Bobref

Back by popular demand! 😂🤣 There will be a separate thread each week to address questions, observations, respectful and informed criticisms, and other officiating-connected issues. I’d like to specifically note that it’s OK if your contribution is simply observing that the officials are to be commended for a job well done. Videoclips are always welcome. We’ll try to provide explanations, discussions, critiques and, if someone screwed the pooch, we won’t shy away from it. The object is to inform and, perhaps, entertain as well. For Week One, I will be very interested to see how our officials adapt to the new penalty enforcement rules, and how consistently they officiate the new guidance on forcible contact against defenseless receivers.

What an interesting constitutional question! Can a person be elected President if convicted of an offense which was committed while he was President in a prior term, and which would have been an impeachable offense? I really hope we don’t have to find out.

Moot.

There’s a lot about it that was unacceptable, as the “internal” investigation clearly showed.

You obviously haven’t read it. Get back to me when you have.

Here. Save you the price of the subscription. If you need any of the big words in the report explained, I’m happy to help. 😂🤣 https://www.nd.edu/assets/docs/notre-dame-investigation-report.pdf

You can read it for yourself. https://www.chicagotribune.com/news/chi-notre-dame-sullivan-report-20110418-doc-htmlstory.html

I’ve wondered why the PC police haven’t come for them. But this is the origin of the nickname. It is a school battle cry that started during the 1940's indicating that members of the Glenville athletic teams would whack the "tar" and "blood" from its opponents. Thus, our colors are red and black.

Glenville and St. Edward scrimmaged this afternoon.

If that move in from Katy, TX is as good as advertised- 4 star edge rusher, ND commit - they might give IMG a game.

And Tardy wasn’t even their best player that night. They had a linebacker, “Brick” Graham. He had a nice career at Michigan. He was the wedge buster on their kickoff coverage… and they kicked off a lot. Get some of that video if you want to make a case for eliminating the kickoff for safety reasons. When he hit that wedge, it sounded like a bomb going off.

I was the Referee in that game. Still, the most amazing performance by a high school team I’ve seen.

And they have 2 Ohio State commits and 1 Michigan commit on their O-line.

As if it weren’t already an uphill battle, CG’s Week 1 game just got a bit tougher. https://www.si.com/college/notredame/recruiting/notre-dame-football-commit-loghan-thomas-eyeing-impact-after-transfer-to-ohio Notre Dame Commit Loghan Thomas Eyeing Impact After Transfer To Ohio St. Edward Head Coach Tom Lombardo talks the Loghan Thomas transfer and his potential impact Notre Dame has made the state of Texas a major priority in recent seasons, signing four stellar members in 2023 from the Lone Star State, including cornerback Micah Bell, and wide receivers Jaden Greathouse, Braylon James and Kaleb Smith. The staff dipped back into the state in 2024, landing commitments from defensive end Loghan Thomas, running back Kedren Young and cornerback Leonard Moore. Well, check that, one of those commitments is no longer in Texas, as Thomas has transferred to powerhouse Lakewood (Ohio) St. Edward for his senior season. This gets Thomas and his family closer to his mother's family, who are from northeast Ohio. Obviously the ultra talented Thomas is a big boost to an already stellar Eagles program. Coming off of back-to-back state championships and a 15-1 overall record last season, St. Edward head coach Tom Lombardo has a similar set of goals for his team heading into 2023. "The goals for us are to win the state championship here in Ohio,” Coach Lombardo told Irish Breakdown. "We have won back-to-back state championships, so we want to be able to make it three. We have a senior leader team coming back and obviously adding a player like Loghan is a big deal for us. "With that being said, we play an incredibly difficult schedule and have to play some of the top programs in the country so we really need to play our best ball when the playoffs come around,” Lombardo added. "We really have to focus on the process to get to our end goals.” Thomas will obviously be a huge help to achieving those goals. It’s not every day a player travels from Katy, Texas over 1,300 miles to another powerhouse as a senior. While it’s still early, it appears that Thomas is fitting in just fine. Thomas will obviously be a huge help to achieving those goals. It’s not every day a player travels from Katy, Texas over 1,300 miles to another powerhouse as a senior. While it’s still early, it appears that Thomas is fitting in just fine. “So far, so good,” said Lombardo. “Loghan has been her for about 10 days so far. I believe July 31st was his first day. He’s super long, fast and really quick twitched; he’s an impressive athlete.” As it turns out, the Thomas family is actually originally from the state of Ohio. Loghan and his little brother, Braden, will both be making the transition together. It can be a difficult transition for anyone but according to Lombardo, Loghan has acclimated very quickly. "It’s certainly a difficult transition, especially as a senior,” he said. “So far, Loghan is extremely coachable and a really well-mannered kid. It’s very obvious that he’s been raised really well. He wants to get better and works hard every single day.” We have only gotten a small taste of Thomas in a St. Edward uniform so far. The first few days were to help him to get adjusted, but soon enough his impact will be felt. Loghan just got into full pads,” said Lombardo. "He had to spend the first few days in the acclimatization process mandated by the state. So he wasn’t able to scrimmage yet but he’ll be able to on Friday when we take on Glenville. "Playing against our team has been a big help to Loghan,” he continued. "We have two offensive tackles, one going to Ohio State and one to Michigan. So getting to go against those guys is a big help. He’s battling everyday.” Thomas is adding a massive senior year as a part of a new program. Keeping close eyes on St. Edward this season will be a must watch. Thomas is considered to be a four-star recruit by every major recruiting platform, rating as a Top 200 player by three of the sites. He ranks highest on the On3 ranking, sitting as the No. 168 overall player and No. 16 edge defender in the 2024 recruiting class. The 6-4, 210-pound pass rusher chose the Irish over a long list of impressive suitors. Some of his top offers include Notre Dame, Georgia, Texas, USC, LSU, Oklahoma, Texas A&M, Nebraska, Ole Miss, Colorado, Duke, Kansas State, Texas Tech, Houston, Cal, Arizona and Kansas among others.

You’ve been a member for 4-1/2 years. So, that is highly unlikely. 🤣

I guess everyone has to ask himself “at what price?” Or, maybe “what, if anything, is too high a price?”

Agree 100%.

Perhaps you’re seeing double for some reason. 🤣

Perhaps you aren’t aware that, at Notre Dame, Athletic Dept. revenue doesn’t stay in the Athletic Department. It goes to the University’s General Fund where it is distributed to many worthwhile programs, such as financial aid for minority students. Drop football, or dramatically reduce revenue, and those programs suffer.

Not sure I agree with everything in the article, but it’s nice to see. https://www.barstoolsports.com/blog/3477297/in-the-end-notre-dame-is-the-only-major-football-institution-with-any-integrity In The End, Notre Dame Is The Only Major Football Institution With Any Integrity Every single thing we love about College Football has been destroyed by the almighty dollar. The pageantry, the tradition, the regionality, the rivalries, the fact that conference championship was possible and everything for schools like Iowa, Washington State, Oregon State, Purdue, Texas Tech. One magical season for a mid-tier program could sustain a fan base for a generation. Those dream seasons are dead because Purdue might be able to put it all together to win a BigTen league in a year where they catch Michigan and Ohio State in a down year, but the idea that they could somehow finish ahead of Michigan, Ohio State, USC, and Oregon feels impossible. And yet it is still better to be Purdue than Cal, Oregon State, or Washington State today. All of these schools are racing to get the biggest cash grab possible by leaving 150+ years of tradition in the trash while also maintaining their non-profit tax exempt status. Joke. In the face of all of that there was one single school that said NO. We will not sell our soul, our mission, our identity, or our fans out for a few extra dollars. That hero who wanted to preserve college football and prevent it from becoming just a semi-amateur minor league NFL is Notre Dame. Every single one of these mega conferences has approached Notre Dame over the years. The BigTen now makes more sense than ever because ND's primary rival, USC, is now somehow a midwestern school. Even with the promise of HUGE money, bigger money than they could get on their own, and the preservation of their national schedule, Notre Dame still said no. Notre Dame will remain independent. They will remain Notre Dame. They will play who they want and when they want. They will keep their integrity because they know an extra few million bucks a year doesn't really change anything for the positive. How much would Oregon fans pay per year to have a chance at a conference title and an annual game against Oregon State? Probably not worth it to the average fan an alumni. Worth millions to the administration who will line their own pockets with the extra cash though. I remember that phrase "too big to fail" from the 2008 financial crisis. I also think there is an idea that some things are so big that they have to fail. It's impossible to keep connection to what was special to begin with. Ultimately, I think we will see a decline in interest in college football. There's a reason why it's not as popular in the Northeast. The Northeast never had an real football tradition. No regional rivalries. No real conference. Now that is the case for most places. I think you'll see decline in interest of the schools that got left behind and then also the schools that will inevitably be left at the bottom of these leagues every year. It might take a generation for those predictions to come through, but college football won't have the same grip on America that it used to. People have been hating on Notre Dame for my entire life. They have probably been hating on them since Knute Rockne invented the forward pass. People can continue to hate them because that is what college football should be about, but they can't deny that ND recognizes that their program is more than just a money making machine. That their tradition can't simply be bought at this point. Somethings shouldn't change and bigger/more isn't always better. Notre Dame refuses to go with the flow and follow the money and everyone should respect them for that

Not sure I agree with everything in the article, but it’s nice to see. https://www.barstoolsports.com/blog/3477297/in-the-end-notre-dame-is-the-only-major-football-institution-with-any-integrity In The End, Notre Dame Is The Only Major Football Institution With Any Integrity Every single thing we love about College Football has been destroyed by the almighty dollar. The pageantry, the tradition, the regionality, the rivalries, the fact that conference championship was possible and everything for schools like Iowa, Washington State, Oregon State, Purdue, Texas Tech. One magical season for a mid-tier program could sustain a fan base for a generation. Those dream seasons are dead because Purdue might be able to put it all together to win a BigTen league in a year where they catch Michigan and Ohio State in a down year, but the idea that they could somehow finish ahead of Michigan, Ohio State, USC, and Oregon feels impossible. And yet it is still better to be Purdue than Cal, Oregon State, or Washington State today. All of these schools are racing to get the biggest cash grab possible by leaving 150+ years of tradition in the trash while also maintaining their non-profit tax exempt status. Joke. In the face of all of that there was one single school that said NO. We will not sell our soul, our mission, our identity, or our fans out for a few extra dollars. That hero who wanted to preserve college football and prevent it from becoming just a semi-amateur minor league NFL is Notre Dame. Every single one of these mega conferences has approached Notre Dame over the years. The BigTen now makes more sense than ever because ND's primary rival, USC, is now somehow a midwestern school. Even with the promise of HUGE money, bigger money than they could get on their own, and the preservation of their national schedule, Notre Dame still said no. Notre Dame will remain independent. They will remain Notre Dame. They will play who they want and when they want. They will keep their integrity because they know an extra few million bucks a year doesn't really change anything for the positive. How much would Oregon fans pay per year to have a chance at a conference title and an annual game against Oregon State? Probably not worth it to the average fan an alumni. Worth millions to the administration who will line their own pockets with the extra cash though. I remember that phrase "too big to fail" from the 2008 financial crisis. I also think there is an idea that some things are so big that they have to fail. It's impossible to keep connection to what was special to begin with. Ultimately, I think we will see a decline in interest in college football. There's a reason why it's not as popular in the Northeast. The Northeast never had an real football tradition. No regional rivalries. No real conference. Now that is the case for most places. I think you'll see decline in interest of the schools that got left behind and then also the schools that will inevitably be left at the bottom of these leagues every year. It might take a generation for those predictions to come through, but college football won't have the same grip on America that it used to. People have been hating on Notre Dame for my entire life. They have probably been hating on them since Knute Rockne invented the forward pass. People can continue to hate them because that is what college football should be about, but they can't deny that ND recognizes that their program is more than just a money making machine. That their tradition can't simply be bought at this point. Somethings shouldn't change and bigger/more isn't always better. Notre Dame refuses to go with the flow and follow the money and everyone should respect them for that

That assumes there’s going to be a PAC-12 to furnish an opponent.

Unlikely … since Jack Swarbrick’s hand-picked successor is former head of NBC Sports.

Seems like the Irish are standing pat. https://fanrecap.com/notre-dame-wont-change-view-on-independence-if-big-ten-expands-further-per-report/

It’s solely based on what will drive eyeballs to TV sets.