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CDC and WHO are warning that hospitalization of younger people is on the rise. CDC shows that nearly 40% of those sick enough to be hospitalized in the US are age 20-54. Also, more than half of all patients put in the ICU are under age 65. The head of WHO says “I have a message for young people: You are not invincible, this virus could put you in hospital for weeks or even kill you. Even if you don't get sick the choices you make about where you go could be the difference between life and death for someone else."

Looking like OSU for Cam https://www.mlive.com/highschoolsports/2020/01/final-decision-is-in-cameron-martinez-sticks-with-ohio-state-plans-to-sign-next-week.html I will be rooting for him wherever he goes - great kid. I saw Ryan Day and Brian Polian at Cam's basketball game against Reeths Puffer. They were laughing and joking the entire time - certainly funny to see 2 coaches sitting with each other on the recruiting trail. https://www.mlive.com/highschoolsports/2020/01/ohio-states-in-home-visit-means-a-lot-to-cameron-martinez-whos-still-mulling-his-options.html

I’d trust the professionals over my opinion I was just surprised by his recruitment - always thought he’d be a 2/3* MAC or lower-end Power 5 guy. I’ll continue to root for the kid no matter where he goes - even if it’s OSU. Yuck! He’ll represent his school well as a young man for sure

I know him well. He played at my kids high school before transferring. I’m friends with his uncle and he also dates my friend’s daughter. He’s an incredibly nice and respectful kid. Certainly a good fit for ND personality-wise. He’s super quick but pretty undersized. He dominates lower competition but struggles against good competition. Honestly, I was surprised he was a 4* and wonder how a college team will use him. He’s played QB his entire career but he’s not a college QB (can’t pass.) Maybe slot? But he’s never had to catch a pass before. Maybe kick returns? Maybe CB? Catholic family so I wouldn’t be surprised if he chose ND.

At the game with 2 other dads and our 3 sons. Hitting the Michigan v ND hickey game after. Great to be back on campus!

Right now, that is the case - but there was a time when ND had all the advantages. The college landscape is ever-evolving. It's possible that... - We may land or luck into a Heisman-caliber QB. The QB position is so incredibly important that it can turn a 10-win ND team into a contender. - In the future, we may luck into an up and coming coach or develop a coach that turns into a Dabo Sweeney - Our independence could become an advantage in recruiting - The "Fair Pay to Play" law goes national and gives ND an advantage I think that ND is 'different' enough that it's not unfeasible that some of these differences may create a competitive advantage. Certainly not today - but who knows what the next 5 years brings. Plus, with 10+ wins over 4 of the last 5 years, it's not unfeasible that the stars align for us to pull off a championship. Now, I'm sure many will complain about Kelly and that "if it hasn't happened yet, it's not going to happen." That's not my point - it's more that it is possible for us to win a natty. Lastly, you won't ever find me complaining about 10-win seasons.

Bravo Elder. Great movie and perfect quote! Don’t worry - it has 1 appreciative audience member:)

The more this season progresses, the more I am confused by the Michigan game - it was so uncharacteristic of every other game this season. I feel like it is an anomaly, but boy was it a big one. We looked like team #125 in that game. I still feel like we are are a top 7 to 10 team, but that UofM game was such a head-scratcher.

Where they got it wrong: - Oklahoma should be up a spot or two - Utah - way too high; should be around #10 - Penn State ranked over Minnesota (they just lost to them 2 weeks ago!) The top-6 seem right to me. I want to say that the 3-loss Auburn over ND is a mistake, but boy does Auburn have a tough schedule and have played everyone tight; plus a top-10 win 1. LSU (10-0) 2. Ohio State (10-0) 3. Clemson (11-0) 4. Georgia (9-1) 5. Alabama (9-1) 6. Oregon (9-1) 7. Utah (9-1) 8. Penn State (9-1) 9. Oklahoma (9-1) 10. Minnesota (9-1) 11. Florida (9-2) 12. Wisconsin (8-2) 13. Michigan (8-2) 14. Baylor (9-1) 15. Auburn (7-3) 16. Notre Dame (8-2) 17. Iowa (7-3) 18. Memphis (9-1) 19. Cincinnati (9-1) 20. Boise State (9-1) 21. Oklahoma State (7-3) 22. Iowa State (6-4) 23. USC (7-4) 24. Appalachian State (9-1) 25. SMU (9-1)

Can we just appreciate for a minute that we don’t need to play against Pete Carroll any longer? I think he is one of the more underrated NFL coaches. Thankfully, he wasn’t a lifer at USC (better yet, thankfully he broke all the rules and had to jump ship to the NFL!) I know he was getting beaten by San Francisco right now, which I find joy in, but I am still glad he’s no longer at the helm of USC.

All my weather apps say 15-25 MPH winds on Saturday. Not sure if that's in the morning, all day, or evening. Regardless, should be a great fall day!

#1 - the weather looks to be improving #2 - USC has some dynamic playmakers on offense/WR #3 - I think ND will put up some points I'd probably take the over, but we will see. I'll be there too and am super fired up for this game. Sunshine on a Sunday in South Bend - as long as the wind keeps down some, it should be a perfect day

So glad to hear - 1 step at a time!

David- I hope all turns out well. I wish I were closer and I’d try to help you find some work. I just dropped $100 in for you. I say that not to brag but in hopes others help. We don’t hesitate throwing some cash in a Salvation Army bucket or a homeless person’s cup so there’s no reason we can’t help someone we know through the web. Where do you live in Indiana and what skills do you have? I can think of who I might know. God bless!

Cole Anthony to North Carolina but his dad gave some props to Brey and ND during the interview on ESPN this morning.

No kidding! Ogunbowale has ice in her veins. Whenever they need a big shot, she comes up big. That was a fun game to watch!

What are everyone's thoughts on comparing the two teams and keys to victory? Here are some random thoughts and ramblings of mine along with some reading I've done... 1) Clemson has out-recruited ND over the past 4 years, per Rivals: - 2018: Clemson 8th rank / 6 5* / 6 4* - 2018: Notre Dame 11th rank / 0 5* / 12 4* - 2017: Clemson 22nd rank / 3 5* / 6 4* - 2017: Notre Dame 13th rank / 0 5* / 8 4* - 2016: Clemson 6th rank / 3 5* / 10 4* - 2016: Notre Dame 13th rank / 1 5* / 12 4* - 2015: Clemson 4th rank / 3 5* / 3 4* - 2015: Notre Dame 11th rank / 0 5* / 13 4* That's 15 5* athletes compared to 1 for ND. (On a side note, kudo's to Kelly for finishing the regular season in the top-4 without having top-10 ranked talent.) 2) Clemson has experienced backups and has a deep roster. - Dabo regularly plays more players and deeper in his roster than any other coach or program. As an example, they played 84 players against NC State with 54 of those playing in the first quarter. By comparison, Alabama played only 44 players the same week of the season when blowing out Tennessee. - I couldn't find a stat on how many people ND played. Looking around at 1 site I found that offered 'games played', it showed that ND had 68 players play all year. I'm not sure of this accuracy though. 3) Clemson and ND have similar Strength of Schedules. - Just personally stack-ranking their schedule to ours, I feel that our strength of schedules are roughly equal. Sagarin and other measurements support that they are relatively equal. 4) Clemson's D-Line is what they are best known for. By some measures, Clemson has the topped ranked defense in the country and it is due to the strength of this line. I feel that one of the keys to ND success is Book having a high-completion percentage day using short/quick passes to the outside to minimize the impact of the interior D-line. 5) Clemson has not faced a secondary or defense like ours in my opinion and pundits seem to agree. Though I no longer buy that Clemson has a Freshman QB (he's played an entire year and he was the top QB and overall prospect by some rankings and one of the top QB prospects in recent memory), I do feel that there's a possibility that we can slow down their potent offense. This will be important because the more time we can have the Clemson D-line on the field, the more likely we will eventually wear them down. 6) Kelly needs to have one of his better prep/coaching sessions of his career. As others have indicated, Kelly needs to coach one hell of a game for ND to win this one. Dabo has the advantage, having been in this situation 3 years in a row. this is now routine for him. I feel that Kelly has done a great job this year adjusting at halftime. My hope is that we can keep it close in the first half to give him that opportunity. 7) Nothing to lose! I love that everyone is writing us off and foreseeing Alabama vs. Clemson for the 22nd year in a row. I certainly feel that Clemson is the better team but love that we have nothing to lose. If the game starts off in Clemson's favor (ala Alabama 2012), then it could get ugly. If ND can hold tight in the first quarter, then it could be a fun game. Regardless of the outcome of this game, I'm so proud of what the team has accomplished. Comparing to expectations, this has been a year of 'playing with house money'. What other observations does everyone have? Go Irish!!!

I would actually not be upset if GA stayed #4. In fact I’d prefer it. They should have beaten Alabama and I’d love to see a repeat.

I don’t have the same hat for UCF, ignoring their earlier digs on ND. It’s a shame they lost their QB as I could see them beating a major team who overlooks then but not without their QB. I’ve watched a few of their games and I feel like they are pretty good - definitely a top 15 but probably a top 10 team (certainly not top 4,)

Could the numbers also be skewed by us having Wimbush at the beginning of the year (I'd assume his scrambling rushing is included?) and Book who also helps us gain some rushing yards? Also, I suspect our strong numbers on the passing side have more to do with mobile QBs and the scheme we have of getting the ball out relatively quickly.

Hahahaha Michigan. Just gave up another TD. 62-32 beat-down!

I would be sad if Harbaugh left for the NFL. I love hating him at Meatchicken and it makes it even sweeter when they suck. I can't believe how terrible Michigan has been against OSU for the past 20 years. I didn't realize it was so bad!

"and their defense is tops in the country..."

I am curious if Oklahoma beats Texas handily (the only team to have beaten them), could they somehow sneak in? It's possible if OSU doesn't jump OU and UGA loses to Alabama. Heck, OSU could even lose to Northwestern, they've been so inconsistent.

I was secretly hoping Michigan would win out and we'd somehow play them in the playoffs and beat them twice in 1 season. Oh well. On the other hand, I'd love to beat Ohio State. Or Alabama. Or anyone in the playoffs!