By DOUG GRIFFITHS ISL Assistant Editor And down the stretch they come. For all practical purposes, the race in the Leaders Division is over, as Ohio State will be in next month’s Big Ten Championship Game. The Legends Division is another story. Michigan State looks to be in great shape, but if Nebraska knocks off […]
By DOUG GRIFFITHS ISL Assistant Editor This week could be a snooze fest as far as Big Ten games are concerned. Barring a major upset, the five conference games aren’t expected to keep you glued to your television. Unfortunately, none of the games figures to impact the Big Ten race. Undefeated Ohio State doesn’t figure […]
By DOUG GRIFFITHS ISL Assistant Editor Having had plenty of time to digest and analyze Notre Dame’s first regular-season loss since 2011, I’ve come to some conclusions. Before I dive into those, let me reassure Irish Nation that the sky isn’t falling and Notre Dame’s program isn’t slipping after Saturday night’s 41-30 defeat Saturday night […]
By DOUG GRIFFITHS ISL Assistant Editor When Brian Kelly held his first formal press conference of the 2013 season, it was blatantly obvious just how confident the fourth-year Fighting Irish boss was. Shouldn’t he be? After all, he has re-energized a program that saw its usual sky-high confidence brought down to earth before his arrival […]
By DOUG GRIFFITHS ISL Assistant Editor Until someone else proves otherwise, Alabama is second to none in the college football ranks. In winning their second straight BCS National Championship, the Crimson Tide rolled over unbeaten Notre Dame, showing all of college football just how strong their program is. Alabama was fortunate to be in last […]
By DOUG GRIFFITHS ISL Assistant Editor Notre Dame did what no one thought it could. It finished the football season undefeated thanks to a 22-13 win at USC Saturday night. Yes, the top-ranked Irish, who began the season unranked and ended it 12-0 for the first time since 1988, are relevant once again. So relevant […]
By DOUG GRIFFITHS ISL Correspondent We know Notre Dame at 4-0 is off to its best start in a decade and its program is ranked among the nation’s top 10 for the first time since 2006. However, after watching Saturday night’s game between Notre Dame and Michigan, two top-20 teams at the time, I left […]
By CHUCK SAMPLES ISL Correspondent What we learned in Week 2 of the college football season: 1. Ho-hum for Alabama. At least for the early, nonconference portion of the schedule. Things change this weekend. 2. Think Arkansas wasn’t looking past Louisiana-Monroe to the Tide? Questions now are (1) how John L. Smith guides the Bacon […]