Bobref

Looks like somebody grew a pair. Braun = Dead Man Walking

I just know that if I were the AD, I would be doing the due diligence of all due diligences.

Wouldn’t you think, after what’s gone on the last several years, that they would be looking to hire someone who’s squeaky clean?

There is a guy out there who needs a job. And he has very strong ties to the state of Michigan. Just sayin’.

I don’t understand why they just don’t make the thing public. I thought the Committee was all about “transparency.” I mean, most of the cat is out of the bag already.

I believe the MOU applies to everyone, not just Notre Dame.

“They hate us, ‘cause they ain’t us.”

It’s like Bill Parcells used to say. He treats everyone fairly, but not necessarily equally. Superstars get treated differently. That’s the reality of the world. And “preferential” isn’t my word, it’s yours.

Fixed that for you. 🤣

But only 1 program is getting ripped for it.

That’s been the rule as long as I can remember. And remember, even if he’s guilty of illegal participation, he’s still an eligible receiver. He can legally catch the ball. And, he can be interfered with.

Only thing to add to @JustRules’ excellent explanation is that this type of illegal participation is, potentially, a spot foul for enforcement purposes. So, when you throw the flag, get it on the spot of the foul, which is where the player returns to the field inbounds.

Apparently there’s a “Memorandum of Understanding” between ND and the CFP Committee that takes effect next year, assuring ND of a playoff berth if they are ranked in the top 12 by the Committee. If the field goes to 14, they need to finish in the top 13. If it goes to more than that, all bets are off. https://www.on3.com/news/pete-bevacqua-reveals-notre-dame-is-assured-of-cfp-berth-in-2026-if-irish-are-ranked-in-top-12/ I wonder why we’re just learning of this now. My speculation is it was supposed to be a secret, but when Pete Bevacqua felt that the Committee screwed ND, that went out the window. I think the way this has shaken out has created some hard feelings that won’t go away anytime soon.

Good thing they won’t have to depend on a committee to get into the playoffs. 😂🤣

I’m not a conspiracy theorist, but there are plenty of them out there. I’ve previously made my feelings known about Notre Dame and the CFP. I have no beef with the Committee’s decision. But some people are wondering aloud about the coincidence that ESPN, who paid $7.8 Billion for the exclusive broadcast rights to the CFP, also is the network with exclusive broadcast rights to SEC football.

The TD throw, while being hotly pursued, right on the sideline, into a window that was less than the width of the football, was insane.

I don’t know how this game will turn out. But I’ve been watching Bears games since I moved to Northwest Indiana in 1969. Williams made 2 throws on that last drive that no Bears QB has made in my lifetime.

How likely is it something like that could be kept under wraps in this day and age?

You’re correct. They changed that effective this season. Do you believe Notre Dame’s lack of conference affiliation is a factor?

The Irish have announced they are withdrawing from consideration for a bowl game. Another disappointing, but understandable, decision.

I think, in context, Swarbrick’s remark did not imply anything nefarious. He simply meant if Notre Dame’s path to a national championship faced significant obstacles that conference members did not, the issue would be reevaluated. IMO, it does. Under the current format, ND can never be an automatic qualifier, and can never get a first round bye. Now, it appears the Committee is placing increased emphasis on participation in conference championship games, making them “no lose” propositions. Even if conference championship games go away - which they are likely to do with an expanded playoff - there are plenty who believe that Notre Dame is able to manipulate its schedule in a way that provides an advantage, which they could not do to that extent if they were members of a conference. And I firmly believe that line of thinking was a factor in the Committee’s disappointing, but understandable, decision.

Under NFHS rules, if an A player is forced out of bounds by an opponent, he may legally continue to participate so long as he returns inbounds at the “earliest opportunity.” So, the real question is “when a player is out of bounds, what must he do to change his status to inbounds?” The rule is very clear: A player who is out of bounds “remains out of bounds until returning to the field with any body part touching the field and no body part touching out of bounds.”

Jack Swarbrick, the guy who ushered Notre Dame athletics into the modern age, always said there were only a few things that could prompt the Irish to re-examine their independent status: if they lost their strong broadcast partner (NBC), couldn't secure a fair path to the postseason (like CFP access), or faced an unsustainable financial disadvantage due to conference realignment, especially concerning lucrative TV deals. I firmly believe that the bolded language represents exactly what happened this year. And there’s no reason it won’t happen again. It was absolutely predictable, and it’s totally repeatable. I fully support a complete re-examination of the cost/benefit of independent status in football, in light of the massive changes in the college football landscape since that policy was established.

Notre Dame’s exclusion - which I described previously as being a 100% self-inflicted wound - was a very clear message from the “join a conference like everyone else” people, although it might be difficult even for them to keep a straight face with Tulane and James Madison in the field. Be interesting to see if someone can estimate how much it co$t them to miss the playoffs.

A lot better than Alabama.