2 Weeks Ago, CW from Rakes Of Mallow says (in State of the Union: A Look At Notre Dame Basketball) The Notre Dame basketball team is seven games into its Big East season and sits at a respectable 4-3 in conference play, 15-5 overall, but the majority of Irish fans don't care.  This is a similar attitude to the one the Notre Dame athletic department is taking, as the Irish were ranked twelf...

3 Weeks Ago, CW from Rakes Of Mallow says (in Todd McShay on Jimmy Clausen: How Wrong Can One Man Be?) I'm curious as to whether Todd McShay actually watched any Notre Dame games from 2009, because in games against Michigan, Michigan State, Purdue, Washington, USC, BC, Navy, Pitt and Stanford, Jimmy Clausen played better and better as the game went on and gave his team a chance to win when...

Last Month, CW from Rakes Of Mallow says (in Bowl Season Winners and Losers, Plus Why We Need A Playoff) Navy: At some point, people are going to stop treating Navy like some sort of special needs program and realize they're a top forty-level football team year in and year out.  Certainly Gary Pinkel should have some newfound respect for them after Ken Niumatalolo and Ricky Dobbs ran over, ar...

And CW from Rakes Of Mallow says (in Raking The Muck: Welcome Back) Despite a healthy margin for most of the game, Mike Brey basically only used a six man rotation (Carleton Scott played all of three minutes), and that lack of depth caught up with the Irish on Saturday.  Hanging around with Connecticut for most of the game, the Huskies blew the game open late...

2 Months Ago, CW from Rakes Of Mallow says (in A Defense Of Brian Kelly As Notre Dame Coach For Anyone Who Thinks This Is Somehow A Bad Hire) This is true, but not just because of football.  ResLife is a horrible entity for all Notre Dame students, and needs to be addressed.  Weis said in his exit interview that it was his biggest problem, but ResLife didn't stop him from bringing in great recruiting class after great recruiting c...

And CW from Rakes Of Mallow says (in Notre Dame Coach Watch 2009: Ignorance Is Not Bliss, Silence Certainly Not Golden) I think there are two ways to look at what is going on in the Irish coaching search.  Number one, and the most likely candidate, is that this is just your typical Notre Dame football cluster.  The favorite candidates turned it down early and somehow we're screwing things up with the perfectly...

And CW from Rakes Of Mallow says (in Notre Dame Coach Watch 2009: The Recap) Things get real.  In the saddest news of the day, both Jimmy Clausen and Golden Tate announce they will be heading for the NFL at a presser with Charlie Weis, who was there by the 7-to-23 combination's request.  In major coaching news, Brian Kelly said on the Dan Patrick Radio Show that there w...

3 Months Ago, CW from Rakes Of Mallow says (in Golden Is Thy Name: Tate and Hughes Lead Notre Dame Rout of Washington State) Some Irish fans - we'll call them the lunatic fringe - have been complaining that Notre Dame hasn't been blowing the doors off of teams because of their vast talent advantage, or whatever.  Granted, every team they had played against Nevada had been a BCS team that either has a great win or ve...

4 Months Ago, CW from Rakes Of Mallow says (in University of Southern California Trojans at University of Notre Dame Fighting Irish: The Preview) about : In this photo made Oct. 3, 2009, Notre Dame quarterback Jimmy Clausen, left, celebrates a touchdown against Washington during an NCAA college football game in South Bend, Ind. Clausen isn't the same quarterback who walked out of the Los Angeles Coliseum seven games ago following U...

And CW from Rakes Of Mallow says (in Mid-Term Report Card: Grading The Irish On Their Bye Week) 28 days ago: In this photo taken on Saturday, Sept. 5, 2009, Notre Dame center Eric Olsen lines upp against Nevada during an NCAA college football game in South Bend, Ind. (AP Photo/Michael Conroy)

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Quarterbacks: A

Running Backs: B+

Wide Receivers: A-

Tight ends: B+

And CW from Rakes Of Mallow says (in Opinion: One Game To Rule Them All: A Look Back At Washington, and The First of Many Looks at USC) 2 days ago: Notre Dame safety Kyle McCarthy (28) and Harrison Smith, back, break up a pass intended for Washington wide receiver D'Andre Goodwin on the final play of the overtime period during an NCAA college football game in South Bend, Ind., Saturday, Oct. 3, 2009. Notre Dame defeated Wash...

And CW from Rakes Of Mallow says (in Q&A With The Enemy: Talking Washington Huskies With UW Dawg Pound) 9 days ago: Washington's Matt Houston, lower left, and Mark Armelin (68) cheer following the team's 16-13 upset victory over Southern California, Saturday, Sept. 19, 2009, in an NCAA college football game in Seattle. (AP Photo/The News Tribune, Drew Perine/)

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5 Months Ago, CW from Rakes Of Mallow says (in Notre Dame at Michigan: The Preview) My first visit to Notre Dame was as a senior in high school in March of 2004.  Due to the generosity of the great Mr. Pete Shoop, my dad and I got front row seats to watch the Fighting Irish hockey team take out the favored Michigan Wolverines in the JACC.  That September was my first Notre Dame foot...

And CW from Rakes Of Mallow says (in Opinion: Formidable Opponent: The Dichotomy of a Notre Dame Fan) For some godless reason, football seems particularly far away this year.  Because of this, fans of every team have way too much time to talk themselves into - and out of - their favorite's prospects this season.  The following is a typical conversation that goes on in the mind of a Notre Dame f...