It was game of superlatives. Unfortunately, they weren’t generated by Notre Dame. Navy posted the most rushing yards (367) in the 84-game series with the Irish. Backup fullback Alexander Teich ran for the most yards ever by a Midshipmen (210) against Notre Dame, and most ever by a Navy fullback in the program’s history. And […]

Each year, prior to the start of the season, every Notre Dame football fan, whether they admit or not, goes through the schedule to evaluate what kind of final record we can expect for the year. We do it by ourselves, we talk about it with our friends, on message boards, and participate in polls. […]

Another number one bites the dust. Yesterday didn’t have the chaos of last week or the week before it, but Oklahoma’s loss to Missouri and Auburn’s besting of LSU leaves only seven unbeaten teams—Auburn, Boise State, Michigan State, Missouri, Oregon, TCU and Utah. Auburn’s win vaulted them to the top of both the ESP and […]

The Irish travel to East Rutherford, New Jersey to take on the United States Naval Academy this weekend. Notre Dame is 14-0 in the Garden State including an 11-0 record in Meadowlands Stadium. Head coach Brian Kelly’s troops are 4-3, have won three straight, and are looking to make it four against the Midshipmen. It […]

Another week, another series of undefeated and highly ranked teams falling victim to the upset bug. Ohio State, downed by the Badgers in Madison. Nebraska, done in by a swarming Longhorn defense that allowed a long gain of 14 yards on the ground. South Carolina, outscored 21-0 in the second half by Kentucky after going […]

In a theatrical setting, the acts of a play signify two very different halves of the production. The first act introduces the characters, the protagonist and antagonist are established, and a problem or conflict comes to fruition. It’s not until the second act that the plot thickens, reaching the climax of the production, and the […]

The Eagles are hardly a popular opponent amongst Irish fans, mostly due to their penchant for dashing perfect seasons. Boston College played the role of spoiler against Lou Holtz’s undefeated and first-ranked squad in 1993, and initiated the late-season slide of Tyrone Willingham’s fourth-ranked, 8-0 team in 2002. The Eagles’ recent success has been particularly […]

Another week, another close, tough loss for the Irish. Michigan State head coach Mark Dantonio improved to 3-1 against Notre Dame, and the Spartans have won 10 of the last 14 in the series. If it feels like these close, late-game losses are a trend, it’s because they are. Since opening the 2008 season Notre […]

Part 2 of this series of articles will cover the effects of scheduling and the benefit that playing home games have on a program, and how these areas have affected Notre Dame. While Part 1 focused on the player impact on a program, recruiting and development—something the coach and his staff have greater control over—this […]

Thanks to all who participated in the 2010 Season Predictions Survey. When the data to support this analysis was gathered, over 1,500 votes had been cast. The primary goal of this exercise is to move beyond simply estimating a win-loss record. Selecting the percent confidence in a win on a game-by-game basis is not only […]