Andy

I'd like to see Milwaukee get Kendall.

I think whoever escaped that two-game miniplayoff in the Big 12 would've gone over Oregon regardless.

Yeah, it's a complete travesty if McFadden wins the Heisman over Tebow.

I know you hate Notre Dame, but this is ridiculous. ND has at least two rivals - USC and Michigan. Maybe to ND and their fans, but not so much for the other team and their fans. That's the thing, my defineiton of a rivialry must include both teams (a) with a history, (b) a history that includes many important games, and © a history that includes some level of enmity. ND-Michigan is traditionally at the begining of the year, is out of conference, and aside from the John Carney kick hasn't included much in the way of drama. ND-USC is out of conference and the fate of the two teams is many times decided before the game begins. I don't think many USC teams have prepared their season to play ND. They are out of conference games.While USC/ND is out of conference, it's ludicrous to say their fates are decided before the game. I couldn't tell you the exact number, but USC and ND have played many a game in the rivalry where one team ruins the other's national title hopes and/or sends themselves on to one. 1964, 1973, 1977, 1988, and 2005 are five good examples of USC and ND ruining each other's title hopes, and in the last four cases, the winning team went on to play for a title of their own. One could say that about any team who plays a team who is going for a national title. If that is your definition, Illinois-OSU and Michigan State-OSU are big rivalrys. Live the dream! My final thought on the subject is remembering when Reggie Bush said of the 2005 win at ND: "This is the biggest win of my career." The man had already won a Rose Bowl and a national title.

I know you hate Notre Dame, but this is ridiculous. ND has at least two rivals - USC and Michigan. Maybe to ND and their fans, but not so much for the other team and their fans. That's the thing, my defineiton of a rivialry must include both teams (a) with a history, (b) a history that includes many important games, and © a history that includes some level of enmity. ND-Michigan is traditionally at the begining of the year, is out of conference, and aside from the John Carney kick hasn't included much in the way of drama. ND-USC is out of conference and the fate of the two teams is many times decided before the game begins. I don't think many USC teams have prepared their season to play ND. They are out of conference games.While USC/ND is out of conference, it's ludicrous to say their fates are decided before the game. I couldn't tell you the exact number, but USC and ND have played many a game in the rivalry where one team ruins the other's national title hopes and/or sends themselves on to one. 1964, 1973, 1977, 1988, and 2005 are five good examples of USC and ND ruining each other's title hopes, and in the last four cases, the winning team went on to play for a title of their own.

I know you hate Notre Dame, but this is ridiculous. ND has at least two rivals - USC and Michigan. And there's no Y in Rockne and there's an H in Parseghian. My pick is Army-Navy.

I don't know if that's a hard and fast rule, but I think it's already generally observed. Last year KU was 6-6, and everybody knew there was almost no chance they'd go to a bowl because, while eligible, there were too many 7-5 teams out there. Bowls must select teams with winning records before they can select a 6-6 team. I'm pretty sure that it includes 6-5 teams. If a conference doesn't have enough bowl-eligible teams for their tie-ins, then a bowl must select a team outside of the conference with a winning record before they can select a team outside of the conference with a 6-6 record. Hence why a 7-5 Ball State team might sneak into a bowl game even if they don't get a MAC tie-in, just as Northern Illinois did last season.

Ball State blows a 17-point lead and loses to UW-Milwaukee in overtime. Panthers made not one, but two ludicrous threes in the last ten seconds to tie it. Ball State will be 0-3 for the first time since 1973 after they get blasted by Georgetown next week.

They need to beat NIU and have Bowling Green either lose another game (@Buffalo or vs Toledo) or win the East (which would ensure BSU's 7-5 as the 3rd best record in the league). Basically for Ball State not to get in, BG and Miami would have to win out, putting Miami at 7-6 after CMU destroys them in the MAC title game, and BG at 8-4, which would leave BSU on the outside looking in. It's possible but I'd be surprised. And Nate Davis definitely has Colt Brennan potential. 25 TD to 6 INT this year, and half of those picks were tipped balls, and he's a sophomore. The scary thing is that his numbers could be so much better than they are, as he has just barely overshot receivers on deep balls probably 7 or 8 times this season.

It would help if the conference didn't refuse to play ND after September. Yea, scheduling Notre Dane would really help the Big Tens out of conference schedule lol. I sort of meant the ones who already do play them (Purdue, MSU, Michigan). They won't play them after September. Used to be under the guise of "not interrupting the conference season", but of course now at least one team in the conference plays an OOC patsy each week, rotating off.

ND 82, Long Island 50. Rob Kurz 19 points, 10 rebounds. Tory Jackson and Kyle McAlarney get 8 and 7 assists respectively and Luke Harangody adds 15 and 6. This season's gonna be fun.

It would help if the conference didn't refuse to play ND after September.

Speaking of stupid ADs, Notre Dame opens with San Diego State and Nevada the next two seasons respectively because of a horribly misguided decision to move the BYU game in 2004 to the opener as a 'tuneup' for Michigan. Naturally, we lost that game then beat Michigan. I hate playing non-BCS schools (other than Navy).

Yeah, as it turns out, if you'd beaten Iowa, you'd be going to the Rose Bowl regardless of UM/OSU.

It should have been Braun.

http://www.usatoday.com/sports/sagarin/fbt07.htm

If Mark DeRosa isn't in the opening day lineup behind anyone named Infante or Matsui, Hendry gets slapped.

With Tim Tebow, Percy Harvin and Zook's players. I feel obligated to bring this up anytime Meyer's title is mentioned since Weis has been absolutely roasted for only winning with Ty's players (ignoring that a good portion of the ND depth chart is still Ty's, would be more if he'd bothered recruiting for his last two offseasons). Speaking of, Ty's only good season at ND's helm came with Bob Davie's players, yet another thing that is conveniently ignored when this discussion comes up. I'm not trying to say Weis deserves outlandish praise or anything of the sort. I'm just saying anyone who says ND is hypocritical for firing Ty and keeping Weis is ignoring about a hundred other facts.

Weis has two top 10 recruiting classes already and the no. 1 ranked class for 2008. Ty had one top 10 class out of three and his last two were the two worst in ND history. Weis has shown a willingness to change assistant coaches when they show they aren't capable. Ty refused to fire Kent Baer, his defensive coordinator, no matter how absurdly bad the defense was. Ty didn't play Jeff Samardzija for two years. He played Ryan Grant over Julius Jones in 2003 - Grant infamously had more carries than Jones in the Pitt game where Jones broke the ND record for rushing yards in a game. Weis has eight more years on his contract, so firing him would be financially irresponsible. (Stupid to give him the extension in the first place, I know.) By the way, where's the bellyaching about Florida firing Ron Zook 2.5 years into his contract, with a better record than Willingham? Oh, Zook is white and Florida is currently winning so that makes it ok.

Just about everyone on Notre Dame's staff save Corwin Brown and possibly Bill Lewis (secondary coach) could possibly become available.

LSU 48, Virginia Tech 7

When does John Fox get canned? Two straight seasons he has completely ruined.

Ken Lucas :)

Games between ranked teams ----------------------------- (5) West Virginia at (21) Cincinnati (7:45 pm) (7) Ohio State at (23) Michigan (12 pm, ABC) (22) Kentucky at (8) Georgia (12:30 pm) (18) Boston College at (15) Clemson (7:45 pm) Good Top 25 games ------------------- (none) Top 25 mismatches ------------------ (1) LSU at Ole Miss (3:30 pm, CBS) (2) Oregon at Arizona (8 pm Thursday, ESPN) (3) Oklahoma at Texas Tech (9 pm, ABC) Iowa State at (4) Kansas (3:30 pm, ABC) (6) Missouri at Kansas State (12:30 pm) Miami at (10) Virginia Tech (3:30 pm, ABC) (13) Hawaii at Nevada (11 pm Friday, ESPN2) FL Atlantic at (14) Florida (12 pm) Idaho at (17) Boise State (3 pm) Vanderbilt at (19) Tennessee (2 pm) Northwestern at (20) Illinois (TBA) (24) Wisconsin at Minnesota (3:30 pm, Big 10) Syracuse at (25) Connecticut (12 pm, ESPN2) Other games of interest ----------------------- Toledo at Ball State (7:30 pm Tuesday, ESPN2) Mississippi State at Arkansas (2 pm) Duke at Notre Dame (2:30 pm, NBC) UL Monroe at Alabama (2:30 pm) Purdue at Indiana (3:30 pm, Big 10) W. Michigan at Iowa (3:30 pm, Big 10) N. Illinois at Navy (3:30 pm, CSTV) Penn State at Michigan State (3:30 pm, ABC) Colgate at Holy Cross (12:30 pm) S. Illinois at Hampton (1 pm) San Diego at UC Davis (4:30 pm) S. Utah at N. Iowa (6 pm)

Duke will be Notre Dame's 1st opponent this year that does not currently sport a winning record. I'm picking ND. I'm confident, but not supremely confident. That in itself tells you all you need to know.