Notre Dame in ESPN’s Preseason Top 25
Halleluiah! The day has finally come. After months and months and months, the Fighting Irish are now in the Top 25…. Well, they’re in a top 25, although it’s not the Coaches’ Poll or the all-important AP or BCS. Mark Schlabach, one of the main college football writers at ESPN, has the Irish listed in his top 25 preseason list. Where did the Irish come in? The final spot: No. 25.
Although getting in the list by a hair is usually a bit disappointing, the fact that Notre Dame is even on there at all is a good sign. As you probably are well aware, the Irish were 3-9 last season, and many people were just loving the fact that Notre Dame was struggling. Well, it appears that the pile-on is over and the some people are expecting the Irish to rebound in a big way. They will face a couple of teams that Mark Schlabach has ranked in his 25, including USC and Pitt, but the other games: he must think the Irish can handle ‘em.
To get Notre Dame Fighting Irish football tickets, go to StubHub.com.
New Indoor Track Going Up at Notre Dame: Frosh Gets Drafted
Here are a couple of great news stories to brighten your Friday. First up: The new indoor track. Apparently there are a lot of construction projects going on at Notre Dame right now. You might not have been around the campus lately, you might not be aware that some of the outdoor practice fields are being converted into indoor training facilities. Can’t wait to see what they look like when they are done. You can see a video about the new buildings at UND.com.
Also, a freshman defenseman has been selected in the NFL Entry Draft. Sean Lorenz has been picked from the Minnesota Wild. For those of you who might not be aware, in hockey NHL teams can basically pick players from college while they’re still playing, thereby effectively gaining the rights to those players. Anyways, it’s a big honor to be selected. The Notre Dame Blog thinks some congratulations are in order for Mr. Lorenz. So… congrats. Keep up the good work, young man.
To get Notre Dame Fighting Irish football tickets, go to StubHub.com.
Nose Tackle Returns to Notre Dame
Pat Kuntz, the starting nose tackle for the Notre Dame Fighting Irish football team last season, is returning to the school. He left the University last semester for personal reasons. However, he has enrolled in summer school, and now intends to enroll as a full time student this fall, when classes resume.
Pat was seventh on the team in tackles last year. He fell to injury at the tail end of the season, but was a very effective pass rusher and run-stopper. The Irish will need him if they are going to get anything better out of their defense this upcoming seaosn. The Notre Dame Blog would like to wish Pat the best of luck. Glad you’re back. We’ve got a lot of work to do, but the future looks a little brighter now that you’re here.
To get Notre Dame Fighting Irish football tickets, go to StubHub.com.
Notre Dame Soccer Stars Will Play in the Olympics
Four former Notre Dame Fighting Irish women’s soccer players will compete in the Beijing Olympics this summer. Kate (Sobrero) Markgraf and Shannon Boxx will be playing for team USA, and Melissa Tancredi and Candace Chapman will play for team Canada. Markgraf has been a regular on the United States soccer team for years now, as ever since she graduated from Notre Dame in the late 1990s she’s been active in the world of soccer. We might see less of Boxx on the field. But we know that these great former Notre Dame athlete will do not only their nation, but their alma mater proud when they head to China.
Team USA should be one of the most dominant squads set to compete this summer. Canada should be fine as well. You can see the American team in action here in the States a few times as they warm up. They will be playing a game in San Diego as well as a game in Colorado. If you are interested in seeing these players in action, you might be able to find some soccer tickets at StubHub.com that will suit you.
To get soccer tickets, go to StubHub.com.
Pat Forde Visits Notre Dame Fans’ Midsummer Night’s Dreams
Last night was the Midsummer Night, so all you Billy Shakespeare nuts and soothsayers know that it’s a big night for storytelling and future-predicting. As such, Mr. Forde has laid out a clever and entertaining (as always) look at a few of the predictions that the Bard might have made in his day. He goes to great length to quote from Shakespeare’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream, even using some of the words to echo comments about a few college football programs.
And no Forde article would be complete without a Notre Dame comment. What does he say? Well, it’s all good news. Forde thinks that Will-Speare would predict that the Irish will get into a bowl next year. Even though he says Notre Dame will lose that bowl, he still thinks they’ll play well enough to get to one. I leave you, as William and Pat left you in their works of art:
Think but this, and all is mended,
That you have but slumber’d here
While these visions did appear.
And this weak and idle theme,
No more yielding but a dream …”
To get Notre Dame Fighting Irish football tickets, go to StubHub.com.
Knute Rockne: The Number One Face of College Football …Ever?
If you had to name the biggest names in college football history, who would make the list? According to Ivan Maisel, the name Knute Rockne belongs first an foremost. Well, he at least puts him at the top of his list- presumably not in any particular order. He names four coaches and four players who “transcended the game.” There’s no arguing that Rockne was a visionary and an incredible leader, but the list this author names is incredibly short. Who else belongs in such an article? Here’s the names Maisel drops:
Knute Rockne
Bear Bryant
Joe Paterno
Bobby Bowden
Red Grange
Archie Griffin
Herschel Walker
Tommie Frazier
As football season draws nearer and nearer, expect that these sorts of articles will pop up from time to time. It’s too early to get much in the way of viable info on the team, so many sports websites have to use the archives. But at the same time, it’s always nice to see some positive Notre Dame coverage out there.
To get Notre Dame Fighting Irish football tickets, go to StubHub.com.
Notre Dame Football-NBC Sports Ink Another Five Years to Contract
There’s really nothing better than watching Notre Dame football from the stands. Using football tickets to see the Irish is a sure bet for a one of a kind sports experience you will never forget. But if you absolutely can’t see the game live from Notre Dame Stadium, then there’s always the TV, and we’ve been lucky that NBC has been broadcasting the games for so long. In fact, with the new five year deal that Notre Dame signed with the network, the partnership will, when completed, have lasted for 25 years. The contract is from 2011 to 2015. The new deal has everyone excited, especially coach Weis, who said, via an article at UND.com:
“I’m thrilled on two levels to hear that Notre Dame will maintain its great relationship with NBC. As the head football coach, it is very beneficial for the program to have all of our home games broadcast into every living room in the country for the foreseeable future. As an alumnus, it is great to know that future students at Notre Dame will benefit from this partnership in the form of need-based scholarships.”
Looks like everyone’s a winner. Students, fans, football players and even Coach Weis. Next time you get Notre Dame Fighting Irish football tickets, make sure to waive to the NBC cameras.
Notre Dame Athletes Qualify for Olympic Swimming Trials
The Summer Olympic Games are coming up, and in preparation for the events, the United States is holding trials for the various events to determine the athletes who will represent the U.S. in Beijing. For Notre Dame fans, the U.S. Swimming trials will be a great event to watch, as there are plenty of current and former Irish athletes scheduled to compete for a coveted spot on the Olympic team. The following swimmers will be at the trials:
NOTRE DAME SWIMMERS COMPETING
AT THE U.S. OLYMPIC TRIALS
Katie Carroll (200 Free, 400 Free, 800 Free, 100 Fly, 200 Fly, 200 IM and 400 IM)
Ashley Edgell (400 Individual Medley)
Christa Riggins (200 Free, 400 Free)
Sam Maxwell (100 Breast, 200 Breast)
Amywren Miller (50 Free)
Katie Casey (200 Fly)
Lauren Sylvester (400 Free)
Casey Wagner (400 Free)
Kallyn Kuhlke (100 Fly)
Megan Farrell (200 IM)
Maggie Behrens (100 Back)
Colleen Fotsch (100 Fly)
Gwen Blythe (200 Breast)
Caroline Johnson (100 Fly)
To get U.S. Olympic Swim trials tickets, go to StubHub.com.
Looking at the Stretch Run of the Notre Dame Football Season
We’ve been going over the upcoming schedule for next year’s football team here at the Notre Dame blog, and we have to tell you, it looks very promising. Through the first nine games, we think the Irish have a real shot at winning seven of them, and even though, as usual, the schedule will be tough, we think that with the current schedule for the Golden Domers will produce a nice record heading into the final three games of the regular season.
- 11/15 @ Navy – Navy is a place where Notre Dame can get an easy win right when the BCS stats are becoming ever more important. Last year the Midshipmen, fellow college football independents, were 3-9 just like the Irish, and they have not reloaded nearly as well over the offseason. Notre Dame should win easily.
- 11/22 Syracuse – Perhaps the easiest two games in a row for the Irish, this end-of-season home game versus Syracuse will produce another Irish win. If they are 9-2 at this point, expect that there will be calls for a top 25 ranking.
- 11/29 @ USC – This will probably be the hardest game of the season so far, and it will have Bowl implications for both teams. USC will probably win this one, barring an Irish miracle. A win here, though, and the Irish will officially have their strut back.
To get Notre Dame Fighting Irish tickets, go to StubHub.com.
Examining the Part 3 of 4 in the Upcoming Football Season
If you’ve been following the Notre Dame Blog lately, then you know that the Iris already have their schedule set for the next season. We went over the first six regular season games in the last two day’s entries, and now we’re on to the third quarter of games. At this point, we think that the Irish are going to be either 4-2 or 5-1 heading into their game with Washington.
- Oct 25 @Washington – A nice little storyline behind the game, with Ty Willingham’s team playing Charlie Weis’ team. As you know, Willingham was the coach at Notre Dame before being let go. This is Weis’ game to lose, as Notre Dame should be a better team than the Huskies this year.
- Nov 1 Pittsburgh – While they aren’t typically a college football powerhouse, the Panthers could be surprising on offense this year, meaning this game, like all the others, won’t be a pushover. The Domers pull away in the 4th to win by 10.
- Nov 8 @Boston College – Another great rivalry game this season will pit the two D-1 college football programs from Catholic universities. God will pick the winner here. Good thing God sent Matt Ryan to the Falcons.
After looking at the schedule, this seems like the easiest part of the season for the Irish, but even still they’d have to play very well to go 2-1 in these three games. They will though, so our safe money is on Notre Dame being 6-3 heading into the stretch run. But they could just as likely be 7-2. Get Notre Dame Fighting Irish football tickets at Stubhub.com.