Did I miss something? Was the IBG scheduled for another day? Well, yes and no. This week, which just so happens to probably be the biggest week of the year for Notre Dame football, has been just absolutely insane for your truly. What’s odd, is that nothing “special” was going on this week, and yet here I am with about 12 hours of sleep since Monday TOTAL in the books (this Saturday morning feels amazing). I’m going to handle this like a BOSS. If you haven’t already, please check out the rest of the IBG:
I better get started before I pass out.
Ryan Ritter, Her Loyal Sons: Slow and error-prone starts have plagued the Irish this season (save for an opening TD drive against Purdue). If you’re Brian Kelly, what would you try to do to prevent such a start against Florida State?
He will never do it, but if ND wins the coin toss, defer to the second half. Put the Irish defense out there first and put the pressure on Winston and the Florida State offensive line. It sounds risky, but with the way the Irish offense has had these “error-prone” starts, I would trade a touchdown drive across the field instead of a possible sudden change touchdown.
Now, you could put the trust in Golson and the Irish offense to take the ball and do some magic with it, but I prefer a little BVG voodoo.
(Aaron Horvath, The Fighting Irish Blog): I’m going to step away from the questions regarding the current squad and turn back the clock. First off, what do you remember about the 1993 game? (Shameless plug, we will be broadcasting the 1993 ND-FSU game on WatchND.tv/classics on Thursday night at 8pm ET) … where did you watch it? If you’re too young to remember, tell us about the best ND-FSU memory.
I remember everything. I’ve probably watched that game 20 times. I was 15 years old, and I got grounded by my mother that week for doing something messed up (I’m pretty sure it was because I was driving without a drivers license). Part of that punishment was not being able to watch the game. Long story short, a black and white TV and a cable box ended up in my room and my dad pretended that he couldn’t hear me watching the game.
I’m not sure if I have a favorite ND-FSU memory, but the fact that I was home and alive and absolutely not dead for the 2003 game was a nice memory. Losing 37-o was just a minor detail.
Mike Coffey, NDNation: What, if anything, does this game say about the season for both teams? Is it make-or-break, or will the loser still have a chance?
That’s been the big question this week. What happens to the loser? With almost half a season left and a lot of big games on the schedule all over the country, I would feel like a jackass if I sat here and said this game was make or break for either team. Still, I think with the “Winston hate” and the “ND hate” the loser of this game will have a huge hill to climb.
A win, for either team, would mean that every bit of momentum possible is heading their way. So, this game is unbelievably huge, but maybe not quite “do or die.”
Frank Viovitch, UHND.com: With all of the talk of Jameis Winston’s eligibility being called into question after being linked to the same autograph dealer as Todd Gurley, what is your take on Winston with regards to this weekend? Are you hoping he is ineligible to help Notre Dame’s chances or are you hoping he plays so that if Notre Dame were to win there wouldn’t be any way for the media to downplay it?
Short Answer: I WANT TO BEAT THE SHIT OUT OF WINSTON AND THE NOLES.
Long Answer: I WANT NOTRE DAME TO BEAT THE SHIT OUT OF FLORIDA STATE AND THEIR CRAB-STEALING QUARTERBACK.
You can’t want something other than that (and Winston is playing).
—
My question is irrelevant. This is not:
