Smallest Crowd To See Irish In Last 400 Games!

This will be the case this Saturday night at 8 PM ET when the Fighting Irish make the trip to Winston-Salem, NC to play the Deamon Deacons of Wake Forest in their 31,000 seat stadium.  The last time the Irish played in front of a smaller crowd was in November of 1975 when the Miami Hurricanes only drew 24,944 game to the Orange Bowl in a game the Irish won 32 - 9.

So, I figure one or more of these three scenarios played out putting Wake Forest on our schedule:

1. The Irish had an opponent drop from the schedule in the last couple of years and the Irish had a tough time finding a team to play this specific Saturday.
2. The ACC, as part of a Bowl arrangement with the Big East -- negotiated a few football games against the Irish for their member schools.
3. And, Wake Forest agreed to pay Notre Dame between $800,000 to $1,000,000 to make the trip to North Carolina to play a game.

I went on a couple of the ticket sites this evening to see what tickets are going for -- thinking they would be close to $500 or more -- since there's very few seats and the Irish are in town...  Well, I was wrong -- you can buy tickets all day long for under $140 for this game.

Irish Connection -- The Navy Game

The folks at UND.COM had their cameras in the locker room and on the sideline during Saturday's 56 - 14 win over Navy.  You'll see Coach Kelly working on rebuilding the relationship with his players after a difficult week "inside" the Irish program.  Notre Dame fans will love this access!

LINK:  IRISH CONNECTION -- NAVY GAME

Getting DEFENSIVE About Notre Dame's "D"

The Irish have played well on defense for all but a quarter leading into last week's debacle with USC.  And you can add another well executed game by Notre Dame's defense in the 56 - 14 romp over Navy.  Here's what was most impressive:

NAVY OFFENSIVE STATS EACH WEEK:

• Delaware:  437 total yards of offense
• Western Kentucky:  510 total yards of offense
• South Carolina:  335 total yards of offense
• Air Force:  466 total yards of offense
• Southern Miss:  569 total yards of offense
• Rutgers:  305 total yards of offense
• East Carolina:  420 total yards of offense
• NOTRE DAME:  229 total yards of offense

Notre Dame's #1 defense gave up less than 175 yards to Navy in total offense in the game.  Navy's starting running back Alex Teich, who last year rushed for 210 yards of their 367 yards rushing that day had this to say about the Notre Dame defense -- who held him to 62 yards on 15 carries:

“You have to give those guys some credit,” Teich said. “Last year ... it was like night and day. Those guys just flat got after it.”

NBC Replay of Notre Dame's Big Win Over Navy

Irish fans would have never thought we'd hear "Navy's won three of the last four meetings" in the same sentence with Notre Dame.  Yet, that's been the case with our football program -- so, YES IT WAS NICE to see the Irish win BIG.  Here's a link to NBC's full game replay of Notre Dame vs. Navy.

LINK:  NOTRE DAME BEATS NAVY

The Media's Take on ND's 56 - 14 Win Today

Just made a visit to a number of websites who cover Notre Dame football.  Thought you'd enjoy what these media types had to say about the 56- 14 win over Navy.  The game was over at halftime...

LINK:  BALTIMORE SUN

LINK:  WASHINGTON POST

LINK:  NBC SPORTS

LINK:  CHICAGO SUN TIMES

LINK:  ESPN BLOG

LINK:  CHICAGO TRIBUNE

LINK:  SOUTH BEND TRIBUNE -- AL LESAR

LINK:  SOUTH BEND TRIBUNE -- TOM MOOR

Navy Week: Kick-Off Luncheon at Notre Dame

The Notre Dame Nation gathered this afternoon at "the Joyce" for the traditional Friday football luncheon.  Here's a link to UND.COM's coverage of the highlights...

LINK:  ND FOOTBALL KICK-OFF LUNCHEON

Don't Dismiss the Irish -- a CNN Story Today

Found this article on CNN.COM today -- Notre Dame fans will enjoy what the writer has to say...

LINK:  DON'T DISMISS THE FIGHTING IRISH

A Notre Dame Man -- Jeff Faine

When he played for the Irish, he absolutely dominated the men across from him...

Nine years later, Jeff Faine is still playing the game, now with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers but, it's what he's doing away from the gridiron that will make ND fans most proud.  Jeff Faine is a hero -- to many.  Here's a link to the South Bend Tribune story about Jeff's return home during the Bucs bye week.


LINK:  JEFF FAINE -- GIVING BACK

Think Coach Kelly Would Like a "Do Over?"

I commented to a friend the other day that it would be nice if Coach Kelly stopped using the phrase "I've been a head coach for 21 years..."  It's getting old.

Coach, we all know this isn't your first rodeo.  The best advice right now comes from legendary Raider Al Davis -- "JUST WIN BABY!"

Well, last night Coach Kelly might have said something FOR THE FIRST TIME, to the media, that he is now regretting (see Chicago Tribune article below).  In essence, Coach Kelly took a shot at the players who were recruited by the previous regime -- never a good thing to do from my perspective.  Especially, when they dominate your starting line-up...

It's going to be an interesting 24 hours in the Notre Dame football program.

LINK:  COACH KELLY COMMENTS

LINK:  VIDEO OF COACH KELLY'S MEDIA SESSION

Will We See Field Turf @ Notre Dame?

Coach Kelly has been campaigning for a new field turf at Notre Dame Stadium.  Well, here's a solution to consider.  It's called Desso GrassMaster and this surface combines "tradition with technology." Meaning, real grass mixed in with artificial grass.

Green Bay Packer fans, Philadelphia Eagle fans, Denver Bronco fans -- have all been watching their teams play on this surface for the past few years.

In fact, the Denver Broncos field was named the "BEST PROFESSIONAL SPORTS FIELD IN AMERICA."  Folks that's real grass in the picture that grows and has to be cut!

Here's a couple of links to the technology behind this playing surface.

LINK:  NOTRE DAME STADIUM'S NEXT PLAYING SURFACE?

LINK:  TECHNOLOGY BEHIND REINFORCED GRASS

Notre Dame's Morris Inn To Expand!

The University of Notre Dame announced a $32 million expansion of the Morris Inn -- the university's on-campus hotel.  The expansion, which will begin next year -- calls for the tear down of the south wing, a 300 seat banquet facility and a move from 92 rooms to 140 rooms, etc.  Here's a link to the Chicago Tribune story:

LINK:  MORRIS INN TO GET A NEW LOOK

Joe Montana's Not Happy With Notre Dame

I'm going to write this off as a Dad who wanted success for his son at Notre Dame -- and does not want to accept that his kid wasn't ready for prime time in the GOLD HELMET.  Here's hoping he comes back to the FAMILY. 

LINK:  MONTANA TAKES SHOT AT HIS ALMA MATER

Are the Irish Really Headed to the ACC?

Former Notre Dame Athletic Director, former ACC Commissioner and father to Irish Lacrosse Head Coach Kevin Corrigan -- Gene Corrigan -- tells the media today that the Irish are considering a move to the Atlantic Coast Conference for EVERY SPORT!  Here's the link to the story:

LINK:  IRISH HEADING TO ACC?

The Story the Sports Media Won't Tell...

The University of Notre Dame was named NATIONAL CHAMPIONS for STUDENT ATHLETES -- with 18 of their 22 varsity sports teams earning PERFECT GRADUATION SUCCESS RATE SCORES of 100!  This marks the sixth time in the last seven years that Notre Dame's student-athletes were America's best.

I'm still waiting for the "SPORTS LEADER" to tell this story...

LINK:  NOTRE DAME IS NUMBER ONE!

SI's Peter King Takes ND to Task for Helmets

Earth to Peter King -- Notre Dame has had "specs" of gold in their helmets for years!  In an effort to "pile on ND" -- which seems to be the easy thing to do for the mainstream media these past 48 hours...  Here's a link to Peter King calling out the Irish for their helmets:

LINK:  EARTH TO PETER KING

Colin Cowherd Defends Brian Kelly Today

ESPN "talkin' head" called out a Notre Dame faculty member by the name of "MATT" today who had sent him an email earlier this morning blaming Coach Kelly for the loss to USC.  Here's a link to video of Cowherd defending Kelly:

LINK:  COWHERD A KELLY FAN

Lou Holtz & Jerome Bettis on Golf Channel!

ND fans are going to want to tune in to the Golf Channel tomorrow night (Tuesday, October 25th) at 8 PM ET to catch former Notre Dame greats Lou Holtz and Jerome Bettis getting some golf tips from the pros.  Here's a sneak peek at what you're going to see!

LINK:  JEROME GETTING A GOLF LESSON

Irish Olympic Sports -- Weekend Update

There was a few other things going on this past weekend at the University of Notre Dame other than what took place under the lights on NBC.  Here's the UND.COM feature...

LINK:  IRISH UPDATE

Coach Kelly After the Game & Day After...

Here's what head coach Brian Kelly ("he's been doing it 21 years") had to say about the disappointing loss Saturday night to USC.  He met with the media right after the game and then he met with Jack Nolan Sunday morning.  Here are the links:

LINK:  COACH KELLY ON SUNDAY

LINK:  COACH KELLY POST GAME PRESSER -- USC

The Morning After the GOLDEN Nightmare...

Don't be surprised if you see Notre Dame football go into an offensive formation on the opponent's one-yard line where a "safety" is stationed fifteen yards behind the line of scrimmage.  This safety is there to ensure that the opponent doesn't take our fumble 99 yards for a score...

Twice in one season -- the Irish fumble on the doorstep (ONE YARD LINE) and the opponent takes it the length of the field for a score -- UNBELIEVABLE...

This morning, Irish fans are crying -- while the rest of the world is laughing.

I'm so disappointed for our football team -- the night was set up for greatness --  and we laid a GOLDEN EGG...

Here's the media's take on the GOLDEN NIGHTMARE:

LINK:  SOUTH BEND TRIBUNE

LINK:  LOS ANGELES TIMES

LINK:  CHICAGO TRIBUNE

LINK:  ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER

LINK:  CHICAGO SUN TIMES

LINK:  ESPN CHICAGO

Turnover Jesus -- Notre Dame Football

18 turnovers in seven games -- ranking Notre Dame #117 out of 120 teams in America for most turnovers.

In our three losses this season -- we've turned it over 13 times -- while gaining only 3 turnovers.  A MINUS TEN IN TURNOVERS!

Simply stated, the Irish are the sloppiest, talented team in college football.

BRUTAL...

A BLACK JERSEY Rumor Going Around ND!!!

There's plenty of talk going around the internet at this hour that the FIGHTING IRISH will become the BLACK IRISH tonight against USC!  The rumor is Notre Dame will don black jerseys with green numbers - which I assume will be outlined in gold -- for tonight's game against the Trojans. 

It's only six hours away from kick-off -- I suspect the Irish will not wear their intended game jersey until it's time to run out of the TUNNEL!  Stay tuned!!!

Notre Dame Football Weekend: ND vs. USC

Here's video of Friday's festivities on the University of Notre Dame campus -- as the Irish lead up to the prime-time kick-off against USC on NBC.  Game time is set for 7:30 PM ET -- please note if you have the VERSUS channel you can catch a 30 minute pre-game show beginning at 7 PM ET.  The photo above is of a "wooden" Trojan Horse that the ND student body built -- bringing back memories to 1977...

LINK:  KICK-OFF LUNCHEON -- FRIDAY AFTERNOON

LINK:  PEP RALLY -- USC

LINK:  SOUTH BEND TRIBUNE -- PHOTO GALLERY

Live Webcam From Notre Dame Stadium

Notre Dame football fans can check in all afternoon -- leading up to kick-off for tonight's game against USC -- to a live webcam located inside Notre Dame Stadium.  Here's the link:

LINK:  LIVE WEBCAM FROM NOTRE DAME STADIUM

It's Less than 8 Hours to Kick-Off: USC vs. ND

I can't wait to see those GOLD HELMETS -- and whatever color jersey we wear today -- come running out of that tunnel tonight on NBC!  Thought I'd take one last lap around the world this afternoon to see what the experts are saying about tonight's game.  GO IRISH!!!

LINK:  SOUTH BEND TRIBUNE -- STORY #1

LINK:  SOUTH BEND TRIBUNE -- STORY #2

LINK:  LOS ANGELES TIMES

LINK:  ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER -- STORY #1

LINK:  CHICAGO SUN TIMES

LINK:  CHICAGO TRIBUNE

America's Top HS QB @ Notre Dame Today!

The last name Kiel is part of Notre Dame football lore...  Will it be again?

In a surprising move, Gunner Kiel -- got to love that first name -- will be visiting Notre Dame today for the USC game.  Kiel had committed to Indiana over the summer and most thought he was going to be a Hoosier.  Well, as a "talking head" at ESPN might say "Not So Fast My Friend..."  Here's a link to the South Bend Tribune story:

LINK:  GUNNER IN TOWN

The "COMPTON" Opens With Irish Victory!

5,022 people had the distinct honor of witnessing the first Notre Dame Hockey game and VICTORY last night!  Anders Lee scored the first goal, the last goal and one in between -- netting the first HAT TRICK in Compton history.  Here's the South Bend Tribune's coverage of ND's 5 - 2 win over Renssalaer:

LINK:  SOUTH BEND TRIBUNE STORY

Great Moments in the ND vs. USC Rivalry

Did some digging on YouTube this morning to find some of these gems from the Notre Dame vs. USC rivalry.  Now, they're all NOTRE DAME MOMENTS -- would you expect anything else!!!

LINK:  TONY RICE GOES 65 AGAINST USC

LINK:  STAN SMAGALA'S INTERCEPTION TD

LINK:  REGGIE BROOKS GOES 55 AGAINST USC

LINK:  ND VS. USC 2010

LINK:  1977 GREEN JERSEY GAME

LINK:  ND TWO POINT CONVERSION 1977

LINK:  ND ROUTS #5 USC IN 1995

LINK:  ND COMEBACK IN 1999

I Must Admit I Miss "TOUCHDOWN IRISH"

In my lifetime, the greatest radio voice ever for Notre Dame Football was Tony Roberts.  I can still hear him say "He's got one man to beat, TOUCHDOWN IRISH!"  Did a little digging this morning and found some clips of this man's talent.  I miss you Tony Roberts!

LINK:  TOUCHDOWN IRISH

LINK:  TONY RICE AND TONY ROBERTS

LINK:  ROCKET'S FIRST TD RETURN AGAINST MICHIGAN

LINK:  ROCKET'S SECOND RETURN AGAINST MICHIGAN

LINK:  HARRY O'S FIELD GOAL TO BEAT MICHIGAN

A Must See Video for Notre Dame Football Fans!

My son Jimmy sent this link to me this morning.  Every ND football fan should watch this before tomorrow night's kick-off against USC.  GO IRISH!

LINK:  WE ARE THE WARRIORS

USC vs. NOTRE DAME -- Experts Pick Winner

Took another lap around the world wide web this morning to check in on who the "media experts" are picking to win the USC vs. Notre Dame game tomorrow.  Here's what I've found:

LINK:  ESPN'S -- MATT FORTUNA

LINK:  ESPN'S -- TED MILLER

LINK:  BLEACHER REPORT'S -- ERIC BOWMAN

LINK:  OBSERVER -- STAFF

LINK:  ESPN COLLEGE GAME DAY

LINK:  ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER

Tom Lemming Calls It One of the Best Ever...

The University of Notre Dame will be hosting some of the top high school football talent in the country today, tomorrow and Sunday -- so says recruiting expert Tom Lemming.  In fact, Lemming is calling it one of the greatest collections of school boy talent ever.  Here's a link to Lemming's story at Max Preps:

LINK:  BIG RECRUITING WEEKEND FOR ND

ESPN Blogger Admits He Was Wrong About ND

Ted Miller has been covering college football since 1997 -- so says his bio at ESPN.COM.  The bio also said he started covering Auburn football and then he moved west to cover Washington and the PAC 12.  Are there any college football fans in that time zone?

Well, Mr. Miller came out with his prediction for tomorrow's game between ND and USC and he made the statement that USC's offense was way better than ND's.  Notre Dame fans know that this isn't true -- so they took him to task...

In the end, Mr. Miller admitted he had not properly done his research on the subject -- and that he was wrong.  You've got to at least give him credit for admitting his mistake...

Ted, I hope you learned this lesson:  If you're going to take on the "BIG BOY" in college football -- you better do your homework first...


LINK:  ESPN BLOGGER ADMITS WRONG

Hey Geno, Stick to Women's Basketball!!!

Geno Auriemma decided to turn today's Big East Women's Basketball Media Day as "bash on Notre Dame football" day.  Auriemma used this platform to blame Notre Dame for the woes facing the Big East Conference.  Here's a link to Mrs. Auriemma -- excuse me, Mr.

LINK:  WOMEN'S BASKETBALL COACH CALLING OUT ND FOOTBALL

USC Week: Notre Dame's Thursday Update

Here's what Coach Kelly had to say after practice -- about Saturday's prime time kick-off on NBC!

LINK:  COACH KELLY AFTER PRACTICE

USC Student Newspaper -- Talks ND Rivalry

Thought Notre Dame fans would enjoy reading this story that ran in yesterday's Daily Trojan -- the student newspaper at USC.  It speaks to the long-standing rivalry between Notre Dame and USC and how it got started.

LINK:  THE WIVES MADE IT HAPPEN

Story of the Year -- New ND Helmet Paint!

This is going to pop on TV Saturday night!  The Fighting Irish are going to debut a NEW GOLD football helmet for the USC game.  The NBC cameras should have fun with this!  The new helmet has the 23.9 karat gold flakes in the paint from the DOME -- but, they won't ever have to be painted again -- so that tradition is gone.  But, I'll take this NOTRE DAME FOOTBALL HELMET any day!   WOW!!!

The folks at UND.COM introduced the helmet tonight -- here's the story!  And, Coach Kelly talked about the helmet with the media after practice today...

LINK:  THE NEW GOLD STANDARD FOR FOOTBALL HELMETS!

LINK:  COACH KELLY TALKS ABOUT THE NEW HELMET COLOR! 

LINK:  NOTRE DAME ATHLETICS FACEBOOK PAGE -- PICTURES OF HELMET

USC Week: Notre Dame Player Interviews

Manti Teo, Harrison Smith, Michael Floyd and Tommy Rees met with the media this afternoon to talk about Saturday night's clash with USC.  Here are the links to the interviews:

LINK:  MANTI TEO & HARRISON SMITH

LINK:  TOMMY REES & MICHAEL FLOYD

First Look @ Weekend Weather -- ND vs. USC

Looks like a good weather forecast for the first night kick-off at Notre Dame Stadium in 21 years!  Here's a link to the weather forecast from the gang at WNDU-TV:

LINK:  WEATHER FORECAST ND vs. USC

ESPN's Matchup Report for ND vs USC

Here is how the "experts" at ESPN "matchup" the position groups, special teams and head coach for Saturday night's game between USC and NOTRE DAME:

Mike Lee In Second Subway TV Commercial

Professional boxer (undefeated boxer I might add!) Mike Lee '09 is now starring in his "second" TV commercial for Subway.  Mike and fellow "domer" Justin Tuck (New York Giants) are paid pitchmen for Subway. Just click on the arrow to get it started!

"The Fighting Back" -- Back @ Notre Dame!

Rocky Bleier '68 returned to his alma mater this week to speak at the Rockne Heritage Fund reception.  Bleier's story of his life after Notre Dame has been well documented in a movie, book and countless magazine and newspaper articles.  Rocky is one of the finest public speakers you will ever run across -- this is a MUST SEE SPEECH!  Special thanks to ND GO IRISH BLOG regular Ken Devine for alerting me to this video.  Here's the link:

LINK:  ROCKY BLEIER -- BACK AT ND

They Used the Leprechaun Logo for 45 Years

However, those days are about over...

Chapman High School in Chapman, KS has been using the ND Leprechaun logo since 1967 -- but the University of Notre Dame has said "cease and desist."  This comes on the heels of the school re-opening after a tornado tore down the school in 2008...  Here's a link to the story:

LINK:  CHAPMAN HIGH SCHOOL

USC Week -- Coach Kelly's Tuesday Presser

University of Notre Dame head football coach Brian Kelly met with the media today at noon to discuss Saturday's game with USC.  Here's a link to UND.COM's coverage:

LINK:  COACH KELLY MEDIA CONFERENCE

A Hole-In-One Story -- Involves a ND Alum

My wife Susan and I were in the Charlotte, NC area yesterday to visit our oldest son, Jimmy.  He's a 2008 graduate of the University of Notre Dame and a former Irish Guard.  Jimmy's employed at NASCAR.

Monday afternoon the three of us headed off to Verdict Ridge Country Club, about a thirty minute drive north of Charlotte -- just west of Lake Norman.  Verdict Ridge -- is the perfect name for a golf club founded by a well known Carolina attorney (Eddie Knox).  It was a beautiful 80 degree day with "Carolina blue sky" everywhere you looked...

Verdict Ridge is a very nice track cut through the woods and hills -- that leaves you feeling "guilty" for enjoying this golf experience too much...  That's their promotional story.

Well, let's just say that the first 12 holes Jimmy was getting a "golf lesson" from his old-man.  At one point I asked Jimmy what ball he was playing so I could "buy stock" in that company before the NYSE's closing bell that day...  He lost at least a dozen balls on the first 12 holes -- NO EXAGGERATION!

So, we arrive to #13 a 141 yard par three.  The pin was located in the front third of the green.  I had the honors and hit an eight iron, just left of the flag, about 30 feet behind the hole -- a good shot.  Jimmy, playing his new "used" NIKE irons he inherited from his Dad that day -- pulled out a wedge -- yeah, he hits it a long way, it just doesn't always land in the correct area code.

Now I must admit, I was watching his left foot during his golf swing on this par three.  Jimmy has a habit of moving his left foot during the down swing -- instead of using it as a firm foundation to swing against.  If you were critiquing a baseball player you would say he's "stepping in the bucket."

So, when I looked up to find the flight of his ball I lost it in the sun...

But, Mom has it in her sights -- and she non-chalantly says "I think it went in..."

Well, I didn't believe it -- nor, did Jimmy.  So, after Mom hits her tee-shot, we hop in the carts and head to the green.  I arrive first at the scene and see only my ball.  Now, I have to admit -- my wife has a very poor track record of knowing where her own golf ball ends up after she hits it -- so I'm not buying the "balls in the hole" story...

Jimmy, is the second to arrive to the green and he's looking everywhere but the hole...  Well, he finally gets up enough nerve to look into the cup -- and THERE WAS HIS PRECEPT ball!  His first hole-in-one!  The USGA places the odds of hitting a hole-in-one at: 1 in 30,000.

But, the story's not over...

So, now we head to the next tee -- a par four dog-leg left.  The group ahead of us was still in the fairway, so we had a few minutes to wait.  We're all excited for Jimmy -- and he's grinning 'ear to ear' at his feat.  He made the comment, "I didn't think I'd ever get a hole-in-one..."  I tell him "hang on to that ball, we'll send it in to Bridgestone for their hole-in-one award..."

The fairway clears and Jimmy has the honors -- for the first and only time that day!!!

Now, most humans would probably have locked up their hole-in-one golf ball for posterity sake -- at least that's what Mom & Dad thought.  Not Jimmy -- he sets that hole-in-one golf ball on the tee and proceeds to hit it straight right -- DEEP -- into the North Carolina forest.

He looks at me and says "that was my hole-in-one ball..."  I couldn't believe it.

Well, my wife and I hit our tee shots and we make a bee-line over to where we think his ball last "left the planet..."

Now to say these wood are thick would be an understatement -- add a few hundred "picker bushes" to the mix and you'll see what we're up against.  All three of us "headed into this battle with nature" with the goal of finding that special ball...

I wish this story had a happy ending -- unfortunately, it does not.

We didn't leave the forest with that golf ball.  I came out of the "battle" with blood on my right hand from two cuts and a stream of blood on my left leg for the effort -- don't mess with Carolina picker bushes!


A SPECIAL NOTE to the members of Verdict Ridge Country Club -- if you're playing #14 in the next few days and you feel the need to take on the forest along the right side of that hole -- please take a look for a PRECEPT golf ball.  If you find it, please put it in your pocket and send me an email at jim.small@ndgoirish.com -- you'll make a Domer happy!


The photo above is the last time this golf ball was seen in captivity...

The Doors Open Friday Night -- It's a Beauty!

A $53 million investment in the hockey program at Notre Dame.

This Friday night, the Fighting Irish of Notre Dame will take the ice for the first time in the brand spanking new Compton Family Ice Arena -- AKA "The Hockey Cathedral."

Here's a link to a UND.COM feature.

LINK:  IRISH HOCKEY'S NEW HOME!

ESPN Power Rankings Has Irish at #23

It's a start...

Ever since the ten turnover nightmare, the Irish have been digging themselves out of a self-inflicted hole called 0 and 2.  While still not cracking the Top 25 AP or Coaches Poll -- a Notre Dame win Saturday night and we'll back.  Here's a link to ESPN's "power rankings."

LINK:  ESPN COLLEGE FOOTBALL POWER RANKINGS

Here's Lane Kiffin on 710 AM Talkin' Irish...

University of Southern California head football coach Lane Kiffin was on the radio today in Los Angeles talkin' with Mark Willard about Saturday's game with our IRISH.  Here's a link to the interview on 710 AM:

LINK:  LANE KIFFIN ON THE RADIO

A New Video Feature @ ND -- IRISH UPDATE

The folks at UND.COM have "upped their game" big time over the past twelve months -- knocking out plenty of new content on a consistent basis!  I really like what they're doing.

Here's a new program called IRISH UPDATE -- which will be a weekly effort showcasing the 'olympic' sports at Notre Dame. 

LINK:  IRISH UPDATE

Five Days to USC -- But Who's Counting...

It's the week Notre Dame and USC fans get excited for every season.  Had the Irish not have "given away" their first two games of the season, this would have been THEE GAME in college football.  The boys in Vegas have ND has 8.5 pt. favorites over the Trojans.  Here's a few stories coming out of the "left coast:"

LINK:  SUNDAY PRACTICE AT USC

LINK:  SB NATION -- LOS ANGELES

LINK:  LA TIMES

LINK:  ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER

LINK:  ESPN LA

LINK:  NBC SPORTS

Rocket Relives His Two TD Returns @ Michigan

You just got to love Rocket Ismail -- Notre Dame needs to hire him...  He sure can tell a story.

LINK:  IRISH CONNECTION