SBT: Areas Notre Dame Needs to Improve

The South Bend Tribune's Notre Dame beat writer Eric Hansen authored a piece today on where the Fighting Irish need to improve on the most over the last five games of the season to be a "legitimate" Playoff contender:

LINK:  CONTENDER

OT: Izzo Has Some Fun in East Lansing Tonight

Michigan State head basketball coach Tom Izzo -- dressed up like a member of the band KISS -- as the Spartans celebrated the start of the 2014 - 2015 college basketball season this evening in East Lansing...

I wish we could create a night like this in South Bend.

LINK:  IZZO'S KISS

LINK:  VIDEO OF PERFORMANCE

LINK:  STORY

Golden Tate & Reggis Bush: London Dance Off

Former Notre Dame All-American Golden Tate and one-time Heisman Trophy recipient Reggie Bush -- hosted a dance competition in London.  The Domer and his teammates take on the Atlanta Falcons in the UK on Sunday...

LINK:  WATCH IT HERE

A Great Notre Dame Fighting Irish Pumpkin!

My wife Susan Small has an incredible art talent...

Here's one of her latest efforts.

Jimbo Goes Back to Meet With Alabama Media

This past Monday, Jimbo Fisher walked out on the media in Birmingham, AL after they asked him some questions about Jameis Winston.  He was in town for their Monday Morning Quarterback Club event.

He later went back to sit with the media members he walked out on -- here was that interview:

LINK:  JIMBO FISHER

LINK:  ESPN STORY

OT: So, What is Next for North Carolina?

Self reported: 18 years of academic fraud...

LINK:  INVESTIGATION

ND's VanGorder & Denbrock Meet the Media

Notre Dame Football's defensive and offensive coordinators met with the media for the first time in a few weeks to talk about the performance of their respective units.  Just click on the link below:

LINK:  COORDINATORS

Jewell Beats Clinton Portis In "Pop-A-Shot"

One of the fun things the girl and coaches got to do during Media Day was play "Pop-A-Shot" with ACC Digtial Media Host Clinton Portis.

You'll see Jewell's reaction when she beats Portis -- in the video linked below:

LINK:  POP A SHOT

Muffet's Fighting Irish Picked to Repeat in ACC

The Atlantic Coast Conference's Women's Basketball Media Day was held Monday at the Grandover Resort in Greensboro, NC -- and Notre Dame's Muffet McGraw and Jewell Loyd were in attendance.

The Fighting Irish -- who have never lost an ACC game -- received fourteen of the fifteen first place votes from the coaches (Duke received the other) in the preseason poll.  In the Media Poll -- Notre Dame received 38 of the 41 first place votes.

Jewell Loyd was named the "Preseason Player of the Year" and she was joined on the "Preseason First Team by her running mate at point guard Lindsay Allen.  Freshman Brianna Turner was named to the "Newcomer Watch List."

LINK:  ACC PRE-SEASON PICKS

ESPN: Can Notre Dame Edge Out a SEC Team?

The folks at ESPN -- who are partners with the SEC in the SEC NETWORK -- are asking the question does a "one-loss" Notre Dame team beat out a second SEC team from making the College Football Playoff?

See what they think:

LINK:  IS NOTRE DAME IN OR OUT?

Most Watched October College Game in History

Folks, the Notre Dame - Florida State football game was watched by more than 13 MILLION VIEWERS -- the largest TV crowd ever for an October college football televised game in history!

Notre Dame's Future ACC Football Schedule...

The folks at the Atlantic Coast Conference released the future football schedules (through 2025) involving their "new toy" -- the Notre Dame Fighting Irish -- in the wake of the most watched college football game EVER in the month of October!

LINK:  NOTRE DAME ACC SCHEDULE

OT: Nebraska's Pelini Calls out ESPN for Bias

The new College Football Playoff system is prompting coaches and their media outlets to do what they can to make sure their team, or their conference, is in the TOP FOUR...

Here's a "shot across ESPN's bow" by Nebraska head coach Bo Pelini:

LINK:  BIAS

The Oregonian: "PAC-12's Notre Dame Issue"

With nine weeks of college football in the books and the first ranking of teams upcoming from the College Football Playoff Committee (October 28) -- the media and coaches have begun their "lobbying" for their favorite teams...

Here's a columnist from The Oregonian -- who's worried about the "DUCKS" not getting into the Playoffs because of Notre Dame's success to date and their upcoming games against Arizona State and USC.

Take a look:

LINK:  NOTRE DAME

Stat of the Day: You Can't Make This Up...

Andrew Hendrix '14, Everett Golson and Gunner Kiel -- all one-time or current time Notre Dame QB's are tied this season with 19 total TD passes -- seventh best in college football.

They're also tied with a QB from Oregon named Mariota...

Thanks to @TurningPoint for uncovering this unique fact!

LINK:  COLLEGE QB TD PASSING STATS

Coach Kelly Looks Back at Florida State Game

Here is Notre Dame head coach Brian Kelly's weekly TV show -- Inside Notre Dame Football.  This week he looks back at Saturday night's game against Florida State...

LINK:  INSIDE NOTRE DAME FOOTBALL

Full Game Replay: Notre Dame vs. Florida State

If you can stomach this -- here's you link to watching the full game replay of Notre Dame's game with Florida State...

LINK:  FULL GAME REPLAY

Muffet & Staff Watch Sparty & Pistons Practice

The Notre Dame Women's Basketball coaching staff took a "road-trip" to Michigan to see the Detroit Pistons and Michigan State Spartans conduct their practices -- looking to learn a new trick or two or three...

Here they are with the Spartans' head coach Tom Izzo and Pistons' head coach Stan VanGundy...

Notre Dame fans might not be aware that MSU's Tom Izzo grew up a HUGE NOTRE DAME FAN in Michigan's Upper Peninsula.  He and his child-hood friend Steve Mariucci dreamed of coaching at Notre Dame -- see story below:

LINK:  IZZO -- NOTRE DAME FAN

Jimbo Fisher Walks Out of Media Interview...

Florida State head coach Jimbo Fisher walks away from media questions today -- he did however weigh in on the controversial play and Coach Kelly's comments...

Take a look at him walking out in the first link -- see all of his comments in the second:

LINK:  JIMBO

LINK:  TRANSCRIPT

The "Non-Call" on the Infamous Last Play...

Players can not take their helmet off on the field -- PERIOD.  It's an automatic "dead ball" 15 yard penalty.  The ACC head of officials apparently chose not to address this in his interview with the ACC Network yesterday...

If the call is made, Notre Dame gets the ball back -- automatic FIRST DOWN -- and we probably get two more shots from the 3 yard-line to win the game AGAIN in the final 13 seconds.

Here is an example of this being called by a BIG TEN official in Saturday's game between Maryland and Iowa.

LINK:  REMOVING HELMET PENALTY