Class superlatives! Check out the 2021 class edition below.

Our inability to stretch the field with elite speed at multiple receiver positions and a quarterback who can make quick decisions and deliver the ball downfield on time. Watching safeties stacked 10 yards down field due to a lack of respect for a deep passing game is ridiculous. We are playing offense in the box and the box is stacked.

Joe Posnanski of The Athletic wrote a series on the Greatest Baseball Players of All-Time last winter that was discussed quite a bit on this board. He has currently been writing an article on the 100 greatest players not currently in the Hall of Fame. He was at #24 today with a tie between Sammy Sosa and Gary Sheffield.

My post is not to argue about Sosa being in the Hall of Fame or to argue the question of steroid use. My post is to express surprise with what was contained in the following paragraph of the article:

He was widely suspected of steroid use because of his unprecedented power numbers, but he has fervently and repeatedly denied ever using steroids. In 2009, the New York Times reported that he tested positive for PEDs in 2003. The trouble with the Times report is that the 2003 test results were supposed to stay confidential — it was a survey and not an official drug test — and as such, the Times’ sources were anonymous and their motivations are shaky at best. It has left Sosa fighting against ghosts.

Sosa has always denied using PEDs with the argument that he had never failed a drug test. Opponents would always point out that he was one of the players who supposedly failed the 2003 test that was leaked to the New York Times.

I was one who always believed that Sosa therefore failed a drug test in 2003. Now it turns out that this was not an official drug test but WAS A SURVEY. What the hell to they mean by that? Was it a questionnaire asking players if they used PEDs? Was it a questionnaire asking players who they thought used PEDs?

Again, I do not want to argue whether Sosa used PEDs or not. Some will always assume that his increase in muscle mass and power surge is proof that he did. But it does appear that Sosa is on firm ground by saying that he never failed a drug test.

But this story is just another example of how a false or distorted story can become fact in the consciousness of the public.

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I mean you can’t make this up. Supporting OSU and then saying how hard the Big Ten had it? Yeah the Big ten had it really tough.

High school Butkus award. Awesome to replace a Butkus award winner with another.

NDs approach of treating these games like any other game has failed miserably. Just acknowledge the talent disparity. And admit you must be willing to fight and die for each inch, as Al Pacino says. And admit you must be more creative and take more risks

Tyree needs to be used in two back sets with Williams and also in the slot. ND needs to use a PR who can take it to the house, even if it increases the risk of fumbling. Take a chance or two with Lenzy even if everyone knows it’s coming.

And just inspire the whole team to play like animals (I.e like Q Nelson) instead of business like.

NDs usual approach has repeatedly failed miserably. Again, ND is out-talented by a large margin. Try something different goddamnit.

I read that The Big is making another change to their covid procedures to allow more O$U players eligibility. They started late, had major covid issues, amended their original “line in the sand”, and now make further accommodations. It will not be long until they demand the playoff game be played at the Horseshoe.

These aren't the official All-ACC teams, but they are still worth something.

Brian Kelly is the AP ACC Coach of the Year
Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah is the Defensive Player of the Year

Full ND honorees and teams:

Third Notre Dame LB in nine seasons to win it, joining Manti Te'o (2012) and Jaylon Smith (2015).
https://notredame.rivals.com/news/notre-dame-s-jeremiah-owusu-koramoah-wins-butkus-award

Here is the content of the bill. Curious to see what people think. The income distribution seems to make if hard for college sports other than football.

The legislation would allow college athletes to earn money off their names, images and likenesses with minimal restrictions, through either individual or group licensing deals. It would also require schools to share 50% of the profit from their revenue-generating sports such as football and basketball with the athletes who play them, after the cost of scholarships are deducted. In addition. iot would:

Create what it calls “enforceable” health and safety standards for athletes developed by the Department of Health and Human Services and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Schools would subject to fines that could be worth millions if standards are not met.

Establish a medical trust fund athletes can access for five years after leaving school.

Guarantee college athletes' scholarships for as many years as it takes them to receive an undergraduate degree and ban coaches and staff from influencing academic choices such as majors and courses.

Remove restrictions on athletes who transfer from one school to another and penalties for breaking a national letter of intent, and allow athletes to return to school after entering a draft within seven days of that draft.

Require athletic departments to annually disclose revenues and expenditures, including salaries of department personnel.

Establish a nine-member Commission on College Athletics, appointed by the president, that would include at least five former college athletes and individuals with legal expertise. The commission would take over much of the job of overseeing college sports from the NCAA, enforcing rules laid out in the law with subpoena power to investigate violations.

Here are tonight's Lucky Charms...

*** St. Louis John Borroughs School class of 2022 defensive end Tyson Ford tweeted out that Georgia, Missouri, Notre Dame and Oklahoma are his final four schools ahead of his Jan. 18 decision date. I haven't done a ton of digging on Ford's recruitment yet as I've been more focused on the 2021 cycle this month, but the word I've received so far is that Oklahoma is the team to beat. He may not have made the final call yet, but it looks like ND and OU are the lead schools.

*** College Park (Ga.) Woodward Academy class of 2022 running back Damari Alston tweeted today that he'll have some news to release on Jan. 1. I'm told Alston will trim his list down to about 10 schools, and I'd be shocked if Notre Dame didn't make the cut, especially considering his teammate Khari Gee signed with the Irish last week. Alston received an offer from Notre Dame a few months back, and he's long been interested in the Irish as he visited campus last November for a game day. My gut still tells me that Alston stays in the south, but Lance Taylor is working on this one, and Gee might be ND's ace in the hole.

*** Notre Dame hasn't expressed much interest yet, but keep an eye on Greenwood (Ind.) Center Grove class of 2022 quarterback Tayven Jackson. He didn't receive his first offer until earlier this spring so his recruiting process is still in its early stages, but he's seeing his stock really rise here of late. He led Center Grove to a state championship this fall and threw for 1,756 yards on 182 attempts and threw 17 touchdowns and five interceptions, while adding six rushing scores. His game is comparable to Gavin Wimsatt who Notre Dame has already offered this cycle, at least in my opinion. Jackson is an in-state kid too, so you hope the Irish are taking a close look at him.

*** And to close with a random 2023 note.... The chances that Notre Dame go into South Florida to win out a recruitment for an elite receiver talent like Nathaniel Joseph from Miami Edison are slim, but the Irish receivers coach Del Alexander has done a nice job early on in this recruitment. Joseph is the first wide receiver who Alexander offered in the 2023 class, which meant a lot to him. But still, I have a tough time seeing this one happen.

Activities today.

Notre Dame in rare position to defeat No. 1-ranked team twice in one season.
https://notredame.rivals.com/news/can-notre-dame-pull-off-the-2-time-feat-

Mackey, Rimington and Outlands combined in the last 10 years.....just seems odd

Not counting the playoffs. I'm interested in seeing

UGA Cincy
Liberty Coastal
UF Ou
aTm UNC
Auburn NW
And hopefully WVU gets paired with Pitt.

Here is the complete 2020/21 bowl list for those who haven't seen it yet

MONDAY, DECEMBER 21

Myrtle Beach Bowl
Appalachian State vs North Texas

TUESDAY, DECEMBER 22

Famous Idaho Potato Bowl
Tulane vs Nevada

Boca Raton Bowl
UCF vs BYU

WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 23

New Orleans Bowl
Louisiana Tech vs Georgia Southern

Montgomery Bowl
Memphis vs Florida Atlantic

THURSDAY, DECEMBER 24

New Mexico Bowl
Hawaii vs Houston

FRIDAY, DECEMBER 25

Camellia Bowl
Marshall vs Buffalo

SATURDAY, DECEMBER 26

Gasparilla Bowl
UAB vs TBD

Cure Bowl
Liberty vs Coastal Carolina

First Responders Bowl
Louisiana Lafayette vs UTSA

Lending Tree Bowl
Western Kentucky vs Georgia State

Independence Bowl
TBD vs Army

Guaranteed Rate Bowl
TBD vs TBD

MONDAY, DECEMBER 28

Military Bowl
TBD vs TBD

TUESDAY, DECEMBER 29

Cheez-it Bowl
Oklahoma State vs Miami

Alamo Bowl
Texas vs Colorado

WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 30

Duke's Mayo Bowl
Wake Forest vs Wisconsin

Music City Bowl
Missouri vs Iowa

Cotton Bowl
Florida vs Oklahoma

THURSDAY, DECEMBER 31

Armed Forces Bowl
TBD vs TBD

Arizona Bowl
Ball State vs San Jose St.

Liberty Bowl
West Virginia vs TBD

Texas Bowl
TBD vs TCU

FRIDAY, JANUARY 1

Birmingham Bowl
TBD vs TBD

Peach Bowl
Georgia vs Cincinnati

Citrus Bowl
Auburn vs Northwestern


SATURDAY, JANUARY 2

Gator Bowl
NC State vs Kentucky

Outback Bowl
TBD vs TBD

Fiesta Bowl
Oregon vs Iowa State

Orange Bowl
Texas A&M vs North Carolina

Story: https://notredame.rivals.com/news/f...notre-dame-versus-clemson-in-acc-championship

How do you mess that up?

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That was one of the things many anti-rees people feared. Now he has an opportunity to learn from this.

It was pointed out throughout the telecast by Herbstreit.

In game 1 (Nov 7th), Clemson went out "all blitz" up the middle and the sides. Both the interior and sides blitz PASSED the Line of Scrimmage. The blitz was picked up by K Williams and company. In addition, it allowed Ian to roll out of these blitzes and made him a runner.

In game 2, Clemson blitz up the middle and the sides. However, on the sides, they kept and stayed close to the line/home. Think they called this the "pinch" on the telecast. This forced Ian to stay in the pocket. When he tried to scramble to the sides, the DE was there to take him down.

What was odd to me was that, K Williams was not needed as much to block as much. In fact, after painfully reviewing the telecast, in many instances, K Williams had NO one to actually block. He sat in the pocket in front of Book.

I bet BAMA is watching this tape. Hopefully, Kelly and Rees will make the proper adjustment to have K Williams sneak out between the lines and throw some middle screens. This would have worked beautifully against Clemson blitzes... but, we didn't adjust our offense....

Playoff worthiness, the offense, Alabama and more are featured today.
https://notredame.rivals.com/news/3-2-1-notre-dame-observations-questions-prediction-15

Passed away at 58. Way too young.