Bobref

The Law of Unintended Consequences strikes again. When NIL came to be, no one foresaw borderline NFL players going back to college … because the NIL $$ exceed the NFL’s rookie pay scale. I sincerely hope this is the straw that breaks the camel’s back … and causes someone to grab college football by the throat and shake some common sense into it. As many have observed, the current model is unsustainable.

My 49th season opener tonight. Observing a crew at Wawassee @ Jimtown.

Did DT put you up to this? 😂🤣

Here is a summary of the mechanic changes for 2026. The IHSAA Mechanics and Best Practices for a Crew of Five, 2026 Edition, is now posted on my.IHSAA. Access it at the Resources tab on your dashboard. ❖ Free Kicks Crew’s initial alignment on kickoffs changed significantly. Wings now start on the goal line pylons. They can then adjust but must always stay at least 5 yds. behind the deepest receiver, if they are not on the goal line. U moves up to R’s restraining line. Officials’ responsibilities and mechanics before and during the kick have changed correspondingly, the biggest change being the wing officials are now responsible for forward progress on the return all the way to K’s goal line. The new free kick mechanics appear in the Manual at pp. 68-70. The new alignment also applies to a free kick following a safety. ❖ Scoring Kicks The U moves back under an upright with the B, and rules on the kick. The wing officials hold their positions on the LOS, with associated responsibilities. R must now make sure his position is wide enough to encompass a view of both the snapper and the holder/kicker, as he is now responsible for all roughing fouls. The new scoring kick mechanics appear in the Manual at pp. 78-79. ❖ Umpire Positioning U’s initial positioning on scrimmage plays has changed slightly, in that U’s position is now on the side of the formation opposite R, and no wider than the outside shoulder of the guard. The Manual now makes explicit that, on pass protection, U is responsible for the block of the tackle on R’s side, while R is to look through the QB to the block of the far tackle. ❖ Wings’ responsibilities on pass plays Wing officials hold the LOS while watching the block of the tackle. Upon reading “pass,” they continue to hold until a receiver on their side gets 7-10 yds. deep. Then move downfield and find the ball. ❖ Wings to accompany teams to the field The wing officials notify the team on their respective sidelines when there are 4 minutes remaining on the game clock prior to kickoff and at the halftime intermission. The wings will accompany their respective teams out to the field.

Notre Dame and USC to renew college football’s greatest intersectional rivalry, starting with the 2030 season opener in the Coliseum. A 4 yr. home & home deal. Reportedly, ND’s proposed series with IU is not happening.

Paul Condry has done more to promote Indiana High School Football than anyone I know.

Think Trump is kicking himself for nominating Justice Barrett after the mail-in ballot decision?

There are significant changes to free kick mechanics which will appear in the 2026 revision of the Manual. Should be available by early August.

Ought to be mandatory for every parent with a kid on the team. Unfortunately, that will result in a significant decrease in all those omnipresent videos of some fat Coach bullying a 14 yr. old kid over a checked swing call… if you like that sort of thing.

Andrean may be a real threat in 3A. But after last night, I bet they’re going to be playing a lot of road games this year.

No Bears’ fan cares what you think … and we hope you fall off your soapbox and hit your head — even though it’s not a vital organ! 🤣😂😅

From the outside looking in, this is interesting. The program has sort of been treading water since the Tim Bless days. But now, reaching in to Texas for a HFC. Does this gentleman have some Indiana/Columbus connection? Does this signal a new commitment to getting back to a top tier program?

I was looking at it from the standpoint of the taxpayer.

In effect it would be, if the mechanism is to give property tax relief. Whether the government collects less from you, or collects the full amount but gives some back in the form of vouchers, you arrive at the same place: you have more and the government has less.

Sound pretty much like the voucher system.

If the CFP goes to 24 teams, as the B1G is pushing, that eliminates the pressure to join a conference to increase SOS. It’s been 10 years since the Irish finished a season outside the top 24, and as long as Freeman is there, it’s highly unlikely.

We were inducted on the same night. Have known Paul for almost 20 years. No one in the state has done more to promote high school football than Paul. He and TA were partners in the early days of the Indiana Football Digest. Kindred spirits.

None. The IFD is published by Paul Condry, and has signaled the start of the high school preseason for a long time.

Irish lacrosse punch their ticket to Monday’s National Championship game vs. Princeton by outscoring Syracuse 6-0 in the 4th period, to pull away 15-7. Playing for their 3rd Natty in the last 4 seasons. Now the gold standard of college lacrosse programs. They’ve come a long way from this:

Keep listening.

Spring of my junior year we played at Hopkins on our Spring Break trip. They drubbed us, of course. But they put us up in a couple of fraternity houses, and we clearly won the evening’s events.

Irish Men’s Lacrosse punches their ticket to the Final Four by dominating John’s Hopkins in the 2nd half. Final was 15-9. Irish now hunting their 3rd National Championship in the last 4 yrs. Next up in the semifinals is the winner of Syracuse vs. North Carolina, both of whom Notre Dame beat in the regular season.

I hope you’re right. Be nice to have that competition. It would be good for football in Indiana in general. Besides, it would keep the Boilers in their place. 😉

I have nothing against Cignetti or IU. I’m going strictly on probabilities. How many teams have had 2-3 great years … and gone on to be dominant for a decade? You can count them on one hand and have a finger or two left over. The odds are that IU will regress toward the mean. But it will be very interesting to see just how the portal/NIL may affect that historical record.

I’ll let the on field results do my talking for me. Won’t take long.