Let's Play the "We Beat Them By More" Game

So, here's how the Notre Dame opponents fared this season -- against teams ranked ahead of the Fighting Irish.  And, how these teams (ranked ahead of the Irish) fared in their bowl games:


USC

• Beat #11 Utah by 5 points
• Lost to Notre Dame by 3 points 

Virginia

• Lost to #9 Florida by 8 points
• Lost to Notre Dame by 15 points

Georgia

• Beat Notre Dame by 6 points
• Beat #9 Florida by 7 points

Iowa State

• Lost to #16 Iowa by 1 point
• Lost to #7 Baylor by 2 points
• Lost to #4 Oklahoma by 1 point
• Lost to Notre Dame by 24 points

I'm hopeful the 11-2 Fighting Irish will move up in the final rankings -- here's how the teams ahead of us have fared so far in the Bowl Season, that we might overtake:

#4: Oklahoma -- lost to LSU (63 - 28) 
#11 Utah -- lost to Texas (38 - 10)

Muffet Talks First ACC Home Loss in History

Not a happy camper...

Notre Dame "Wired" at Camping World Bowl!

Iowa State Beat Writers Talk Loss to IRISH!

Took a lap around the worldwide web to see what the good folks in Iowa and Orlando had to say about Notre Dame's complete win over Iowa State today in the Camping World Bowl.

LINK:  DES MOINES REGISTER

LINK:  AMES TRIBUNE

LINK:  ORLANDO SENTINEL

Fighting Irish Talk Camping World Bowl Victory!

Final Media Session -- Camping World Bowl

Inside Notre Dame Foootball: Bowl Edition

Des Moines Register Writer Talks Notre Dame

Here's a few stories posted this week by the Iowa State beat writer at the Des Moines Register...

LINK:  OL SHUFFLING?

LINK:  ND COULD BE LAUNCH PAD FOR QB

LINK:  LOYAL FANS

Iowa State "D" Coach Talks Notre Dame Game

LINK: STORY

Coach Kelly Talks With Media Before Practice

Chris Finke Before Camping World Bowl Prep

Coach Kelly Talks About Day 2 in Orlando...

Coach Brian Kelly Talks Day 1 in Orlando...

Notre Dame Athletics: Merry Christmas!

The folks at Fighting Irish Media -- "knocked it out of the park" with this storytelling!

Notre Dame Football: Christmas Surprise!

Notre Dame's Advent Series: December 25

MERRY CHRISTMAS!

Notre Dame Wishes You a Merry Christmas!

Notre Dame student-athletes gathered to wish us all a Merry Christmas!

ESPN: "Can Notre Dame Maintain Its Position"

Silent Night, Holy Night -- from Notre Dame!

The gentleman on the left --"doubles" as the Notre Dame Leprechaun!

Notre Dame's Advent Series: December 23

Notre Dame's Defense Talks Bowl Preparation

Notre Dame's Advent Series: December 22

Notre Dame's Offense Talks Bowl Preparation

Brian Kelly Talks Bowl Prep for Notre Dame

Notre Dame's Advent Series: December 21

Notre Dame's Defensive Staff Talk Recruits

Notre Dame's Advent Series: December 20

Notre Dame's Offensive Staff Talks Recruiting

Brian Polian Talks About Notre Dame's Class

Notre Dame's Advent Series: December 19

Coach Kelly Talks About 2020 Signing Class

Notre Dame's Advent Series: December 18

Notre Dame Coaches Talking To Recruits!

National Signing Day for Notre Dame Football

OFFENSE












DEFENSE 











SPECIALIST 




Here's a link to the BIO's of the entire Notre Dame Football 2020 recruiting class -- CLICK ON THIS

Notre Dame's Advent Series: December 18

The Fighting Irish of Notre Dame Y'all !!!

OT: Rich Eisen Says Good-Bye to His Dad...

Yes, he's from that school in Ann Arbor -- but, I thought what he said today was worth sharing to all...

Domer Mark Baldwin Earns Back His Tour Card

The former Fighting Irish golf star -- shot a fifteen under (-15) score over the final four rounds of the Korn Ferry Tour Qualifying event in Winter Gardens, FL.  Mark's score was good for a 13th place finish -- earning him starts in eight Korn Ferry Tour events in 2020.

Congrats Mark!!!

Here's a video of Mark making an eagle, earlier this year at the PGA Tour's 3M Open.

LINK:  GREAT SHOT

Notre Dame's Advent Series: December 17

The "Un-Talked About" Story on Recruiting...

It's a term called "over-signing" and some college football programs are willing to do more of it, than others...

Remember -- the NCAA limits FBS teams to 85 full scholarships on their football roster.  

Here's a look at the last four signing classes (2016, 2017, 2018 and 2019) for the teams going into this year's College Football Playoff  -- compared to Notre Dame, Alabama, Georgia, Michigan and USC.

I've also added in a comparison of total wins over the last three football seasons (including bowls / playoffs):

LSU:

• 2016:  27 -- 2nd ranked class
• 2017:  24 -- 7th ranked class
• 2018:  22 -- 15th ranked class
• 2019:  25 -- 5th ranked class
• Total / Avg: 98 signed -- 7.25 average class rank
• Total wins -- last three seasons:  32

OHIO STATE:

• 2016:  25 -- 4th ranked class
• 2017:  21 -- 2nd ranked class
• 2018:  28 -- 2nd ranked class
• 2019:  17 -- 14th ranked class
• Total / Avg:  91 signed -- 5.5 average class rank
• Total wins -- last three seasons:  38

CLEMSON:

• 2016:  21 -- 11th ranked class
• 2017:  14 -- 16th ranked class
• 2018:  17 -- 7th ranked class
• 2019:  29 -- 10th ranked class
• Total / Avg: 81 signed -- 11.0 average class rank
• Total games won -- last three seasons:  39

OKLAHOMA:

• 2016:  21 --19th ranked class
• 2017:  28 -- 8th ranked class
• 2018:  23 -- 9th ranked class
• 2019:  24 -- 6th ranked class
• Total / Avg:  96 signed -- 10.5 average class rank
• Total games won -- last three seasons:  36

ALABAMA:

• 2016:  25 -- 1st ranked class
• 2017:  29 -- 1st ranked class
• 2018:  22 -- 5th ranked class
• 2019:  27 -- 1st ranked class
• Total / Avg: 103 signed -- 2.0 average class rank
• Total games won -- last three seasons:  37

GEORGIA:

• 2016:  23 -- 6th ranked class
• 2017:  26 -- 3rd ranked class
• 2018:  26 -- 1st ranked class
• 2019:  25 -- 2nd ranked class
• Total / Avg: 100 signed -- 3.0 average class rank
• Total games won -- last three seasons:  35

USC:

• 2016:  21 -- 10th ranked class
• 2017:  24 -- 4th ranked class
• 2018:  18 -- 4th ranked class
• 2019:  25 -- 20th ranked class
• Total:  88 signed -- 9.5 average class rank
• Total games won -- last three seasons:  24

MICHIGAN:

• 2016:  28 -- 8th ranked class
• 2017:  30 -- 5th ranked class
• 2018:  19 -- 22nd ranked class
• 2019:  26 -- 8th ranked class
• Total: 103 signed -- 10.75 average class rank
• Total games won -- last three seasons:  27

NOTRE DAME:

• 2016:  23 -- 15th ranked class
• 2017:  21 -- 10th ranked class
• 2018:  27 -- 10th ranked class
• 2019:  22 -- 16th ranked class
• Total:  93 signed -- 12.75 average class rank
• Total games won -- last three seasons: 32

 Sources:  247Sports for Recruiting info and ESPN for season wins

Notre Dame's Advent Series: December 16

A Notre Dame Family's Tribute to Eli Manning

John and Mary Beth Wilcox (Long Island, NY) parents of three Domers; Alex '16, Christopher '20 and Julia '23 -- are lifelong fans of the New York Giants.

They're also big fans of Eli Manning, who likely made his last home start for the Giants.  To show their appreciation for Manning -- the Wilcox's brought their home made signs to MetLife Stadium yesterday for the Giants win over the Dolphins.

That is John and Mary Beth holding up their signs for Eli on the cover of today's New York Daily News.  (John and Mary Beth are furthest left in the image above).

Got to love devoted fans like this!

Notre Dame's Recruiting Class -- Hype Video

The early signing period for Notre Dame Football begins this Wednesday, December 18th!

Notre Dame's Advent Series: December 15

A Nice Win Over UCLA for Notre Dame

Notre Dame's Advent Series: December 14

Coach Kelly With Media After Bowl Practice #1

My Favorite "Non-Notre Dame" Football Game

The 120th Army vs. Navy game begins today at 3 PM ET on CBS.  I hope to see this game in person someday...

Chase Claypool Named Notre Dame's MVP

Keep An Eye Out For This Before Christmas...

Had some fun last night with seven Notre Dame student-athletes and the Notre Dame Leprechaun -- filming a Christmas message for the Rockne Athletics Fund.

Left to right in photo above:  Mikayla Vaughn (basketball), Myron Tagovailoa-Amosa (football), Marist Liufau (football), Abby Sweet (softball), Sam Jackson (Leprechaun), Hannah Thompson (volleyball), Liam Eichenberg (football) and Jemma Yeadon (volleyball).

Click on photo to enlarge.

Notre Dame's Advent Series: December 13

Know Thy Bowl Opponent: Iowa State vs KSU

Muffet & Frosh Talk Loss to #16 DePaul

Notre Dame's Advent Series: December 12

Know Thy Bowl Opponent: Iowa State vs Texas

Notre Dame's Advent Series: December 11

ND Students Sing Silent Night in Holy Land

Know Thy Bowl Opponent: ISU vs OK State

Notre Dame Continues to Buck National Trends

The total number of donors to the University of Notre Dame continues to rise -- this is not the norm (see Against The Odds linked below).

And, If you don't think every gift matters -- think about this for a second...

Gifts of less than $200 (taken in during the last academic year) have paid for the full cost of attendance for 43 students to attend the University of Notre Dame this year.


LINK:  AGAINST THE ODDS


LINK:  MAKE A GIFT TO NOTRE DAME

Notre Dame's Advent Series: December 10

Know Thy Bowl Opponent: Iowa State vs Iowa

Iowa State's Coach & Players Talk Notre Dame

This will be Iowa State's first ever football game against Notre Dame...

A Notre Dame Family Receives Game Ball...

This one meant more.

For Tony🙏 #FootballisFamily pic.twitter.com/exQSEKfCSb

— San Francisco 49ers (@49ers) December 9, 2019

 
The York family owns the San Francisco 49ers...

John York (Dad), Jed York (Son) are Notre Dame grads. Mom (Denise Debartolo York) is a Saint Mary's College grad...

John and Denise's son Tony, committed suicide a year ago.  Tony attended Tulane University -- which is located in New Orleans...

Notre Dame's Advent Series: December 9

Know Thy Bowl Opponent: ISU vs. Baylor

Know Thy Bowl Opponent: ISU vs. Oklahoma

Looking For Camping World Bowl Tickets?

Here's the detail on Notre Dame's upcoming Camping World Bowl game in Orlando...

• Date:  Saturday, December 28th
• Time:  Noon ET
• Opponent:  Iowa State Cyclones

And, here's what Notre Dame has planned for the Bowl game:  ND BOWL ACTIVITIES

LINK:  GET YOUR TICKETS HERE

Notre Dame's Advent Series: December 8

Notre Dame's Scott Malpass on Fox Business

How Many of These Two & Three Loss Teams...

Will be ranked ahead of our Fighting Irish tomorrow when they release the final College Football Playoff Rankings?:

Here's a look at the resumes of each of these teams (two or more losses) that are currently ranked ahead of Notre Dame:


#3 GEORGIA:  11 - 2

• Wins over teams currently ranked:  3
• Wins over teams with 8 or more wins:  3
• Biggest win of the season:  #9 Florida

#5 UTAH: 11 - 2

• Wins over teams currently ranked:  0
• Wins over teams with 8 or more wins:  0
• Biggest win of the season:  Washington

#7 BAYLOR:  11 - 2

• Wins over teams currently ranked:  1
• Wins over teams with 8 or more wins: 2
• Biggest win of the season:  #25 Oklahoma State

#8 WISCONSIN:  10 -3

• Wins over teams currently ranked:  3
• Wins over teams with 8 or more wins:  3
• Biggest win of the season:  #14 Michigan

#9 FLORIDA:  10 - 2 

• Wins over teams currently ranked:  1
• Wins over teams with 8 or more wins:  1
• Biggest win of the season:  #11 Auburn

#10 PENN STATE:  10 - 2

• Wins over teams currently ranked:  2
• Wins over teams with 8 or more wins:  2
• Biggest win of the season:  #14 Michigan

#11 AUBURN:  9 - 3

• Wins over teams currently ranked:  2
• Wins over teams with 8 or more wins: 2
• Biggest win of the season:  #12 Alabama

#12 ALABAMA:  10 - 2

• Wins over teams currently ranked:  0
• Wins over teams with 8 or more wins:  0
• Biggest win of the season:  Texas A&M

#13 OREGON:  11 - 2

• Wins over teams currently ranked:  2
• Wins over teams with 8 or more wins: 2
• Biggest win of the season:  #5 Utah

#14 MICHIGAN:  9 - 3

• Wins over teams currently ranked:  2
• Wins over teams with 8 or more wins:  2
• Biggest win of the season:  #15 Notre Dame

#15 NOTRE DAME:  10 - 2

• Wins over teams currently ranked:  3
• Wins over teams with 8 or more wins:  4
• Biggest win of the season:  #22 USC

BOLD indicates this team leads in this area.


LINK:  COLLEGE FOOTBALL PLAYOFF RANKINGS

OT: Ferris State's on to NCAA Div II Semi's

For the third time in the last four seasons -- the Ferris State Bulldogs (my alma mater) have made it to the Final Four in the NCAA Division II National Championship Playoffs...

The Bulldogs are 72 - 7 over the last six seasons -- the winningest program in all of college football.

Notre Dame's Advent Series: December 7

OT: A Must Read Story About "The Game" in NJ

Wow -- this is the first I've heard of this story, this game...

A special shout out to Notre Dame alum Pat Scanlon for alerting me to this story!


LINK:  MUST READ

Notre Dame's Advent Series: December 6

Army / Navy Gear -- My Favorite Non-ND Game

I always look forward to this football game...

Go Navy!

Notre Dame's Advent Series: December 5

My Granddaughter's First Year as a ND Fan!

Happy Birthday #1 to Kinley Joan Walsh -- I hope you'll remember your first lap of the Sun -- forever!

Your Grandpa Jim! 

Kinley's "first" birthday cake...

Inside Look at Notre Dame's Win Over Stanford

Domer Counsell Named Manager of the Year!

Baseball America just announced this evening that Notre Dame alum Craig Counsell -- manager of the Milwaukee Brewers -- is their Manager of the Year in Major League Baseball for 2019!

Congrats Craig!


LINK:  MANAGER OF THE YEAR

Notre Dame's Advent Series: December 4

Notre Dame Behind Teams With < Resumes

Well, I guess it doesn't matter who you have beaten -- or, who you have played.  The latest College Football Playoff Rankings were just released and the Fighting Irish have been parked in a spot as low as they could possibly be ranked...

Oh, well -- go win a bowl game.

LINK:  RANKINGS

Hawaii TV Station Reporting That Manti Te'o...

Has signed a contract with his former team -- the New Orleans Saints!

LINK:  STORY

Notre Dame's Advent Series: December 3

Replay: Muffet McGraw's Radio Show Monday

Notre Dame's Advent Series -- December 2

Notre Dame's Advent Series -- December 1

Chase Claypool's Ride Home to Notre Dame...

Have to admit -- this would have been the perfect way for Chase Claypool to have traveled home to Notre Dame last night after the way the Canadian star played on the Pacific Coast last night.

The Canadian Pacific Holiday Train passed through South Bend just after midnight...

Notre Dame Players Talk Win Over Stanford

Fighting Irish Bounce Back and Beat #21 USF

Muffet's Fighting Irish bounce back after losing two games in two days -- to beat the #21 ranked team in the country.

Stanford's Shaw & Players Talk Loss to IRISH

Coach Kelly Talks 45 - 24 Win Over Stanford

Here Are All of the 10-2 Ranked Teams...

Thought we'd start the argument right now -- these are all of the 10-2 teams in college football that are ranked ahead of Notre Dame in the College Football Playoff Rankings.

I ask the question -- does Notre Dame deserve to be ranked higher than any of these teams?


#5  ALABAMA -- beat 9 FBS teams

• Wins over teams currently ranked:  0
• Wins over FBS teams with 8+ wins:  0  
• FBS opponents' wins:  65

#8  FLORIDA -- beat 8 FBS teams

• Wins over teams currently ranked: 1
• Wins over FBS teams with 8+ wins:  1
• FBS opponents' wins: 70

#10  MINNESOTA -- beat 10 FBS teams

• Wins over teams currently ranked: 1
• Wins over FBS teams with 8+ wins:  2
• FBS opponents' wins:  72

#12  PENN STATE -- beat 9 FBS teams

• Wins over teams currently ranked: 2
• Wins over FBS teams with 8+ wins: 3
• FBS opponents' wins:  77

#13  WISCONSIN -- beat 10 FBS teams

• Wins over teams currently ranked: 2
• Wins over FBS teams with 8+ wins: 2
• FBS opponents' wins:  82

#14  OREGON -- beat 9 FBS teams

• Wins over teams currently ranked: 1
• Wins over FBS teams with 8+ wins: 1
• FBS opponents' wins:  69

#16  NOTRE DAME -- beat 10 FBS teams

• Wins over teams currently ranked: 3
• Wins over FBS teams with 8+ wins: 4
• FBS opponents' wins:  81*  -- Navy still has one game to play

Bold connotes leader in this category.


LINK:  COLLEGE FOOTBALL PLAYOFF RANKINGS

Stanford's "Motivational Video" For Today...

Notre Dame takes on Stanford -- today at 4 PM ET on FOX.

Go Irish!

In Muffet's Fighting Irish's 4 Losses...

Here's what has transpired in the four games that Notre Dame has lost so far this season -- as you'll see, something different each night has cost the Irish...


TENNESSEE LOSS (74 - 63)

• Notre Dame shot poorly from the field:  31.4%
• Tennessee shot great from the field:  47.1%
• Tennessee made 42.1% of their three point attempts // Notre Dame hit 28%
• Tennessee had 15 offensive rebounds to Notre Dame's 11
• Tennessee took 8 more foul shots than Notre Dame

MICHIGAN STATE LOSS (72 - 69)

• Notre Dame out shot MSU -- 48% to 40.3%
• MSU made 8 three pointers to Notre Dame's 3 (yet ND hit a higher percentage)
• Notre Dame took 15 more free throw attempts than MSU -- but missed 13 of them
• MSU had 20 offensive rebounds to Notre Dame's 13
• Notre Dame blocked 8 shots to MSU's 4 blocks

FLORIDA GULF COAST LOSS (69 - 60)

• Florida Gulf Coast made 9 three pointers to Notre Dame's 3
• Florida Gulf Coast had 14 offensive rebounds to Notre Dame's 7
• Notre Dame had 25 turnovers to Florida Gulf Coast's 10
• Florida Gulf Coast took 71 shots compared to 49 for Notre Dame
• Notre Dame out shot Florida Gulf Coast 46.9% to 38% 

SOUTH DAKOTA STATE LOSS (65 - 59)

• Notre Dame was 1 for 17 from behind the three point line
• South Dakota State had 18 offensive rebounds to Notre Dame's 5
• South Dakota State had 22 turnovers to Notre Dame's 10

Just a FYI -- Notre Dame's women's basketball program has not lost more than 4 games since the 2010-11 season.  That year they ended up going 31 - 8, losing the NCAA Championship game to Texas A&M...

It's Been 26 Years Since Notre Dame...

The last time Notre Dame football won at least 10 games in three straight seasons was 1991-1993...

Happy Thanksgiving From Notre Dame!

Every year, our storytelling team produces a Thanksgiving story...

Happy Thanksgiving!

Notre Dame's P.A. Annoucner -- Doing Okay

Mike Collins '67 -- the longtime public address announcer at Notre Dame Stadium had to step away from the microphone at halftime of Saturday's game with Boston College...

Here's why...

LINK:  STORY

OT: A Huge Upset in College Basketball

They are calling it the "biggest upset in college basketball in 15 years..."

Stephen F. Austin defeated #1 Duke -- breaking a 150 game home winning streak for the Blue Devils against non-conference opponents.

Fairleigh Dickinson Coach Confesses His Sin...

Fairleigh Dickinson went 0-18 to start tonight's game against Notre Dame.

Head Coach @CoachHerenda believes he may be responsible. pic.twitter.com/PseJFXPPdG

— Adam Derengowski (@AdamDerWSBT) November 27, 2019

Notre Dame vs. The Teams Ahead -- To Top 10

Well, it appears the College Football Playoff Committee must have watched just one Notre Dame game this year -- and it was on a cold, rainy night in Ann Arbor...

As we stand today -- there are six teams between us and a TOP TEN finish -- which would guarantee us a New Year's Six Bowl Game.

The odds are definitely against us -- but that's okay.  Here's a "Notre Dame view" of the resumes of the teams ahead of us in the College Football Playoff Rankings -- and, what needs to happen this weekend in college football for our Fighting Irish to move up:


#10  PENN STATE:

• 9-2 on the season
• Signature win: #13 Michigan
• Losses to: #1 Ohio State and #8 Minnesota
• Games against FBS opponents: 10 -- played one FCS team
• Wins over FBS teams with 8+ wins: 2
• No chance of losing final game --- they play Rutgers 

#11  FLORIDA:

• 9-2 on the season
• Signature win: #15 Auburn
• Losses to: #2 LSU and #4 Georgia
• Games against FBS opponents: 9 -- played two FCS teams 
• Wins over FBS teams with 8+ wins: 1
• They play Florida State -- Gators favored by 17.5 points

#12  WISCONSIN:

• 9-2 on the season
• Signature win:  #13 Michigan
• Losses to: Illinois and #1 Ohio State
• Games against FBS opponents: 11
• Wins over FBS teams with 8+ wins: 2
• They play at #8 Minnesota -- Wisconsin favored by 2.5 points 

#13  MICHIGAN:

• 9-2 on the season
• Signature win:  #16 Notre Dame
• Losses to: #12 Wisconsin and #10 Penn State
• Games against FBS opponents: 11
• Wins over FBS teams with 8+ wins: 2
• They play Ohio State -- Buckeyes favored by 9 points

#14  OREGON:

• 9-2 on the season
• Signature win: #22 USC
• Losses to: #15 Auburn and Arizona State
• Games against FBS opponents: 10 -- played one FCS team
• Wins over FBS teams with 8+ wins: 1
• They play Oregon State -- Ducks favored by 19.5 points

#15  AUBURN:

• 8-3 on the season
• Signature win:  #14 Oregon
• Losses to:  #11 Florida, #2 LSU and #4 Georgia 
• Games against FBS opponents: 10 -- played on FCS team
• Wins over FBS teams with 8+ wins: 1
• They play #5 Alabama -- Bama favored by 3.5 points

#16  NOTRE DAME:

• 9-2 on the season
• Signature win: #22 USC 
• Losses to: #4 Georgia and #13 Michigan
• Games against FBS opponents: 11
• Wins over FBS teams with 8+ wins: 4
• We play at Stanford -- Irish favored by 14 points

MY OBSERVATION:

If you look at these aforementioned facts -- I believe Notre Dame should be ranked at the very least #14 -- ahead of Oregon and Auburn;

• Oregon has a bad loss to Arizona State (6-5) and only one win over a FBS team with 8+ wins this season
• Auburn has three losses -- and only one win over a FBS team with 8+ wins this season
• Notre Dame has four wins over FBS teams with 8+ wins this season

Now, let's assume that Notre Dame clobbers Stanford -- and the following happens on Saturday:

• Ohio State beats Michigan -- does a 10-2 Notre Dame jump the 9-3 Wolverines?
• Minnesota upsets Wisconsin -- does a 10-2 Notre Dame jump the 9-3 Badgers?
• Alabama beats Auburn -- does a 10-2 Notre Dame jump the 8-4 Tigers? 

It looks like our highest final ranking would be #13 -- which does not look like it will get us into a New Year's Six Bowl.

Behind The Scenes Look at ND Over BC

David Shaw Talks Notre Dame vs. Stanford

What Though The Odds -- Notre Dame!

Stanford Week: Brian Kelly's Monday Presser

ND Student Athlete Chases Down Thief...

You're going to want to read this entire story...

LINK:  THE RIGHT THING TO DO

Stanford Week: Coming Off Loss to California

A Day In The Life of Paul Moala -- ND Football

Their First Time Experiencing Notre Dame...

Mike and Melissa Palelli made their first-ever visit to the campus of the University of Notre Dame this weekend and they made it very special...

Melissa was celebrating her 40th birthday -- so Mike (a member of the United States Coast Guard) surprised his wife with a trip to see her long-time favorite college football team, the Fighting Irish.  Melissa was introduced to Notre Dame Football by her Dad -- watching games on TV back home in Massachusetts.

Saturday morning -- Mike got down on one knee and "re-proposed" to his wife, inside Notre Dame Stadium, giving Melissa a "Notre Dame Claddagh Ring" to go with her wedding ring.

Mike and Melissa -- hope to see you back at Notre Dame again, soon!

BC Coach Talks 40-7 Loss to Notre Dame...

Domer Hornung's "Heisman House" Debut!

He's the only Heisman Trophy winner in history on a "losing team" -- as his 1956 Notre Dame team went 2-8...

I doubt this will ever happen again.

Brian Kelly Talks Win Over Boston College

One Last Time for Notre Dame's Class of 2020

This is what Notre Dame Stadium looked like -- forty-seven minutes after the 40-7 win over Boston College.  Members of Notre Dame's Class of 2020 were invited onto the field, along with the Fighting Irish who wore their Gold Helmets for the last time in the House That Rock Built.

Click on image above to enlarge.

Ranked Teams On Notre Dame's Schedule...

With just one game left on Notre Dame's 2019 football schedule -- I thought I'd take a look at all of the teams that have been ranked, at some point this season -- that the Fighting Irish have played...

TEAMS THAT HAVE BEEN RANKED -- SEVEN!

• GEORGIA
• VIRGINIA
• MICHIGAN
• USC
• VIRGINIA TECH
• NAVY
• STANFORD

Here's the current Top 10 ranked teams -- and how many teams on their schedule that have been ranked:

• LSU:  4 opponents; Texas, Florida, Auburn and Alabama
• Ohio State:  5 opponents; Indiana, Michigan State, Wisconsin, Penn State and Michigan
• Clemson: 2 opponents;  Texas A&M and Wake Forest
• Georgia:  4 opponents; Notre Dame, Florida, Auburn and Texas A&M
• Alabama: 3 opponents; Texas A&M, LSU and Auburn
• Oregon: 4 opponents; Auburn, Washington, USC and Arizona State
• Utah:  4 opponents; USC, Arizona State, Washington State and Washington
• Penn State: 5 opponents; Iowa, Minnesota, Indiana, Michigan and Ohio State
• Oklahoma: 3 opponents; Texas, Baylor and Oklahoma State
• Minnesota: 3 opponents; Penn State, Iowa and Wisconsin 

So, if you hear anything about STRENGTH OF SCHEDULE, or NOTRE DAME DOESN'T PLAY IN A CONFERENCE or, NOTRE DAME DOESN'T PLAY ANYBODY -- use this ammunition.

Notre Dame Beats #21 Michigan in Ann Arbor!

Big confidence win for Muffet's Fighting Irish -- beating a ranked team on the road.  And, a break-out game for Destinee Walker -- who scored 27 for Notre Dame...

LINK:  STATS

The Fighting Irish Put Boston College Away...

Big second half for Notre Dame as they roll over Boston College by the score of 40 - 7.

LINK:  STATS

Notre Dame's Latest 'Fighting For' Ad

Notre Dame Football on NBC Sports Network

If I wasn't going to the game -- this is the channel where I would be tuning in to for today's Boston College vs. Notre Dame football game.  NBC Sports Network will have a "Notre Dame" crew handling the broadcast...

You can watch this -- rather than listening to a BC grad (Flutie) and a Syracuse grad (Tirico) on NBC.

LINK:  MORE ON THIS ALTERNATIVE BROADCAST

Brian Kelly Radio Show: Boston College Week

Flutie & Tirico Join Boston College Team Today

 

NBC's Notre Dame Football broadcast crew met with the Boston College Eagles this afternoon when they arrived at Notre Dame Stadium...

The "Three" That Sent the Game Into Overtime

For those of us who don't have the ACC Network -- and were crazy enough to follow the "play by play" description on the ESPN app -- you saw that the game was over and Notre Dame had lost...

Not so fast my friend...

Replay: Notre Dame's OT Win Over Toledo

It Is Never Over -- Until It's Over!

Four Seniors Talk About Last Home Game...

Know Thy Opponent: Boston College

Here's a look at Boston College's last game action -- a loss to Florida State...

A Must Read Story About a Notre Dame Dad...

A Notre Dame grad and DAD -- shares his story...

LINK:  DIAGNOSED WITH A.L.S.

One Republic to Play at Notre Dame in April

The date is Saturday, April 25th -- the eve of Notre Dame Day 2020!  Tickets go on sale Wednesday, November 27th at 10 AM ET.

The concert will kick off Idea Week at Notre Dame.

LINK:  TICKET INFO

Boston College Players Talk Notre Dame Game

Brey's Irish Remain Undefeated At Home

BC Coach Talks Notre Dame Preparation...

A Notre Dame Football Mom...

Here's the story on Fox News' Martha MacCallum -- who just happens to be the mother of Notre Dame Football's Reed Gregory...

LINK:  STORY HERE

Sidelined by Addiction...

Mike Heuerman, a former Notre Dame football player, has returned to campus after dealing with an addiction to pain killers...

National Rankings: Notre Dame Teams

Took a lap around the worldwide web this evening -- tracking down where Notre Dame teams are currently ranked, that are in season...

• Notre Dame Hockey -- #3
• Notre Dame Men's Golf -- #7
• Notre Dame Men's Cross Country -- #12
• Notre Dame Men's Swimming -- #13
• Notre Dame Football -- #15
• Notre Dame Women's Swimming -- #17
• Notre Dame Women's Cross Country -- #19
• Notre Dame Men's Soccer -- #19 
• Notre Dame Women's Soccer -- #23

Here's the list of Notre Dame teams in season -- who are not currently ranked:  Men's Basketball, Women's Basketball, Women's Golf and Women's Volleyball.

The photo above is from Notre Dame's recent win over #9 Ohio State.

Harbaugh's Daughter Signs With Notre Dame

It's National Letter of Intent Day, so Coach Harbaugh had a special announcement... 💜

Congratulations, Alison! pic.twitter.com/7oRCQZ1Q3F

— Baltimore Ravens (@Ravens) November 13, 2019