Leprechaun Express - Steve Welsh, Author at Irish Update

IRISH NEWSLINK: “[PDF] Notre Dame vs. Northwestern extended game notes”

November 3, 2018 Leprechaun Express - Steve Welsh Headlines

[PDF] Notre Dame vs. Northwestern extended game notes

Click to access Notre_Dame_Notes_vs_Northwestern.pdf

IRISH NEWSLINK: “College Football Playoff Selection Committee Members” – NCAA College Football Playoff

October 29, 2018 Leprechaun Express - Steve Welsh Headlines

File Photo of Levi Stadium in Santa Clara, Calif., from Super Bowl, adapted from image at defense.gov by Steven C. Welsh www.stevencwelsh.com :: www.stevencwelsh.info

Notre Dame set to meet Northwestern Saturday night at 7:15 p.m. ET/ 6:15 CT/ 5:15 MT/ 4:15 PT on cable’s ESPN

October 29, 2018 Leprechaun Express - Steve Welsh Headlines

Both Notre Dame and ESPN are now listing Notre Dame’s game against Northwestern in Evanston as beginning at 6:15 p.m. local time, meaning 7:15 p.m. ET/ 6:15 CT/ 5:15 MT/ 4:15 PT, this coming Saturday, Nov. 3, 2018.

(As an aside, later that night, the clocks will change at 2 a.m., when daylight savings time comes to an end, yet hopefully the game will be over by then.)

Unusual for Notre Dame, the game will not be on broadcast television. Instead it will be shuffled off to the ABC Sports cable channel “ESPN” (technically, apparently now 80%-owned by ABC and 20%-owned by Hearst). Thankfully, the game also will be covered on radio by the Notre Dame Football Radio Network, undoubtedly with a number of fans turning to radio and online sources.

Placing the game on cable comes despite the fact that undefeated Notre Dame (8-0) is #3 in the AP and Coaches Poll, while Northwestern (5-3) in #1 in the B1G/Big Ten West and is receiving votes in the Coaches Poll.

Northwestern’s season has included a two-touchdown win over then-#20 Wisconsin this past weekend, a win earlier in the season over then-#20 Michigan State and a season-opening win over Purdue, who just knocked off Ohio State.

(Or is this part of a push to prod more people into signing up for cable, or expanding their package?)

Of course, depending on whether or not fans pay to get ESPN, or subscribe to cable in general, attitudes might differ as to whether the glass is half-empty or half-full. The game is on, at least for some, yet ABC apparently used its rights to the game to black it out on regular television and force it over to cable.

One does recall that, back in the day, one of the reasons Notre Dame revolutionized college football media by inking a deal with NBC was to keep their games on nationwide broadcast television, instead of whatever regional, or other, arrangements ABC came up with that varied from a nationwide broadcast.

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IRISH NEWSLINK: “College Football Playoff Selection Committee Voting Process” – NCAA College Football Playoff

October 29, 2018 Leprechaun Express - Steve Welsh Headlines

IRISH NEWSLINK: “Undefeated college football teams in 2018” – NCAA

October 29, 2018 Leprechaun Express - Steve Welsh Headlines

COLLEGE FOOTBALL RANKINGS: Notre Dame sustains #3 spot in last AP and Coaches Poll prior to first 2018 College Football Playoff Rankings

October 29, 2018 Leprechaun Express - Steve Welsh College Football Rankings, Headlines

U.S. Map, adapted from image at usda.gov

[click here to jump to polls]

Undefeated Notre Dame (8-0) hung onto their #3 ranking in what is the final AP and Coaches Polls before the season’s first NCAA College Football Playoff Rankings are announced on Tuesday, Oct. 30. The Fighting Irish continue to be the only top-5 team that has beaten another top-5 team, as currently ranked. That fact alone should have propelled Notre Dame into the #1 spot, since neither #1 Alabama nor #2 Clemson can make the claim that they have beaten a top-5 opponent.

With a loss by South Florida, the only remaining undefeated teams in Div. I-A/FBS are #1 Alabama, #2 Clemson, #3 Notre Dame and #9 Central Florida.

Meanwhile, Notre Dame opponent Michigan (7-1), whose only loss was a close game at Notre Dame in the season opener, hung in at #5 after their bye week, most recently beating Michigan State.

Future Notre Dame opponent Syracuse (6-2) finally jumped into the rankings at #22/#24 after beating then-ranked North Carolina State, making the Orangemen the only team besides Clemson to beat the Gamecocks. Stanford (5-3) dropped out of the rankings after losing to top-10 Washington State. Yet Notre Dame opponents Stanford, Virginia Tech and Pitt are getting votes in at least one poll, as well as Northwestern, whom Notre Dame takes on next weekend in Evanston.

While, of course, both the AP and Coaches Poll will issue rankings all the way until the season’s end, their relevance will morph somewhat after the first official NCAA College Playoff Rankings come out on Tuesday, Oct. 30 (after deliberations and discussion by the College Football Playoff Committee in accordance with the College Football Playoff Selection Committee Voting Process).

(first-place votes in parentheses) (Notre Dame opponents marked in dark blue)

AP

Rank Team Record Points

1 Alabama (60) 8-0 1500
2 Clemson 8-0 1433
3 Notre Dame 8-0 1374
4 LSU 7-1 1317
5 Michigan 7-1 1240
6 Georgia 7-1 1202
7 Oklahoma 7-1 1132
8 Ohio State 7-1 1022
9 UCF 7-0 1014
10 Washington State 7-1 938
11 Kentucky 7-1 905
12 West Virginia 6-1 891
13 Florida 6-2 734
14 Penn State 6-2 733
15 Texas 6-2 719
16 Utah 6-2 593
17 Houston 7-1 403
18 Utah State 7-1 340
19 Iowa 6-2 323
20 Fresno State 7-1 261
21 Mississippi State 5-3 204
22 Syracuse 6-2 192
23 Virginia 6-2 175
24 Boston College 6-2 169
25 Texas A&M 5-3 132

Also receiving votes: Washington 120, Northwestern 86, Georgia Southern 62, Michigan State 51, Cincinnati 45, Iowa State 42, South Florida 29, Stanford 26, Oklahoma State 24, UAB 17, Oregon 13, Wisconsin 12, Auburn 7, San Diego State 6, Army 6, NC State 5, California 2, Buffalo 1

Coaches Poll

Rank Team Record Points

1 Alabama (62) 8-0 1598
2 Clemson (2) 8-0 1537
3 Notre Dame 8-0 1458
4 LSU 7-1 1403
5 Michigan 7-1 1295
Georgia 7-1 1295
7 Oklahoma 7-1 1190
8 Ohio State 7-1 1096
9 UCF 7-0 1082
10 West Virginia 6-1 992
11 Washington State 7-1 962
12 Kentucky 7-1 932
13 Penn State 6-2 791
14 Florida 6-2 743
15 Texas 6-2 721
16 Utah 6-2 620
17 Houston 7-1 380
18 Iowa 6-2 356
19 Washington 6-3 285
20 Utah State 7-1 281
21 Mississippi State 5-3 226
22 Virginia 6-2 207
23 Fresno State 7-1 191
24 Syracuse 6-2 183
25 Boston College 6-2 171

Also receiving votes: Texas A&M 167, Cincinnati 116, South Florida 87, Michigan State 48, Wisconsin 41, Northwestern 40, NC State 40, Miami 38, Georgia Southern 32, Oklahoma State 31, UAB 24, Auburn 21, Stanford 21, Oregon 20, San Diego State 16, Buffalo 14, Army 13, South Carolina 11, Florida Intl 6, Iowa State 6, Virginia Tech 5, Pittsburgh 3, Duke 3, Boise State 2

Notre Dame, of course, partners with the ACC, with roughly half of Notre Dame’s schedule being against ACC teams, with the mix worked out with the ACC itself. Another third of Notre Dame’s schedule this year is against the PAC-12 and B1G/Big Ten, plus one SEC opponent. So Notre Dame plays a mix of ten power conference opponents, plus Navy (of the American), plus one MAC opponent.

Next week, Alabama does play nominal-#4 LSU. The SEC already has yet another three-way trail of losses on the year, with LSU having lost to two-loss Florida, Georgia having just routed Florida, with LSU completing the circle by having routed Georgia earlier in the year. The AP and Coaches Poll have LSU and Georgia crowding the top-6.

Quite truthfully, Michigan should have been ranked ahead of LSU since Michigan’s only loss was to undefeated top-3 Notre Dame, while LSU lost to two-loss Florida.

Alabama and Georgia do not play in the regular season.