Parrott

Mayer got absolutely robbed of the Mackey Award last night. Probably one of those things that angers fans more than it does him, but still, hate to see it. Besides leading in just about every statistical category, and being a superior blocker, one stat that really says it all: Mackey Award Finalists against AP Top 25 opponents: Mayer: 31 REC, 346 yds, 5 TDs Bowers: 5 REC, 65 yds, 0 TDs LaPorta: 11 REC, 79 yds, 0 TDs

Their offense is a complete disaster. Last week, I tried to convince myself that it was because Ohio St. actually had a good defense, but it turns out, it's a huge mess. I feel sorry for Mayer, and really hope he doesn't get hurt, for the sake of his future.

Pacman and Video Pinball on Atari. Tecmo Bowl on Nintendo.

Looking forward to this game. Both teams replacing some key players. If ND can win in the trenches, they've got a good shot.

I saw that Miami Central beat IMG last night. Love to see it. Anytime I've ever watched them play, Miami Central, regardless of talent level, always plays HARD.

Carmel (IN)ManualLexington CatholicSouth WarrenHazard

Had In-N-Out Burger for the first time this summer, and while the burgers were nothing extraordinary, the sauce w/fries was really good.

Kelvin Sampson is so good. I still dream about what he could have done at IU if the program had not been annihilated because he made too many phone calls to a recruit.

I definitely eat Skyline the most, but they're all very similar to me, minus Gold Star, which is a little lacking in the flavor department. The best single chili item I've had is the 6 way at Blue Ash with the jalapeño caps. Pretty amazing. The worst is the 6 way at Dixie, with the garlic. I'm a garlic fan, but I can't understand that dish at all.

I feel pretty confident it's going to be Freeman. It's just taking some time to get all the details ironed out, and to see how much of the staff is staying. It's earlier than they planned, but I think he was always part of the plans for next HC. The support for Freeman from recruits, and current/former players is amazing.

Really, really strange hire. I appreciate BK re-establishing the program as a consistent Top 10 team, but am not that upset about his departure. LSU seems like one of the weirdest fits I could possibly imagine for him. USC or Oklahoma seemed like a much better match. For replacements, Fickell is the obvious choice, though I think part of the deal in getting Freeman was a commitment that he would have first dibs when Kelly left. No idea beyond that. I've always felt deep down that Urban would finish his career at ND, but if there was even any remote possibility of that, I'm sure it was completely destroyed by the ordeal in Columbus a couple months ago.

There's going to be a lot of chaos in the next couple of weeks, but for the top 7 teams (including UC), if they win out, they're in. Obviously, not possible for all of them to win out, since some of them play each other. ND's chances rest on the fact that their final 2 games are against bad teams, and there is a high probability of at least 3 of the 7 teams above them losing a game before the end of the season.

David Bell is an absolute stud at WR.

Wake and Michigan St. are definitely on upset watch today. I would almost be surprised if Michigan St. doesn't lose to Purdue.

Congrats to UC on the win. I was pretty confident going in, but the 3 first half turnovers really set the stage, and UC definitely were the better team, and deserved the victory. Is ND overrated? Since 2017 they have been as consistently good as any team not named Bama, Clemson, or Ohio State. I don't know of any ND fans who think they've been on the same level as Bama and Ohio State. Are they overhyped? If people are still talking about them, after a game when they played like garbage, then the answer is no. They're a national brand, and win or lose, people respond. Texas, Miami, Tennessee, Nebraska, USC, Michigan...all these teams get more attention than their results on the field deserve.

I feel like the D took a big step forward for the Irish on Saturday, and for that matter, the previous week against Purdue. Also, even though the ND crowd is usually not that great, in my opinion, 26 straight home wins is pretty substantial, and should count for something. I very much wish this was a night game. At the start of the year, USC and UNC also looked to be potential big matchups, so they got the nod on the night game, but obviously, this is now the marquee home game of the year. As has been mentioned, the OL is embarrassingly bad at this point, and by far the weakness on this team. Ironic, since they've typically been so strong there. On the flipside, this is one of the best D-lines Notre Dame has had in a long, long time. It's going to be a lot of fun to watch!

Carmel (IN) beat ML King (Detroit, MI) 42-40 on a hail mary as time expired, in a great matchup that featured 2023 5-star QB Dante Moore for King. In the last 2 minutes, with King up 33-29, Carmel was stopped on downs inside the King 10 yard line. On King's first offensive play following the stop, Carmel recovered a fumble for a TD to go up 36-33. On the ensuing drive, King marched down the field to score the go-ahead TD with 9 seconds left, taking a 40-36 lead. However, a short kickoff, and good return, gave Carmel the ball at the King 35 with one play remaining. From there, this happened:

PayDay Twix Kit Kat Charleston Chew

Scott Drew & Chris Beard are the top seeds in the Texas bracket. John Beilein & Thad Matta from the Unemployed region. Porter Moser & Dane Fife from the Archie Miller Memorial Mid-Major bracket. Pitino & Bruce Pearl from the Redemption region. It's going to be a big name, i.e. Drew or Beard, or someone like that. Whoever the source of the "philanthropic donation" was, they didn't give $10 million for the buyout, just for IU to hire another up-and-comer. At this point, I don't care who it is...just win. Missing the tourney being held in Indiana...losing to Purdue for 798 consecutive games (that's what it feels like)...it's getting old. This team has pretty good talent, and whoever takes over could win at a solid level right away.

I initially thought the Irish were going to lose by 50, after the first few minutes. They played much better after the 1st quarter. Credit to Bama...Smith and Harris are so good... and their defense played better than I expected. Overall, ND is in a better place than they have been since the early 90s, but they're still not any closer to winning a title. Bama and Clemson are just on a whole different level, in every way.

Ryan's, or a local place called Rib Shack, which was in a building that kind of looked liked a barn (at least that's the way I remember it).

Pulling for the Irish, but it's an uphill climb, for sure. Bama's offense is a nightmare. I'm not even sure if Mac Jones is that great, but his o-line and RB/WRs are so good. They must find a way to get consistent pressure on him, or they just won't be able to keep up. Bama has some great talent on defense, but their coverage leaves a lot to be desired. Very odd to watch them be so poor on that side of the ball. Clemson/OSU should be good. Fields looked pretty bad yesterday, but you've got to think he will come out and play a lot better. Clemson is Clemson...really hard to beat.

I think if UC gets some style points, and ND beats Clemson, they've got a chance. What a debacle if Texas A&M gets in. They have one good win, against Florida, and that win just got less-good after last night. USC has had some close calls/comebacks against very average or poor teams, one of which (Arizona) just lost by 9 touchdowns to their in-state rival. Big 12 champion...I think Oklahoma will beat Iowa St. in the rematch, but I don't see them jumping up that high with 2 losses.

Clemson is so hard to beat. I've got to hand it to Book...The best game of his career. Really impressive.

Mountain Cabin