The Back Corner Fade
Mike Kane is a ISD customer and Notre Dame fan writing a weekly column from a fan’s perspective about all of college football.
Oh my goodness does it feel fantastic to be writing this again! That can only mean one thing: Notre Dame and the rest of the CFB world is primed and ready for action. For me, the yearning for Irish Football usually gets going around the middle of July. Travel ball for my kid is wrapping up, high school football workouts are starting, and my grass is usually burnt to a crisp. It’s then that the juices start flowing. This year, even more so. It’s not Duke or a depleted FSU team the Irish are opening up with this year. This is a big one.
We’ll get to that in a bit, but first, what did we learn in Week Zero?
Other than Nebraska still stinks not a whole heck of a lot. It truly does boggle the mind though to see the once proud tradition of “Fullback U” is nothing more than a middle-of-the-run Big 10 program at best. The NU program has never been the same since they let Frank Solich go (incidentally, Solich is having the field at Ohio University named after him this season) and it doesn’t seem like the end of the misery is anywhere in sight. At least the NU faithful that made the trip to Dublin got free beer in the stadium. What’s Eric Crouch up too these days? He wanna coach up the Big Red some?
The only other thing that stuck out to me in the few games that I did watch was hearing this phrase “he is a transfer from (enter school.)” I never noticed hearing that phrase as much as I did in one day. Another example of the state of the college football world in 2022 A.D.
With that out of the way let’s get to the good stuff and some pretty damn good Week 1 match-up’s that we can enjoy this weekend…..
West Virginia and Pitt get together on Thursday night renewing the “Backyard Brawl” for the first time since 2011. Should be a pretty good contest on the field, but let’s face it, the real entertainment is going to be in the stands and out in the parking lot. WVU and Pitt fans with a whole day to “prepare for the game.” I really feel bad for the security teams and Pittsburgh’s finest that have to deal with two fan bases that don’t like each other much and have had to wait over ten years for this one. Pitt just has a little too much for the ‘Neers. Pitt 31-23
On to Saturday, sneaky one up in the mountains as UNC travels to Appalachian St. If anyone watched the Heels last weekend, you noticed that they sleepwalked against a depleted Florida A&M team and looked very average. This is basically ASU’s Super Bowl and would like nothing better than to knock off the “Big Daddy” in the state. Road game and having Mac Brown as your coach makes the difference in this one for UNC. Appy St 34-31.
Georgia returns to action as the reigning National Champion and welcomes former DC Dan Lanning to Atlanta for his first game as the head coach of the Oregon Ducks. Talk about a tough assignment! Former DC returns to the school he either coached at or played for in a hostile environment. Man, I’ve just never heard of such a nasty first regular season game in those conditions. Georgia has beasts all across the board, and Lanning isn’t going to turn a finesse team into savages in one spring and fall camp. Georgia 38-13.
Speaking of first-time head coaches, Billy Napier leads the Florida Gators for the first time as an underdog, at home, against Utah in the Urban Meyer Classic. If you would have told me 10 years ago that Florida would have been an underdog against anyone in The Swamp (save Alabama), I wouldn’t have believed it. Well, here we are. Florida has dudes, that’s not the issue. What is the issue at UF right now is culture, which was burnt to the ground by Dan Mullen. I think Napier was a great hire, but this one is going to take a little bit of time, and they’re not going to have enough to get past a very good Utes team. Utah 28-24.
Probably an “under the radar game” but Cincinnati travels to Arkansas to take on the Razorbacks. Obviously, UC has lost the majority of their playmakers from last season’s dream run so it’ll be interesting what Luke Fickell can do with a whole new group. Arkansas has made some strides since Sam Pittman has come to town, but are buried in the most competitive segment of a conference there is. As much of an admirer of Fickell as I am and the job he’s done there, it’s going to take some time for the reload to mesh. Arkansas gets one at home, 27-17.
I feel dirty even writing this. I really do. I can’t ever remember a time that I’ve even thought of doing this but here it is. For one night, I’m a Florida State Seminole fan. That’s because the Noles head to the Superdome to take on Brian Kelly in his first game since bolting for greener pastures and nary an academic hurdle to be found. I give it maybe two L-pieces before the folks in the Bayou start losing their patience with BK. This is the same fan base that ran The Ogre out of town less than 2 years after winning a Natty. Imagine what it’s gonna be like when some blowhard Bostonian isn’t winning and winning big? This one isn’t going to be pretty as I think both teams are in for mediocre years, but LSU has just enough to get over the hump in Barney Rubble’s debut. LSU 24-20.
Finally, we head to Columbus for the No. 5 Irish and the No. 2-ranked Ohio State Buckeyes. As most of you who have read my articles know, I was born, raised and still live in Ohio. This one obviously has a lot of meaning to me and every other ND fan living in enemy territory. Nothing, and I mean nothing, would give me more satisfaction than beating OSU. That all being said this is going to be a tall order. As much as I loathe everything about that school, their fan base, and their team, they’re going to be good, really, really good.
Even with the tough task at hand I really believe ND will play well. I think the first 10 minutes of the game is going to be very telling. If ND can weather the storm of being in a hostile environment (and if you’re going to the game with ND gear on, keep your head on a swivel) keeping their emotions in check, and get used to OSU’s speed on offense, they’ll have a shot. If they get down 14-love not halfway into the 1st, it could be a very long evening.
I’m not going to give a Hawk Harrelson player “Pick to Click” but instead a coach. I’m going with Al Golden. He’s had all summer to prepare for this game and from everything we read on ISD teaches the game very well and the guys respond to him. I have a feeling he’s going to come up with something that will hold OSU down and keep the bearded Eddie Munster (that would be Ryan Day) guessing.
In the end, I think ND will play very well and it’s going to be a game throughout. Any chance to win will involve winning the turnover battle and controlling the ball for at least 35 to 40 minutes. That’s just a hell of a lot to ask and in the end, OSU’s offense just has way too many weapons. OSU 35-24
I hope I’m wrong.
Beat Ohio State.