TDS Pre-Season Top 25

Here's the first installment of what will hopefully be a weekly feature; a top 25. So, with apologies to Dave Eggers, away we go.

1. Florida- What more is there to say? They are loaded at every position and they have the messianic Tim Tebow. An undefeated season is a possibility.
2. Oklahoma- Sam Bradford is back, they are loaded at WR, and they already averaged over 51 points a game last year.
3. Texas- Colt 45 is back and looking for a Heisman. Mack Brown has his usual stable of talent, but can he keep from the classic Mack Brown Hand Clap disaster?
4. Alabama- Rammer Jammer Yellow Hammer! The Tide's defense is stacked this year, and should carry them to a very succesful season.
5. USC- The Trojans are always stacked, but can they avoid the mid-season slip up on the road, at night, against a Pac-10 opponent?
6. Ohio State- The Bucks have Pryor back at quarterback, with some experience under his belt, and a very easy Big-10 schedule. Penn State is the only major opponent they have to worry about in conference.
7. Penn State- Speaking of, the fighting Paternos were impressive last year, despite the fact that their coach doesn't wear a headset. The OSU game will determine the Big 10.
8. Ole Miss- I'm buying into Johnny Reb this year. Jevan Snead is the real deal, the Orgeron left them with loads of talent, and Houston Nutt is a decent coach (though insane).
9. Virginia Tech- Terrible ACC, plus a good head coach, plus 16 returning starters equals a top en season.
10. Notre Dame- The schedule is favorable, the talent is there. We all know the story here.
11. Oklahoma State- So much talent and fire power on offense. The Pokes will look to get into a shootout with everyone on their slate, and they can win most of those.
12. Cal- Tedford's teams tend to disappoint down the stretch, but they are strong on both lines and return an experienced QB.
13. LSU- Les Miles is getting to that point where he is working with his own talent and not Nick Saban's. We'll see what he can do this year.
14. Georgia- UGA has a tough schedule this year, with road games at Okie State, Florida, Tennessee, and Georgia Tech. Richt has a ton of talent on the roster, though.
15. Georgia Tech- Paul Johnson, the modern day Tom Osborne, has brought the option offense back to the big time, and it works. Their runningback situation is scary good.
16. Boise State- The mid-major challenger to the BCS this year. Phill Steele thinks they could run the table thanks to a very easy schedule.
17. BYU- Another mid-major with a fairly easy schedule and a track record of success. They get Utah and TCU at home.
18. Oregon- Brand new head coach, lots of returning starters, but lots of talent and a system that just seems to work. I have some doubts, but I think the Ducks will be alright.
19. TCU- The Horned Frogs are Phil Steele's best non-BCS team. They outgained Utah by quite a bit despite the loss, and took a late upset in which they had a lead.
20. North Carolina- Butchie has them on the right path. Lost their QB late, which hurt them, but there's a lot of talent here for a basketball school.
21. Iowa- Real solid secondary, with all seven of their LBs and DBs returning. It seems like someone always makes a run in the Big-10. This year it could be Iowa.
22. Florida State- Who knows what to expect from Bowden's teams now. There's always talent, but they haven't performed to their level as of late. Still, you have to expect they will do alright in the ACC.
23. Illinois- The Zookernaut struggled last year, but the Illini have Michigan and Penn State at home, plus one of the best receivers in the country in Regis Benn.
24. Orgeon State- Mike Riley is doing a lot with a really bad program. They always seem to finish higher than expected, and Jacquizz is the real deal.
25. Duke- Just kidding. Though I'm sure Spurrier agrees.

TDS Update

So here's the deal. I've gotten my blogger issues worked out. As I mentioned before, I've recently moved into a new apartment, and the Time Warner guy (Cable Guy!) is being slow in installing my new internet service. It should be up by Monday, where I will resume daily updates as we head into the season. I have some new features I plan on breaking out, and there should be a lot more original material, so stay tuned. Go Irish!

Technical Issues (Ugh)

I'm having some issues with Blogger right now, which is the reason for the lack of posts recently. I'm hoping to have everything worked out by tomorrow. Stay posted.

Jonas has a hammy, Walker named to watch list (LOTD 8/13)

A few different items of note today. I'm going to start with an updated injury report, which now includes Jonas Gray. Gray has some hamstring issues, though the intensity of the injury is unkown. This goes against what some well-intentioned idiot commenter said yesterday, claiming that everyone is in tip-top shape, despite the fact that Duval Kamara had his knee scoped, Darrin Walls has hammy issues, Jonas Gray has hammy issues, and word is that Robert Hughes is a bit banged up. Of the four, Kamara is the only one who may miss time at at the beginning of the season, depending on his bummed knee.

And seriously, as I've said many times before, if you don't like the posts then turn the dial to the right.

Saturday is the first open practice to the media. Charlie Weis doesn't like to display a lot during these sessions, though the media nerds are always looking for answers to all over their questions in these 15 minute segments. I would expect to see some simple drills and a display of the basics, with the addition of some goalline offense or short-yardage plays. That seems to be Weis' go to move, and he's being more secretive this off-season than ever before.

Moving on, Brandon Walker was named to the Groza Award Watch List. How? I have no idea. Walker may not even have the starting kicking position by the time the season starts, but these watch lists apparently include every starter from the BCS eligible teams.

Finally, Aaron Corp has a broken fibula and will be out for 1-2 weeks at USC. This continues the quarterback controversy in Southern California, as Matt Barkley is apparently blowing everyone's hair back with his play as a true frosh. Corp was the starter heading in, and a well-respected source of mine believes he will be the starter when the season begins, but this injury can't help his case.

Other than that, not much news today. Sam Young apparently learned how to cook, Joe Montana wants the Irish to get back to basics, and a heat wave has hit the Northeast. Back tomorrow with more updates.

Award Watches, Injury Watches, and Cat Fight Watches (LOTD 8/12)

There's a whole lot of stories from the past two days, so I'm going to put them out there for you with a bit less commentary than usual, just because I want to write a blog post, not a novel. Here we go with the lightning round.

- Golden Tate was named to the Biletnikoff Award Watch List, while Sam Young was named to the Outland Trophy Watch List. Tate has a shot at winning it, though I hold to the idea that he isn't even the best receiver on the team. Young is probably on there more because of his hype than his play, but who knows.

- Injury Update! Duval Kamara had his knee scoped and will be out two weeks. An MRI showed a bit of cartilidge damage, but he should be able to get back at it by the start of the season. Darrin Walls tweaked his hamstring. He'll be back in a couple of days. Also, Mike Ragone says he's "back from the dead," which is good because we need him to be healthy this season.

- The NYTimes blog "The Quad" ranks the Irish as #21 in the nation, a reasonable spot to start the season. There's a ton of info on the preview, so go ahead and check it out.

- Rakes of Mallow has a funny read, helping fans determine "What kind of fan are you". It's worth a read if you're looking for laughs.

- There's a bit of Brady Quinn-Derek Anderson controversy. Apparently Anderson's helmet radio went on the fritz in an intra-squad scrimmage, and DA had to use hand signals to call plays. Quinn knows the signals, and rumor has it he was tipping off the defense as to what plays would be called. Eh, sounds like a lot of sound and fury signifying nothing.

- The Michigan Men have an impressive workout facitlity. What's not known is if it is built for the future or for the spread offense.

- Finally, Maryland coach Ralph Friedgen lost 105 pounds. It's not known if he used the same liquid "leaky" diet as Jets coach Rex Ryan.

That's all for today. More updates to come tomorrow, plus the Shembo profile (finally).

Finally, football is upon us (LOTD 8/10)

Finally, FINALLY, fall practice has started, and you can almost smell the grass of Notre Dame Stadium in the fall. Frankie V, at UHND, has an update on what went down. Also, kudos to Frank and Kyle on the new site design.

Armando Allen looks disappointing early on, "going through the motions a little too often", which shouldn't really surprise anyone. On the other hand, Theo Riddick looks very impressive. Robert Hughes is injured again, which is a bummer, since I fully believe he is the best back we have. Te'o looks like a deisel in pads, and looks very athletic for a linebacker. The kid could be great. Another freshman, Shaq Evans, looks to be a threat in goalline situations, as his size could be to our advantage, and we know how much Weis loves to throw the fade down by the goalline.

Former Irish great Jeff Samardzija will start for the Cubbies on Wednesday. Samardzija could prove ot be a good fifth starter for the Cubs down the stretch, and but it wouldn't surprise me to see him return to the bull pen if the Cubs make the playoffs. I have to say, the decision to go with baseball over football seems to be working out well for Jeff. His ascension to the majors in quick fashion is very impressive.

The Onion, in the way that ponly the Onion can, has a funny story up on Brady Quinn.

Browns quarterback Brady Quinn announced Wednesday that he had been staying up all night to prepare for the written portion of the starting QB competition by learning the history of the Cleveland Browns, studying football vocabulary words, and memorizing all the symbols in the playbook. "I'm really organized and feel equipped to answer the toughest true or false, multiple choice, and fill-in-the-blank questions," said Quinn, who was spotted using a flashlight to study underneath the sheets of his training-camp bed.

It's a short story, but worth a read.

Finally, some non-ND news: Matt Barkley, the wunderkind QB at USC, is apparently pushing Matt Corp for snaps. Barkley held his own against Corp and Mitch Mustain (HA!) in "vigorous" throwing drills at USC's first practice. Petey Poodle was muddled in his response to the QB situation:

'Barkley is a whole big leap ahead of where he was, and that's what we need to see,' Carroll said. 'You guys will keep asking me, and I'll keep saying the same thing. Right now, Aaron is in the lead position, and we'll keep coming out here.'

That's all for today Blarneys. Site news may be coming soon, and there's a possibility of a constest (!) as we head into the season. Stay tuned.

Pre-season news and notes (LOTD 8/8)

Some actual football news... HOORAH!

Brian Hamilton, of Around the Bend, has the updated pre-season depth chart. It reads something like this:
Offense-
QB: Clausen, Crist
HB: Allen, Hughes, Gray
FB: Aldridge, Paskorz
WR (X): Tate, Kamara, D. Walker
LT: Duncan, Romine
LG: Stewart, Cave
C: Olsen, Wenger
RG: Robinson, Nuss
RT: Young, Dever
TE: Rudolph, Ragone
WR (Z): Floyd, Parris, Goodman

Defense:
LDE: Lewis-Moore, M. Richardson
DT: E. Johnson, H. Williams
NT: I. Williams, Newman
RDE: Neal, Ryan
SAM: S. Smith or Fleming or Filer
MIKE: T. Smith, Posluszny
WILL: B. Smith, Te'o
LCB: Blanton, McNeil, Gray
FS: H. Smith, D. McCarthy
SS: K. McCarthy, S. Brown
RCB: Walls, Slaughter

Special Teams:
K: Walker or Tausch
P: Maust or Turk
LS: Cowart

KR, PR: TBD

So there's some revelations from that. Olsen at center is something that many have speculated about, but it appears that it will actually be happening now. I like the move, as it puts the best linemen on the O-Line. The front four is stronger than most think, though the depth may be of concern, especially on the outside. Te'o isn't given a starting spot, which isn't that surprising, though it wouldn't surprise me if he earned one by the USC game. Gary Gray has been bumped down to the fourth or fifth corner spot, depending on how you look at it, but it wouldn't surprise me if the third, fourth, and fifth CBs all saw time at rotating positions. Blanton being named a starter shows how highly this staff thinks of him. I think he could have a breakout year. The special teams is a concern, a BIG concern, especially with all of the uncertainty there.

More pre-season news, the first coaches poll has been released, and the Irish are ranked at #23. I think this is a decent spot to start the year, especially given the poor finish that we saw last year. It's based on potential, not results, but wins will breed a rise in the polls, so I'm not worried at this point. Flordia retains the top spot overall, USC is #4 (with one first place vote). Where are the other ND opponents?

SubwayDomer has a recap of the first media day. Weis performed well in the press conference, and is apparently getting what it means to be a head coach at Notre Dame. There's also a collection of videos on SD's post. Check it outttt.

HeismanPundit has his top 10 out, with the Irish being "on the cusp" of the top 10. This is obviously a reflection of where HP thinks things will end up, as opposed to where they will begin. HP has USC at #3, though I think it's fair to wonder about his bias in the situation.

Finally, HerLoyalSons has an interesting post up regarding Percy Harvin's review of his time at Florida. Apparently, the fastest MoFo in the world had unlimited smoking breaks (and we're not talking about ciggys here), and at one point choked out an assistant coach, though it was covered up by the program (aka Urban). You stay classy, Urban Meyer.

Alright, before I go, let me explain the inconsistency in posting frequency. I'm moving apartments, and my current place doesn't have internet yet, so I've had to head down to the local library to get any internet access. I'm throwing up posts when I can (projectile style), but there should be some more frequency once I get internet (right before the season begins).

McLovin gets suspended, Lou isn't a congressman, and more watch lists (LOTD 8/6)

Back from vacation, rested and ready to post. There's quite a bit of news that came up in the interim, so I'll keep this LOTD post to Notre Dame news and start up with general college football news on the next one, as it happens.

Big news from the past week are the comments from homophobic slime-bucket Hawaii head coach Greg McMackin, who referred to a dance the Irish players did at a banquet as a "little faggot dance." Nicely done from the highest paid employee of the state of Hawaii. Hawaii suspended the coach for 30 days without pay, which is a good start. It would have been better if they made this tool stay in a piano crate on the street for 30 days, but I guess we can't all have our way.

McMackin called Coach Weis to apologize for the remarks, Weis accepted the apology, and the ND head coach has apparently "moved on". The SBT's Al Lesar brings up a good point: George O'Leary made a fudge on his resume, something that had no effect on his coaching ability, and was fired. McMackin offended a large number of the population, demonstrating terrible decision making for any public figure, and got a 30 day suspension. McMackin should have been fired, there's no doubt about that in my mind.

Moving on to more positive news (you gotta stay positive), two Notre Dame players were named to post-season watch lists. Jimmy Clausen was named to the O'Brien Award watch list as a candidate for best QB of the year. Furthermore, Armando Allen was named to the Doak Walker Award watch list, given to the best running back of the year. Clausen's is justified, as he has been tabbed as a Heisman darkhorse heading into the season. Allen, however... well, maybe not. Allen has been a bit of a disappointment to this point, choosing to run out of bounds rather than initiate contact on most of his rushes. Allen came in with big expectations revolving around his lightning speed, but he's never really adjusted well to the college game. Maybe he will improve with a better offensive line, but he still has a lot to prove.

There were rumors for a while that Lou Holtz would try to lisp his way to a seat in Congress, but Louuuuu has denied the rumors. Lou apparently met with some top Republicans in Washington and discussed the idea of making a run at Suzanne Kosmas' seat, but Lou came out when reached for comment and said, "I’m working for ESPN. I don’t want to run for Congress." Jesus, does the WWL really hold that type of power?

Finally, the Irish picked up a commitment from outside linebacker Prince Shembo. I'll have a full commitment profile up soon, but I can't imagine you are itching for the news that broke three days ago. That's why newspapers are failing.