Notre Dame’s home opener against Marshall is just a few days away — PULL THE TRIPLE OPTION FROM THE PLAYBOOK!
DUH I was surprised to see how much surprise there was about the Notre Dame vs. Ohio State TV viewership. The Irish and Buckeyes have two of the most devoted fan bases in sports, let alone college football. Add in the excitement of the season and a top 5 matchup, and the recipe for capturing the attention of fans across the country was quite delicious.
The numbers are massive, so what can we conclude about the future of college football? We’ve all seen how much money is at stake with conferences and TV packages, and it’s figures like these that have television executives salivating.
But, in five years, will that be a reality? Now that the college football playoff is set to be a 12-team format, there are a couple of competing theories regarding the future schedules of these teams. According to one theory, schools may make a greater commitment to better matchups to begin the season. In the new playoff era, a “good loss” hurts far less than it used to.
The other theory is that schools will not be required to schedule these difficult games outside of conference because there is no real need to strengthen the schedule.
I can’t predict which direction more schools will take over the next decade, but the television industry will undoubtedly have a say in some way. After all, the networks have been the primary drivers of conference realignment over the last decade, so their hands are already soiled and they are in the same bowl as athletic directors, presidents, and conference commissioners.

SHE IS A TRUE BELIEVER.
After losing to Ohio State, Notre Dame remained in the top 10, putting them in a good position to compete for a CFB playoff spot in the future. Notre Dame still has games against the #5 Clemson Tigers, the #10 USC Trojans, and the #21 BYU Cougars if they win out.
Heather Dinich of ESPN isn’t ready to rule out the Irish, and I’m just going to hitch my wagon to the HD train.

I’m still a fan of Utah and Notre Dame. They had to play their way into a serious discussion, but they did not play their way out. September 6, 2022 — Heather Dinich (@CFBHeather)

BRIAN KELLY IS STILL KING OF THE PRESSERVE. While the reporter in this clip claimed that she was joking and that she later laughed with BK, it’s still awkward AF.

A NUMBER OF GOOD THINGS
Greg Flammang, one of our friends, is always good at talking with his finger. Here are a few highlights from the Ohio State game, because there were still some highlights.

There’s a lot to like about this play:

-Going four wide in 11 personnel -Rees calling a shot to begin the drive -Buchner taking the shot rather than looking short to Mayer –

Lenzy took a good route to get on top of the DB and then upfield to make room for the pass—great effort on the catch pic.twitter.com/9YXPKaD5ow

September 7, 2022 — Greg Flammang (@greg2126)