23andCounting

I'm sure Saban loves all the talk of "greatest coach of all time." Cignetti is getting in the way of that. Maybe it's premature, but there's no denying what transpired the last couple of seasons. Scary how good things could get when he gets better recruits. Although I'm a fan of Cig and enjoy watching the Hoosiers, it doesn't excite me much that Notre Dame might be taking a backseat to IU for the next decade.

Regarding Alabama, there's a lot to unpack here. How do we know that Trent Richardson didn't really say that, but now those close to Alabama are trying to cover it up? Case in point: Remember when Steeler's Alejandro Villanueva stood alone for the National Anthem, then told media that it was "a misunderstanding, an accident." At the end of the day, I think it's widely accepted that the SEC, including Alabama, were known to bend the rules a little bit to attract the top talent in the country. Yet Notre Dame has several wins disqualified for a few players cheating on an exam......self reported by the university. It's the just the double standard society we live in today unfortunately. Alabama attracting that top talent is the reason Nick Saban is widely considered the best coach of all time. I've been saying for years that he's a "Top 25 coach." Until we give every college and high school coach the same set of resources to work with, it's impossible to know who the best coach in the country is. All we can do is speculate on who the best college football coach is based on performance on the field. And that goes to Curt Cignetti. No coach has ever accomplished what that man has with a limited amount of resources. It's not even debatable. Now are there some lower level college coaches or even high school coaches who are as good as Cignetti? My guess is that there might be. We'll never know until one of those coaches get their opportunity to coach at a Power 4 school. But for now, it's Cignetti, not Saban.

I was just thinking of any reason to go to Streamliner, that's all.

On another note, need to start a series with Rochester and Luers, I need an excuse to go to Streamliner.

You wake up everyday waiting to see 24? Damn, I better do something about that, lol. Maybe just change it to 25 since Carroll is going to win the 6A title this year?

Homestead and Carroll both play MIC and HCC teams in non-conference play, they play each other, then also play Snider and Dwenger. I would call that an elite schedule even if the other four teams were the worst four teams in the state.

That utterly blows my mind unless we're talking about Jeffersonville. But hey, every coach reserves the right to run his program his own way.

Did he? Cost of the book: $19.99 Population of North Newton: 2600 Approximate number of taxpayers in North Newton: 1500 Does that equate to a little over one cent per taxpaying resident? I mean, that's practically free, right?

Good point. I wouldn't categorize it as elite, but having IMG, Roncalli, and East Central certainly get's them close to that status. I guess, being that they are a 4A school playing in a 5A tournament, you could probably call their schedule elite. I wouldn't define it elite by 6A standards. That's reserved for the HCC, MIC, Carroll, and Homestead. But it certainly prepares them for a 5A state title.

I can't imagine any 6A programs saying no. East Central is 4A and they bit. I'm sure there's a handful of 5A teams who'd accept the challenge. I doubt Dwenger, East Noble, or Mishawaka would say "no." I honestly think IMG came calling and New Pal said, "lets do it." I'm sure they would have found someone to fill the spot. Just my perspective from the outside looking in.

Thanks for your insight, it's good to hear from an actual coach once in a while. You hit the nail on the head, New Pal has taken a beating due to the teams they play in the regular season. I know I've given them a hard time in the past when the subject of "best team in the state" pops up. Pound for pound? Show me a better program. Kudos to what you guys have done. I love to see teams like Roncalli and East Central on the schedule. IMG? Damn, that's really amping it up. Personally, I don't think I'd possess those same set of balls if I were a coach, so kudos to New Pal for saying "bring it on." I think maybe the goal at New Pal is a 6A title. I'd be the first to congratulate.

It's really just opinions. No harm no foul. Coaches claim they don't read these forums anyway.

I admire anyone willing to take on IMG. I don't necessarily agree with it, but I certainly have to respect a program willing to schedule a team of that caliber. The same respect I have for Dinan for going out and getting Center Grove. The same respect I have for Homestead for continuing to schedule Indy teams whom they lose to 90% of the time. Not the model for all coaches, but I think one has to respect a coach who only schedules the "best."

Take seventeen minutes and watch this video of Lou Holtz speaking at a commencement if you haven't seen it already.

I get what you're saying. But to be fair, this is a fan forum. The coaches have one of their own. I think the purpose of this forum is to share opinions, respectfully, from a fan's perspective. That being said, as previously stated, I doubt any of us here are qualified to question what is or isn't in the best interest of Ralph's program.

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The most likely reason this game is being played. For sure! But it's still a program with limited enrollment that plays several players on both sides of the ball.

The IMG isn't barred in Texas, but it's more of a state wide agreement among schools not to play them. I believe there's a rule in California that prevents the IMG from playing there. It's either recruiting or desperation. I'm not sure why else the IMG academy would want to play a 4A school from Indiana.

Yeah, it really doesn't matter. Even if some of those teams have "above average" years, Notre Dame still wins every game on that schedule by double digits. They'll go into the playoffs ranked somewhere in the Top 3.

It's not Kyle Ralph's fault that IMG exists. They're there, so he's taking them on. Probably the most ballsy thing I've ever seen a coach do. Not something I'd do personally, but it's his team. And so far, the amount of success he's achieved makes it a little hard to question his decision.

I was in pretty good shape at one time, but getting trucked by someone physically superior is still a painful experience. I've stated my opinion. Now it's time for the the Dragon's to send that message and make it clear.................we fear no one, and we're showing up to win. Good luck to them. Their schedule has come a long way in the past ten seasons. I don't know much about St. Francis out of Illinois, but it's a legit sounding name. Throw in a bit of East Central, Roncalli, and IMG, and you get a battle tested team that's looking to repeat in 5A. They've put East Central and Cathedral on notice. Should be another interesting season in 5A south.

I can get on board with IMG vs Ben Davis, Warren Central, Carmel, Brownsburg, or Center Grove. But this is a little head scratching being that New Pal is a public 4A school. I think they're going to get waxed and run the risk of an injury or two if they are throwing their guys out there playing on both sides of the ball against the best players in the country. But that's just my dumb opinion as an observer from the stands. That being said, Kyle Ralph has balls......I like that. New Pal is sending a message that they'll take on anyone at anytime. It tells me that Ralph isn't satisfied with where his program currently stands, and he's hungry to make his team better by any means necessary. Is there a better benchmark than IMG? Cathedral will feel like chump change after playing IMG. They'll certainly be battle tested. I wish the program God speed and a bit of luck in this one. I'll be rooting for them.

As I said in another post..........Notre Dame will win every game next season by double digits and finish as the #1 team in the country unless we have an undefeated team from the Big Ten or SEC. To be fair though. Wisconsin and Michigan State were good football teams when they scheduled them. Stanford was one of the best programs in the country............although I'm starting to think that series needs to go. The rest of it is the deal they have with the ACC. I think it time we stop talking about how weak Notre Dame's schedule is and start talking about how Notre Dame will match up with their counterparts in the 12-team playoff.

When North Side gets punched, they punch back. They're not a pushover. Ask Concord last year. Ask Snider in 2022. I've long maintained that North Side was one of the best four teams in 5A that season. The northern bracket of 5A is limited to just a few good programs, so losing a formidable team like North Side hurts overall.

Never said my opinion was factual, 80% confident I think is what I said. At the end of the day, USC's goal is to make the playoffs and Notre Dame is standing in the way of that. They can't afford to lose to Notre Dame with Oregon, Penn State, Ohio State, and Indiana on their schedule. It was an easy decision for them to let the series go. Notre Dame on the other hand is in the 2026 playoffs with or without the Trojans on their schedule. So I'd agree with @PDB26 that neither teams need one another right now. I just find it funny that some refuse to see the USC situation for what it really is.