampshire, died Friday at the age of 65.

Among many other items in a notable career, he broke the story that forced Notre Dame to ditch football coach George O'Leary just days after hiring him.

Hussey provided the Union Leader with one of its biggest scoops when he detected something was amiss in the public-relations biography of University of New Hampshire graduate George O'Leary, named head football coach at the University of Notre Dame.
Seeking to do a local-angle story on the new head of the world's most storied college football program, Hussey spoke with several players and the man who coached the UNH football team at the time O'Leary was said to have earned three varsity letters. None of the men remembered O'Leary playing football.
Hussey shared his information with colleague Jim Fennell, whose reporting ultimately revealed that O'Leary had falsified his resume, and the coach -- since named head coach at the University of Central Florida -- was forced to step down at Notre Dame. The Union Leader's coverage of the story earned numerous awards and national acclaim.

He may not have been a big player in national college football media, but his fact-checking thoroughly tarnished O'Leary's otherwise solid reputation and Notre Dame's football program has yet to settle on a reliable coach since.

Man Who Broke George O'Leary Resume Exaggeration Story Dies originally appeared on NCAA Football FanHouse on Mon, 07 Apr 2008 17:31:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Memo to This Year's Eventual National Champion: Savor It

Brian Grummell — Mon, 24 Mar 2008 11:50:00 EST

Filed under: LSU Football, Michigan Football, Notre Dame Football, Ohio State Football, USC Football, The Word, TCU Football

Interesting find in Olin Buchanan's Mailbag this week at Rivals.com: a trend has emerged in college football whereby teams winning a title ending in any year ending in an 8 experience a long, painful championship drought.

Recent victims: Notre Dame has not won a title since 1988. USC waited until 2003 after claiming the 1978 crown. Ohio State endured a more than 30-year wait between their 1968 and 2002 crowns. Scary stuff here.

Everyone wants a championship, but maybe it's a devil's bargain in reaching for this year's title?

Other victims of years ending in "8":

TCU was named the Associated Press national champion in 1938 - the third year of the poll - and even though players such as Bob Lilly and LaDainian Tomlinson have since come through Fort Worth, the Horned Frogs have not won another crown.

Michigan won in 1948 and did not win another national title until 1997, and that one was split with Nebraska. The '58 champion was LSU, which waited 45 years before celebrating another national championship.

Ok so maybe it wouldn't be such a bad thing for TCU to win a championship this year. They've waited long enough, maybe another drought is worth the price of ending the current agony.

Memo to This Year's Eventual National Champion: Savor It originally appeared on NCAA Football FanHouse on Mon, 24 Mar 2008 11:50:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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The Big East Could Use Another Team

John Radcliff — Mon, 18 Feb 2008 08:05:00 EST

Filed under: Notre Dame Football, ACC, Big 10, Big East

One dilemma currently facing the Big East football conference is that it only has eight members. Which means that each team has seven conference games. And depending on the year, each team has either three or four home conference games. Given the 12 game schedule of college football, that means that Big East teams have to play five non-conference games.

From time to time Big East coaches address this issue in the media like Randy Edsall did recently.

"It would be just so much more viable and more equitable to everybody in the conference if we all had four home games each year," Edsall said Thursday. "So that's why it's our hope as football coaches, to get to where we have at least another team in the league."

There are several teams that are brought up each year as possible additions like East Carolina, Memphis, Navy, etc. But none of those teams really inspires excitement in me, and I would guess in the rest of the Big East. For his part, Big East commissioner Michael Tranghese is opposed to anyone other than Notre Dame joining the football side of the conference.

League commissioner Michael Tranghese has said if the Irish would like to talk about becoming a football member, he'd certainly take the phone call. But otherwise, the league is not pursuing expansion, spokesman John Paquette said Thursday.

I don't know that there could be a bigger pipe dream than Notre Dame joining the Big East for all sports. I suppose world peace would rank up there. Or if Rich Rodriguez has any hopes of being welcomed back in West Virginia again.

The best answer would be one that isn't part of conventional wisdom . Teams like Maryland, Penn St., and Boston College fit the geographic make up of the current Big East and have a tradition of winning. While it isn't being talked about much at the moment, the Big 11 10 will eventually look to add another team to even out it's conference schedule. As soon as that Big 10 Network thing gets worked out, I would expect conference expansion to get pushed back to the top of the list.
The Big East could be a big help in this regard by simply stealing Penn St. and give the Big 10 and even number of conference teams again. Yeah, that would be a nice change. Instead of a conference raiding the Big East, the Big East could bring back one of the biggest rivalries for both Pitt and West Virginia. Otherwise, the Big 10 is going to come after Syracuse, Rutgers, or Pitt and make a bad situation even worse. And given Tranghese's stance, the Big East is going to continue to be an easy target for other conferences to raid.

The Big East Could Use Another Team originally appeared on NCAA Football FanHouse on Mon, 18 Feb 2008 08:05:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Bob Davie Thinks Coaching Is For Suckers

Brian Cook — Tue, 12 Feb 2008 20:49:00 EST

Filed under: Notre Dame Football, Texas A&M Football, NCAA FB Coaching, NCAA FB Media Watch

...at least that's the implication from his latest move, or lack thereof:

Former Texas A&M defensive coordinator Bob Davie has declined an invitation to reprise that role with the Aggies, according to a source on campus.

Hey, I'm with him. Davie gets to lounge around in the offseason while college coaches are beating their heads in day after day, sleeping on the floor in their office and only contacting their families when, delirious from lack of rest, they accidentally hit the wrong button on their cell phone. Much better to be Bob Davie, Guy Who Gets Paid To Say "Footbaw" A Lot.

This is actually a bit of a blow for the A&M program. Though Davie's stint as Notre Dame's head coach didn't go well, he was a successful and well-regarded defensive coordinator over the course of a decade.

Bob Davie Thinks Coaching Is For Suckers originally appeared on NCAA Football FanHouse on Tue, 12 Feb 2008 20:49:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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ND Recruit Thinks Boats, Meyer's Wife Stupid

Brian Cook — Mon, 11 Feb 2008 08:49:00 EST

Filed under: Florida Football, Notre Dame Football, NCAA FB Recruiting, The Word

The early theme of the offseason has been "uncomplimentary things said by or about Urban Meyer" -- for examples see the "Previously" section of the post -- and we've got another one for the pile.

This comes from Notre Dame recruit Braxton Cave after being asked what was the most interesting thing that happened to him during his recruitment:

"(He) had me talk to his wife, so that was kind of interesting," Cave said.

The context of the conversation didn't exactly wow Cave.

"Basically, the weather and how they were on the boat and all this stupid crap," Cave said.

If you couldn't already guess by his name, Cave is an offensive lineman. Who doesn't go in for your stupid hippy crap about boats and weather, thank you very much. Next time Urban should try that pitch on Michigan AD Bill Martin.

Previously On Fanhouse:
Urban Meyer Is Suddenly Concerned About Patrick Johnson's ACT
Urban Meyer Will Keep Tim Tebow From Winning Another Heisman
Urban Meyer's Recruiting Adventures

ND Recruit Thinks Boats, Meyer's Wife Stupid originally appeared on NCAA Football FanHouse on Mon, 11 Feb 2008 08:49:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Charlie Weis Won't Be Calling Any More Plays

Tom Fornelli — Sun, 10 Feb 2008 12:54:00 EST

Filed under: Notre Dame Football, NCAA FB Coaching

It appears that Charlie Weis may have finally come to the realization that he can't do everything by himself anymore, and that sometimes you have to swallow your pride and ask others for help. That's why Notre Dame has brought in Jon Tenuta as it's assistant head coach for defense, and it's also the reason behind Charlie's latest move.

He's not going to be calling plays this season.

Weis said Friday he will begin severing the ''umbilical cord'' between himself and the offense during spring practice and will relinquish play-calling duties to offensive coordinator Mike Haywood this fall.

'Play-calling is my greatest strength, OK, but I'm the head coach, and when you're play-calling on offense, you might not necessarily be the best head coach,'' Weis said. ''So what I'm trying to do is I'm trying to be a better head coach.''

Weis said he will use the time he once devoted to scripting plays and fine-tuning game plans to make himself more available to young players. He hopes forging better relationships with them will ease and hasten their adjustment to the college game.

Weis also plans on spending his newly found free time to help the Irish with their special teams. Notre Dame didn't have a special teams coach last season, instead using all nine assistants to help out. This season Brian Polian, who coached the inside linebackers last season, will be focusing full time on the special teams units. Weis is also planning on visiting with Frank Beamer for advice as well.

Charlie Weis Won't Be Calling Any More Plays originally appeared on NCAA Football FanHouse on Sun, 10 Feb 2008 12:54:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Signing Day: The Morning After

Brian Grummell — Thu, 07 Feb 2008 10:00:00 EST

Filed under: Alabama Football, Miami Football, Michigan Football, Notre Dame Football, Oklahoma Football, USC Football, NCAA FB Recruiting, The Word

Here's hoping your school isn't using whiskey as mouthwash thinking about who it woke up next to this morning

Themes

USC Soars Late, Pulls Shocker

Tallahassee Lincoln kids love to flirt, and they're never lacking for suitors. But when push comes to shove, the vast majority of them break hearts and stick with the hometown Seminoles. So it came as a complete shock to many people when highly regarded cornerback T.J. Bryant cast his lot with Pete Carroll and USC.

USC lost out on Alabama linebacker Jerrell Harris, but did pull in Bryant, Michigan linebacker Nick Perry and Los Angeles linebacker Uona Kavienga throughout the second half of the day to slide into 7th place in the Rivals.com rankings. It's been a great month of recruiting overall as USC recently got a pledge from the nation's top player for 2009 in quarterback Matt Barkley along with several other preliminary top 100 recruits. Damn.

Back To The Future

As expertly stated by EDSBS, the top of the recruiting rankings have a certain 1985 feel. Alabama, Oklahoma, Notre Dame, Miami ... thank heaven for moth balls.

Miscellany

Notre Dame has a great deal to prove on the field after last year's disaster and two consecutive BCS flops. However, the Irish were magnificent in holding together their recruiting class and finding some decent guys in the trenches (at least on defense, anyway). The same can be said for UCLA after the departure of coach Karl Dorrell.

Jumpin' Sam McGuffie briefly flirted with California, but he's come home now and will stick with Michigan.

Signing Day: The Morning After originally appeared on NCAA Football FanHouse on Thu, 07 Feb 2008 10:00:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Wake Up the Echoes: Notre Dame Brings in Major Recruiting Haul

Brian Grummell — Wed, 06 Feb 2008 18:21:00 EST

Filed under: Notre Dame Football, NCAA FB Recruiting, The Word

Much-hyped Notre Dame was overshadowed for once today, but here's guessing their fans don't mind. As a rule Notre Dame players seem to be a bit overrated by the recruiting services but across the nation there seems to be a vibe that Notre Dame's Signing Day haul was commendable. Rivals currently gives the Irish the #2 signing class, not far behind Alabama despite only 23 commitments to the Tide's 32.

So what gives? Was it luck of the Irish or simply a shrewd recruiting season for beleaguered coach Charlie Weis?

Here's guessing playing time was a major factor. Notre Dame played an army of young players last year. They looked terrible for it, posting the team's worst record in seemingly forever. Somehow that bad record and little hope for next year could be overlooked by many.

Among the best gets for Notre Dame: Ohio tight end Kyle Rudolph (nation's #20 player), California Quarterback Dayne Crist the nation's #25 player, tallish Minnesota receiver Michael Floyd (#27), Oregon defensive end Ethan Johnson (#32), Nebraska offensive lineman Trevor Robinson (#37), Michigan tailback Jonas Gray (#72) and Chicago linebacker Darius Fleming (#89).

Notre Dame also managed to steal defensive end Kapron Lewis-Moore at the last minute from Texas A&M. Wednesday's big story was the retention of 6'-4" Virginia receiver Deion Walker who appeared ready to freak out and head to Penn State before sticking with the Irish.

Wake Up the Echoes: Notre Dame Brings in Major Recruiting Haul originally appeared on NCAA Football FanHouse on Wed, 06 Feb 2008 18:21:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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