23andCounting

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.

I just looked at USC's upcoming schedule, it's no wonder they wanted out more than Notre Dame did. In their defense, it's pretty brutal. I would have ditched Notre Dame too if I was USC's AD.

I know you think you're being objective, but when the subject of Notre Dame pops up, you seem to ALWAYS play the devil's advocate with your "second" team. You don't do that with IU at all. Massive difference between first and second I guess.

C'mon. USC wanted out for the exact reason I stated. They knew ND wouldn't go for it. No connections with the AD, just an opinion that that I'm 80% sold on.

USC knew that Week 1 was a "hard no" for Notre Dame. It was an easy out for them and a way for them to make Notre Dame the bad guy.

USC knows they are good for two losses in the Big Ten. They were seeking a guaranteed win rather than a 75% chance loss. Two losses gets them into the playoff, a loss against Notre Dame puts them out.

I thought semi-state was unkind to Merrillville. This takes the cake. I remember the Carroll/Jeff game. Carroll had a lucky bounce go their way toward the end of the game.

Fact check..............unless I'm hallucinating. Jeff is 0-8 at the region level? Never even a semi-state appearance? That seems hard to believe for a stout program like theirs.

Forgot about Jeff. I'd say they are the frontrunner at this point. Would be good to see them play for a state title. I think it's been awhile for them?

I hate to see Merrillville and Valpo up in 6A. Two very good programs that don't have a realistic chance to win that class. Maybe a chance for Merrillville, but it's less than 10%. 5A North is embarrassingly watered down, especially if North Side drops to 4A. That really just leaves Snider and Warsaw, neither of which were very good last year. Concord?

That's just pretend, right? Certainly no one in their right mind would pay those rates.

The Bears are using NWI for leverage. Illinois will ante up. They've been losing the politics battle with Indiana for years, they don't want to lose this one. I'm 85/15 in favor of Arlington.

Notre Dame is unique in that department. Not sure how a university most known for athletes who are there for a degree is also the most hated institution in America. Kinda shows how are priorities are screwed up. Most fans root for the team, not necessarily the educational value that the team they are playing for offers. Did I hear correctly, Notre Dame landed five 5-star football players in this year's class? That's a first if accurate.

Fort Wayne South Side: One win in 2023. Two wins in 2024. Three wins in 2025. South Side is a work in progress and Andre Goodwell seems to have them progressing. Played solid football last season against Homestead, Dwenger, North Side, and Luers.

Didn't know that bit..........good stuff. In the end, Fort Wayne just couldn't compete with the bigger markets. I think our only chance would be hockey. I honestly think we could support an NHL team.

Zollner Pistons when they played their home games at North Side. Then the Coliseum was built on the "Bypass" around Fort Wayne for a bigger venue to compete with the larger markets. I believe that's when the team name changed to Fort Wayne Pistons. Not going off resources here, just memory. The Coliseum hosted the All-Star game in 1953. Boston was terrified hosting it the following season hoping they could live up to what Fort Wayne did the year before. I believe the Piston's first season in Detroit was 1958. There's a lot of sports history in Fort Wayne, including the Fort Wayne Kekiongas who were part of the women's softball league that was featured in the movie 'A League of Their Own.' Not only the birthplace of the NBA, but also home of the first nighttime baseball game. Allegedly, Babe Ruth hit his longest home run of his career in an exhibition game in Fort Wayne.

Not sure if many are aware that Fort Wayne is the birthplace of the NBA.

I'm intrigued by this. I've always admired their program. I think they'll do well. They're used to winning championships though. Their ceiling will be winning the Mountain West. No shot at a National Championship.

Thoughts on the game: Very little. Mostly watching snowboarding, curling, and figure skating. Thoughts on the Turning Point halftime: Country music, although very nice and refreshing, tends to bore me a little. Bawitdaba definitely stole the show. Overall a nice positive vibe..........kid friendly. Bad Bunny: Lost me after 30 seconds. Like 90% of America, I don't speak Spanish. Grabbing his crotch multiple times while his dancers graced our the audience, many of whom were children, left the moral compass of the entire thing in heavy doubt.

I like Kirk, hate to see him go. He's not as biased toward Ohio State as he used to be in my opinion. I've grown to like him over the years.

Not sure where this team ranks, but it's only fair to put them right up there with the best based on the numbers alone. But then if you go back and look at who won each year over the past ten years, it's hard to say for certain that "yeah, IU would have beaten them." IU 2025 vs Michigan 2023 IU 2025 vs Ohio State 2024 Go down the list.............LSU, Clemson, Alabama. It's hard to say who would win any of those matchups head to head. But for now, who really cares. It's IU's turn to shine in the spotlight.

Not surprised, not even a little. Kind of ironic that they lose the two best RB's in the country to the draft and are still projected to be in Top 3 by most rankings. I'll be honest, I'm going to have to slate ND in that #2 spot. Although I think the Irish and Hoosier programs are on equal footing right now, I feel like Cignetti is just getting started. Cute how everyone will probably try to throw an SEC team in the Top 3 somewhere. At the end of the day, I think it's hard to bet against IU, ND, and Ohio State. I would trust Kirby Smart more than I would Texas.

Good stuff, thanks for the input.