Mmm. KofC's steak sammiches. I want one for breakfast.
SeanH | Email | Homepage | 10.25.06 - 10:30 am | #

Looks like Charlie swallowed Quinn's head?
schwappy | Email | Homepage | 10.25.06 - 11:21 am | #

Any pics of the offensive line blocking anybody?
Anonymous | Email | Homepage | 10.25.06 - 11:45 am | #

They would actually have to block someone for there to be pictures
Paul | Email | Homepage | 10.25.06 - 12:03 pm | #

how does someone like matt cashore have the nerves to keep steady and snap a shot right at the climax of a play like that? that's a true professional, i'd have a blurry photo of the cameraman's armpit next to me.
Fred | Email | Homepage | 10.25.06 - 12:18 pm | #

so did anybody notice the picture in the SB tribune where we got called for the BS pass interference call to keep the UCLA drive alive? In the picture, in cant get any clearer that it was Junior Taylor grabbing Terrail Lambert's arm and not the other way around. Unbelievable.
irishguy | Email | Homepage | 10.25.06 - 12:42 pm | #

Only at the Hammes Bookstore would they charge $6 for an effing box of Wheaties.
MattyC | Email | Homepage | 10.25.06 - 12:49 pm | #

Great photos, but can we have more cheerleader shots next time too?
PM | Email | Homepage | 10.25.06 - 1:00 pm | #

Hannah Storm wrote a book? Why?
Eddie | Email | Homepage | 10.25.06 - 1:27 pm | #

Guys - love the site.
Long time reader, first time writer. This is just an interesting tidbit, not meant to start any rumors. I was at the UCLA game and on Sunday was shopping in the bookstore when I noticed Ryan Miller (OT recruit from Colorado) with his arms full of ND stuff. Good omen?
LA Domer | Email | Homepage | 10.25.06 - 2:06 pm | #

LA Domer-
Unfortunately, It appears that Ryan Miller gave a verbal commitment to Colorado today. At least that's what Rivals and Scout are reporting...
eldrain | Email | Homepage | 10.25.06 - 2:34 pm | #

Colorado?


Looks like those stippers and prostitutes are back at it. Why the hell would anyone want to go to that sink-hole of a program?
Brad | Email | Homepage | 10.25.06 - 2:48 pm | #

Man, how do we lose a kid to a school who can't beat a DII school? Never underestimate the stupidity of youth, but still I wish the kid luck and hope he renegs on his verbal. Sorry Dan Hawkins.
Stupidity of youth | Email | Homepage | 10.25.06 - 2:48 pm | #

Exhibit A as to why I don't get worked up about recruiting.

Tell me who is coming and I will try to find out if they are any good.
SeanH | Email | Homepage | 10.25.06 - 3:01 pm | #

My favorite - and the one on my desktop - is the one below from Sunday, of a Shark foot in the momentary grasp of a laid-out #33.
onehipdad | Email | Homepage | 10.25.06 - 3:27 pm | #

I don't follow the recruiting as closely as everyone else here seems to follow it, so I went to the Rivals.com website and saw headline about Miller. I saw the link about the rankings for the various classes, so I checked them out. I had forgotten just how bad the recruiting was prior to Weis. Easy to see why Ty is gone (not to beat a dead horse) and if anyone can't see that, they are blind.
ND'90 | Email | Homepage | 10.25.06 - 3:38 pm | #

http://sports.espn.go.com/espn/p...ge=gallo/ 061025

I feel like burying my foot in DJ Gallo's ass. Let's hope the O-line buckles down the rest of the season so I don't have to read this garbage.
ND09 | Email | Homepage | 10.25.06 - 4:02 pm | #

First order of business. Let's all ignore the DJ Gallo article linked above. Please. It would be a better use of your time to go argue physics with the crazy guy hanging outside your local 7/11. Just let it pass by like a fart in the wind.

As for Miller choosing Colorado, it's his home state school so I can certainly understand wanting to stay close to family, especially when you live in a beautiful part of the country like that. And while the Buffs are pretty bad right now, I think Hawkins is a pretty good coach and will turn things around soon enough.
Pat | Email | Homepage | 10.25.06 - 4:08 pm | #

Dam! I read the article and now I am mad. I don't want to start anything but this is worth bringing up. Check out the following:

"Let's see … what else befuddles me? Oh, yeah: How you claim to hold everything about Notre Dame sacred, yet spend every Saturday afternoon on the sideline dropping F-bombs every other word and cussing out officials, all in the shadow of "Touchdown Jesus" and with a priest standing a few yards away. Sure, that's being a bit picky, I suppose, but I'm #^&*ing befuddled by it nonetheless."

DJ Gallo must not know many Catholics or never have played golf with one.
Stupidity of youth | Email | Homepage | 10.25.06 - 4:29 pm | #

"like a fart in the wind"...

That's great, nicely done, Pat.

I started to read the article too and got pretty ticked. I guess I shouldn't put much purchase in a guy who admittedly says in his "articles" that he makes everything up. What a maroon.
Whitey | Email | Homepage | 10.25.06 - 4:32 pm | #

$6 box of cereal.

That's why I'm still saving my old textbooks in a box in the basement. I'm going to come back and sell them. They must be worth a ton by now.

Yup.

Then I'm going to the Huddle for a goumet meal. Or maybe I'll go to the North Dining Hall.

Yup.

Then I'm going to be Rudy and walk on for the offensive line.

Yup.
Jim '72 | Email | Homepage | 10.25.06 - 4:39 pm | #

On the subject of the sports media, This morning Colin Cowherd, who has had some nice segments with Weis this fall, formally declared that 'some people accuse me of being a Charlie Weis Homer' but that he has a problem with Weis' comments about the polls. He obviously didn't see them in the context of the press conference, since he indicated incorrectly that they had been made today. But to top it all off, his criticism of Weis was immediately followed by a call-in interview from a sleepy Peter Carroll, who stated he would never 'campaign' for poll recognition and that a coach's job is just to win the games and let polls take care of themselves. How honorable.

It's amazing how a few public complaints get blown out of proportion one they get fed into the feedback loop that is sports media. I've always appreciated Weis' forthrightness and openness as far as his opinions and personality - hopefully he won't start feeling like he has to be more guarded in his comments because of the commentators compulsion to comment on his complaints.
iNDy | Email | Homepage | 10.25.06 - 4:50 pm | #

DJ Gallo = ass spelunker
IrishHoffy | Email | Homepage | 10.25.06 - 5:26 pm | #

wow dj gallo...

"And, in all honesty, Notre Dame probably is not even deserving of being that high, but the polls are still adjusting to having your team ranked way too high to start the season -- which is sort of a rankings tradition."
He's right about that at least. When looking for the last time that a pretty good (ending up say... 9-3) ND team started the year disrepected by the polls (say... unranked) you have to go wayyyyyyy back to... 2005.

"And maybe if you're lucky, you can even fit Temple in... your Division I-AA-esque stretch of games"
What is ND thinking playing two respectable service academies, an ACC member, and Army? Top schools don't schedule these creampuffs. If we want to be honorable like Texas or Ohio State we have to play superior non-conference competition like North Texas, Rice, Sam Houston State, Baylor, Northern Illinois, Cincinnati, and Bowling Green.

What a no-talent assclown.
mike | Email | Homepage | 10.25.06 - 6:41 pm | #

Gallo is spot-on. ND's schedule is a joke.

Our best win as of right now is probably the GT game. Clemson destroyed them. Possibly the MSU chokejob. That's it. The rest are a joke, and we shouldn't have been beat up by UCLA. You guys are way too sensitive about it.
Pat | Email | Homepage | 10.25.06 - 6:56 pm | #

NIU UC and BGSU > or = Army UNC and Airforce.

But, not by much.
OhEssYou | Email | Homepage | 10.25.06 - 7:08 pm | #

Not that we have a harder schedule, mind you.
OhEssYou | Email | Homepage | 10.25.06 - 7:09 pm | #

How do you get the photos by Matt Cashore so you can save them, because I can't save them from the slideshow?
Sean | Email | Homepage | 10.25.06 - 7:47 pm | #

Pat, (not our Pat)

Don't use the word "our" - you clearly "are" not an Irish fan. Fakers

Define joke, where schedules are made eight years out. Care to speculate where most of these teams were eight years ago?

GT played their worst offensive game of the season and eventually got worn down by Clemson at their place - this will happen.

Other than the SEC, tell me how the bottom half of our schedule ranks with the bottom half of any other conference?

Go away.
Mike | Email | Homepage | 10.25.06 - 8:06 pm | #

Here is our first 8 games of next year. Could be all bowl teams but likely 7 of those 8 will be bowl teams. Throw in Navy later in the season and we have 8 or 9. Will that happen, who knows- probably not. But look at the teams below and think of how many are playing a lot of seniors. Lot of talent coming back.

Georgia Tech: Should be a 8-4 team

Penn state: Have alot of people coming back, could be very good

Michigan: Could have Henne, Hart, and crew back. Oh god.

MSU: Maybe they will have a new coach

Purdue: Could be a 7-5/8-4 team. Have a young team.

UCLA: Should be good next year with all the younger players playing this year

BC: Should compete for the ACC title

Southern Cal: Might win one or two, three would be amazing

Now I am not saying this is what is oging to happen. But just look at this and honestly tell me if this is an easy schedule. Next year it could be proven to be easy or extremely hard. The point is we schedule hard and osmetimes the chips fall where they may and the schedules don't meet expectations. Our fault? Nope.
Stupidity of youth | Email | Homepage | 10.25.06 - 8:43 pm | #

Sean, I went the low-tech way with a screen grab using Alt-PrintScreen and then used Adobe Photoshop to trim down to the picture.
Pat | Email | Homepage | 10.25.06 - 11:11 pm | #

Pat = DJ Gallo = Assbag

Good analysis buddy. I guess Michigan sucks this year. Penn State must also suck because they lost to Michigan only by 1 touchdown. Purdue sucks too because they came into our game undefeated.

I agree with Mike. At least we don't play Bowling Green, Western Michigan, North Texas and teams of that class.
Anonymous | Email | Homepage | 10.26.06 - 12:59 am | #

Don't even dignify the DJ Gallo tripe by getting upset by it. It's not an article, it's a frickin' blog post comment section-type rant.
Nate | Email | Homepage | 10.26.06 - 2:59 am | #

In my opinion, the argument against blowhards like Ernest & Julio Gallo is less about scheduling and more about logic. Here's an example:

In week 8 of the coaches poll:
8. ND
9. Tennessee
10. Florida

In week 9 of the coaches poll:
8. Florida
9. Tennessee
10. ND

So what happened in week 9 to solicit these changes?

8. ND--beat unranked UCLA at home with late, 4th-quarter rally.
9. Tennessee--beat unranked Alabama at home with late, 4th-quarter rally.
10. Florida--idle.

The changes show two flawed conclusions:
1. Florida--who beat Tennessee by 1 pt earlier in the year, but lost their last game by 10 pts, is better than Tennessee...even though the same voters didn't think so the prior week. Basically a close win by UT means they are not as good as previously thought.
2. ND--their close win was "more closer" than Tennessee's, so those same voters again think that even though ND was better than UT the week before, this is no longer the case, despite both teams winning in similar fashion.

Don't give me the crap about "Oh, the SEC is soooo tough." UCLA and Alabama are nearly mirrors in the Sagarin indices, with Bama at #31 and a 43 SOS while UCLA is at #38 and a 35 SOS. Just because you play in a difficult conference doesn't mean you are a good team. Just ask Mississippi State.

Here's the final serving of cow feces: coaches do NOT, week in, week out, watch many games. Hell, I'd wager that most of the posters on BGS watch 10X as much college football in a given weekend than 99% of Div 1a coaches. After going toe-to-toe with Bama, and a short week to face Steve Spurrier's Gamecocks (who nearly upset then-#2 Auburn), you think Philip Fulmer is going to settle down in front of the tube late Sat PM to check out extended clips of dozens of college games? These guys all get the distilled ESPN highlights like the rest of us.
c-stone | Email | Homepage | 10.26.06 - 7:55 am | #

Ryan Miller got rejected by ND. Turns out his credit card was denied at the Hammes. Sorry. Those are the breaks.
schwappy | Email | Homepage | 10.26.06 - 9:18 am | #

Until we start beating 3-4 conference champs each year like we did back in 88 and 89, we will have a soft schedule according to these dolts...of course, when that happens it will be because those conferences were "soft." There is no way to win with the media and I really don't care anymore. Not that we have been alone - PSU was screwed in '94 in the same manner we got it in '93, the old career achievement championship went to a less deserving Tom O... I mean UN that year. I'm not too enraged by all this because I figure we could easily lose to 5-6 of those teams anyway the way we are playing (though we have the potential to beat them all if we gel). Save your true outrage for the year we go 12-0 and the BCS picks an undefeated WVU and another team with a patsy schedule to play in the championship. If it can happen it will.
Thundershaker | Email | Homepage | 10.26.06 - 11:29 am | #

c-stone, I think you have hit the nail on the head with your observations that most coaches (and everyone else including national sportswriters) really only follow one team and their opponents, or at most superficial coverage of several top teams from each conference. Most of this covering involves reading what other pundits are saying, rather than breaking down film or looking at real data. The result is that conventional wisdom tends to converge early on a team and not deviate much. God forbid you should lose early to a team that's not respected (like UM - ranked 13 spots lower than the Irish) or fail to blowout a team that has a developed a poor reputation like UCLA. Never mind that the PAC 10 is not soft this year by any stretch.

I'd like see a polling method that somehow recognizes this - maybe this is an observation for The Conversation - basically that anyone ranking teams should be able to rank only the subset of teams they are familiar with or feel strongly about. Why should my opinion about Boise St. Matter if I'm an ACC coach who has paid no attention to them or anyone they've played? These partial rankings could be interwoven mathematically to determine who's on top, in the same way the computers determine rankings, but with a human opinion as the driving data rather than formal record.

I've already accepted that no win against Navy will be good enough. Unless we shut them out and score more than 34 points, the win will inevitably compare poorly to their game against Rutgers - never mind that Navy lost their quarterback partway through the 1st quarter - a fact sure to be unknown to most of the graduate assistants or personalities who contribute to these rankings. It's not worth getting worked up over, since it probably will have no impact on where the Irish end up come bowl time assuming the winner of the big east and big ten are both undefeated (and therefore no scenario would have led us to the title game.) Fankly, I don't think this team deserves to be in the national title game, I just hope we win our bowl game, which in every likelihood will be the Sugar Bowl possibly against Florida. We will have our hands full with that one but here's hoping we school whoever we play come the holidays. The influx of lurkers from said opponent in the offseason would be just too annoying.

One last thought, after reading "Absolutely American: Four years at West Point," a book I'd highly recommend to anyone interested in life at the service academies or military affairs in general, I'm surprised nobody has remarked on the impact this injury may have had on the career of the former navy quarterback Brian Hampton. At West Point, you can actually face separation (expulsion) for injuries that make it impossible for you to perform your duties including physicals. Here's hoping he's OK.

GO IRISH!
iNDy | Email | Homepage | 10.26.06 - 12:42 pm | #

"So what happened in week 9 to solicit these changes?"

One thing that happened is that Notre Dame's only win against a ranked opponent (Georgia Tech) stopped looking so good after Tech got walloped by Clemson.

Mostly, though, I think the pollsters came to their senses. Both Tennessee and Florida have better records so far this season than Notre Dame.

Tennessee won big over #12 Cal, and their only loss is by one point to #9 Florida.

Florida beat #8 Tennessee (on the road) and #14 LSU, and their only loss is by 10 points to #7 Auburn (on the road).

Notre Dame, by comparison, won small over #21 Georgia Tech in their only ranked win, and got destroyed at home by #2 Michigan.

You can fault the pollsters for not noticing sooner that Florida and Tennessee have better records, but I don't see how you can fault them for correcting their error.
William Swann | Email | Homepage | 10.26.06 - 2:25 pm | #

DJ Gallo is an ass -

My thoughts about the ranking inevitably involve the magic number 8 spot. Everybodys knows that if we stay at 8, we're in the BCS. Anything they can do to keep us below 8th is fair game ...
Pete | Email | Homepage | 10.26.06 - 2:43 pm | #

By what I'm about to say I may be accused of not being a fan (which would be a complete crock-just ask my wife about my lunatic dance when Shark scored), but I have to agree with the content of what Gallo wrote. Sure, his ripping on Charlie's weight and the comments about playing close on purpose to get another NBC contract were ridiculous, but face it guys- WE'RE NOT THAT GOOD!

Putting aside my ND homerism for a minute, I would vote Tennessee and Florida ahead of us as well. Tennessee's only loss is to Florida by a point and UF lost AT Auburn by 3 (the other 7 were on a meaningless interception as the gun sounded and the Gators were deep in their own territory; the UF players didn't even try to make the tackle because the game was over). The SEC is the best conference in the land. Sure, they have their weak sisters like Mississippi State, Kentucky, and Vandy (who did manage to beat Georgia), but the SEC has 5 really good teams: Auburn, Florida, Tennessee, LSU, and Arkansas. No other conference has that kind of depth in the Top 5. The next tier in the SEC isn't bad either: Georgia, Alabama, and South Carolina are all pretty decent teams.

C-Stone you couldn't be more right- coaches don't watch other teams (Hell, they don't even vote- just ask Sweatervest). Trying to change the minds of the haters that are MOST of the other coaches out there (who, thankfully, have even more incentive to hate now that Weis has arrived)and the haters in the Harris Poll is about as fruitful as trying to get the Catholic Church to budge on married priests- it just ain't gonna happen.

We do play a difficult schedule, absolutely. September was brutal. I think our SOS was #2 this year. But let's not kid ourselves; as thrilling, awesome, spectacular, etc. as the end of the UCLA game was, there's NO WAY that team, with a backup quarterback, should have us down in our own house with a minute to go.

Just enjoy the wins the next 4 weeks. As I've said to anyone who will listen, this season will be a success ONLY IF a) We beat the Condoms (which we can do) and b) we win our bowl game.
Irish Rat | Email | Homepage | 10.26.06 - 3:11 pm | #

DJ Gallo's article yesterday is the single most worthless piece of tripe I've read since...Alan Grant's horribly racist article shortly after Charlie Weis was hired.

I have never understood, nor will I understand, why all common sense goes out the window for any member of the national media when Notre Dame is mentioned.
Andy | Email | Homepage | 10.26.06 - 5:17 pm | #

.. I would vote Tennessee and Florida ahead of us as well. Tennessee's only loss is to Florida by a point and UF lost AT Auburn by 3 (the other 7 were on a meaningless interception as the gun sounded and the Gators were deep in their own territory; the UF players didn't even try to make the tackle because the game was over). The SEC is the best conference in the land. Sure, they have their weak sisters like Mississippi State, Kentucky, and Vandy (who did manage to beat Georgia), but the SEC has 5 really good teams: Auburn, Florida, Tennessee, LSU, and Arkansas.
---Irish Rat


Th reality of it is -- the SEC blows their horn, a good conference that wishes it was everything that it says it is.
Fact: this year, there aten't 5 really good teams in all of CFB. OSU, UM, UF, and probably USC are Tier 1 teams (unless disproven, SC gets the benefit of the doubt). Auburn, UT, LSU and Arkansas are solid teams, but as UT (Air Force) and Arkansas (USC) proved, they can be pretty weak at times. Arkansas is having a nice year; LSU would beat ND 3-4 times out of 10.


The next tier in the SEC isn't bad either: Georgia, Alabama, and South Carolina are all pretty decent teams.
--Irish Rat

rat, you ain't getting any votes from this quarter. UGA is a dud. Alabama is a work in progress .. s l o w l y turning it around. South Carolina will beat you if you look past them. The SEC is the most solid conference that I can see. However, this year at least, OSU and UM run it, and USC most likely does the same.

Gallo is a hack who embarasses every member of the media having an ounce of professionalism (most). ND and the NY Yankees are the "first and foremost" target topics of weakest link journalists.

BTW: no SEC team would be undefeated at this time of the year having played our schedule (but keep an eye on Meyer's guys).

Go Irish
Bill H | Email | Homepage | 10.26.06 - 5:58 pm | #

Hey Bill H,

I agree with on alot of what you said- there aren't any no-doubt just GREAT teams in CFB this year like 'SC and Texas were last year. The fact that Tennessee and Arkansas had some dud game early doesn't mean they're not really good. GREAT like 'SC and Texas. Really Good (especially compared to the rest of CFB)? Absolutely. Plus, the Arkansas game vs. 'SC was before Mustain took over at QB. Not saying the Hogs would have beaten the Condoms, but it would have been alot closer.

I disagree about Georgia vis-a-vis middle of the pack teams from other conferences. I'm not saying Georgia is good (as you pointed out I said, "isn't bad"; in other words average). Plus, I hate the Bulldogs (my parents live in Atlanta and everytime I go there, I have to hear about how great the Dawgs are. I called them a fraud in my weekly newsletter to my buddies last week). They're a 6th place team. Still, they're a better 6th place team than the other conferences:

ACC: Va Tech or Maryland- UGA
Big East: South Floroida- UGA
Big 10: Indiana- please
Big 12: Kansas St. or Baylor- uh, no
Pac 10: UCLA- UGA

And, as you said, South Carolina is dangerous.

I totally disagree with your comment about no SEC team would have gone undefeated playing our schedule. Assuming that the top 5 in the SEC would have all won the games we won, then it comes down to what would they do against Michigan. I can't say all 5 would beat UM because the Wolverines are damn good. But, I believe Florida, Tennessee, and Auburn would definitely have a great shot to beat Michigan. All of these teams have attacking, super-fast defenses that would give Henne problems and slow Hart WAY down. LSU's chances would be slightly less and Arkansas pretty remote.

As I think about this, I'm obviously biased toward the SEC which is funny since I've lived in the heart of Big 10 country (Chicago) all my life. I do tend to hate the Big 10 and given the choice b/w the SEC game on CBS and Big 10 game on ABC during breaks in the Irish game, I'm going to CBS.
Irish Rat | Email | Homepage | 10.26.06 - 6:51 pm | #

Rat - again I'd give my nod to UF as the best of the SEC; even the other listed 'Tier 1's" would have their hands full playing that stretch the Gators went through. I just can't see Auburn's offense being able to hang with UM, and we learned painfully well what that team can bring on D this year.

One of my best friends is a UM superfan, but always touts the SEC. That undoubtedly gets MY radar up. I don't deny the overall quality of the conference; just as you are in the midst of Big-10 country, I get a whole lot of SEC stuff down here (among millions of Gator fans). As whacked as this state (FL) is, at least they're not (yet) crazy enough to start touting the ACC.
I don't doubt the quality of the SEC, it's more the level of what I am told day in and year out down here that they are (you'd think they play on Sundays).

I hope we look consistent and good this Saturday.

Go Irish
Bill H | Email | Homepage | 10.26.06 - 7:44 pm | #

http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com...dame/ index.html
ESPN | Email | Homepage | 10.27.06 - 1:22 am | #

HEy is DJ being a jerk, yes. But Charlie's got to learn not to take the bait. Polls matter very little if you win all your games.

ND will never win a national championship in the future without going undefeated. End of story. And let's be honest, no one has won in the last few years without being undefeated.

Win all your games, polls are meaningless.
schwappy | Email | Homepage | 10.27.06 - 11:20 am | #

Good points, Bill. Go Irish- beat Navy.

Schwappy- well said; well said.
Irish Rat | Email | Homepage | 10.27.06 - 1:25 pm | #

aRGH!
Anonymous | Email | Homepage | 11.09.06 - 11:59 pm | #