Grace Flanner

It seems like it boils down to Clemson, Florida State, and North Carolina(?). ND just can't lose to anyone but Clemson. Do you guys really think a full season will happen? I have very strong doubts. It seems like coaches and universities are in general saying all the right things. Players, though, are taking a much more active role in all of this. Their parents and lawyers probably will too. I predict chaos after about 3 weeks when tons of players on various teams test positive. Then it turns into a situation like they have in MLB, teams canceling games against teams with players who tested positive. I'm excited about the possibility of college football, but not getting my hopes too high.

This is the opinion of the vast majority of people in the world. Ask anyone in Africa, the Middle East, India, Pakistan, almost anywhere in Asia. Ask anyone who is not a city/county/state/federal government employee or dependent on the government for their monthly income, or anyone who is not already financially well-off. People who get paid no matter what, people who have huge savings/investments, trust fund people? The financial aspects of the pandemic don't really affect them. They can (and do) howl at the moon about how mean people are because they want to work so they don't lose everything they've worked and saved for.

Now that's entertainment! I have some extremely liberal friends who live in West Seattle. They are horrified by almost all things CHOP-related. Is it okay to say that someone who isn't liberal has extremely liberal friends? I don't know any more.

Well, maybe Alabama will be available... USC was supposed to play them. (While it would be intriguing, it won't actually happen)

and also lose David Abiara to OU...

I've grown tired of hearing the protests described as "mostly peaceful". 4 police shot in St. Louis: https://www.kmov.com/news/4-st-louis-police-officers-shot-during-violent-protests-downtown/article_d8af5b24-a494-11ea-879e-bfa4a029a5ac.html Possibly the first time I've read the protests described as 'violent'. 1 policeman shot in the head in Las Vegas: https://www.reviewjournal.com/crime/shootings/shootings-during-las-vegas-protest-leave-1-dead-officer-in-critical-condition-2041743/ SUV runs over police in Buffalo : https://www.newsweek.com/police-run-over-vehicle-during-george-floyd-protest-buffalo-new-york-1507976 It seems to me the police across the country have been bending over backwards to show restraint. Perhaps they should. But these types of events will ultimately cause police to fire more than tear gas into the crowds.

It was great back in the Holtz days. As national signing day approached, the local paper would have a half-page that showed the top 8 or 10 national recruits at each position, along with where they had committed. ND always, and I mean always, had either the number 1, 2, or 3 kid at each position. That all started to change at the end of Holtz's tenure. It was kind of fun not focusing on recruiting at all. You just knew that ND was going to have the best players across the board. Now I look at recruiting year round on the internet, hoping that ND might get one of the top 5 players at some of the positions.

TCU's Gary Patterson, now president of the American Football Coaches Association, in addressing the organization yesterday said that in his experience, the number one factor in deciding who a head coach should hire is: how does everyone get along with that person? He said it's not as much X's and O's, but rather can the coaches who are going to be spending 18 hours a day together in small rooms get along and work together. Each coach needs to bring something different to the table, but they have to get along. Thought it was an interesting take from a guy who's been pretty successful over the last 15 years.

No doubt. Before any of us call an 18 - 22 year-old scholarship kid garbage, consider: Do you have a job? Do you get paid for your job? Do you consider yourself to be in the top 10% of people nationwide doing a similar job? Do you ever have an "off" day at your job, maybe a few days a year where you don't execute every aspect of your job perfectly? Do you have a boss, not to mention a nation, watching your every move at the job every day, analyzing every detail of what you do? I suppose it could be argued that Book isn't a top 10% QB; but I would absolutely argue that. If you do have that occasional off day, if you're not in the top 5-10% of people who do what you do, does that make you garbage? Just sayin'....

Book will be quarterback until he either decides he's done, he gets drafted, or one of the guys behind him earns the job. Here's what he's telling Jurkovec and Clark: https://getyarn.io/yarn-clip/ad989f6c-8678-487d-810a-ed7284eaaff6

Ozark is good but a little disturbing. The Crown (Netflix) is actually a great series. Never thought I'd like it, but fascinating stuff. If you haven't seen The People vs OJ Simpson, that's a "must see". Travolta's best role.

Moving on to the Final Four once again! Go Irish! Beat Huskies! Wipe the smug off Geno.

I think that will happen when ND goes 55-4 over a 5 year period.

I guess that means ESPN Game Day will be in Athens on 9/21 when the number 3 team is at home against the #5 Fighting Irish.