We on the Irish side of the partisan fence are obviously pretty jealous pretty much everyone else has a game, so we need to pass the time until things kick off Thursday night, or more specifically, September 6th at 3:30.  Matt eloquently wrapped up our draft - with charts times four - and I just want to make a few comments.  This whole exercise is probably futile, but it was a way to combine two things very prevalent in late August: a parched thirst for college football and fantasy drafts.

1.  It's probably a good sign for the Irish that you can almost fill out two starting line-ups with players who will see time this year.  Considering they had to do offense vs. defense in the spring game this year due to lack of players, this is progress.
2. I think Matt wins this if Jimmy Clausen has the year we all hope he can.  That's something I can sign off on.
3. His skill position players on offense have me trumped by a mile, but I tried to go big across the front lines.  If Robert Hughes is the monster he was at the end of last season, David Grimes stays steady and Michael Floyd becomes the freakish big play threat we hope (a recurring word in Irish previews), then I think my offense could move the chains enough to keep our high-flying rivals off the field.
4. No one drafted Asaph Schwapp. 
5. Matt has John Ryan and Terrail Lambert on the same defense.  Just saying.

Tomorrow is football.  Rejoice.

With the season starting – grab a loved one, crack open a beer and smile – on Thursday freaking night, it's about time to take a walk through the Top 25.  As pumped as I am for the Irish to take the field against their traditional enemy, the Aztecs, this extended weekend of kickoff action is just as exciting for me.  I love Notre Dame, but I love football just as much, and I like to have a very good idea of what is going on across the collegiate pigskin nation.

As far as polling goes, I split my voting into two distinct areas.  The preseason poll is simply a meter of how good I am at predicting (Spoiler alert: Not very), just trying to guesstimate where teams will end up when the dust is settled after the mythical national championship.  Every other poll throughout the course of the season is done strictly on resume voting, which looks very screwy throughout September (and makes some of the other writers on this site quite upset with your intrepid voter), but it works considerably better in the end.  I can't even listen to someone who believes in power polls or the "I can tell you who would win on a neutral field" argument without laughing and desiring to lead pipe them to the face (like you used to be able to do in Clue).

Just believe this, folks: I know you've watched South Florida play about a quarter and a half while flipping between 30 Rock that one Thursday night game, but you do not know exactly how they'd match up with Team X from Conference Y.  The resume ranking still has an amount of subjectivity to it (of course), but it grounds it a little more in reality, numbers and facts to point at beyond "I saw them play and I know."

Using the initial BlogPoll, in which I ranked Southern Cal number one followed by a kerfluffle of other teams I find it very difficult to distinguish between at this early hour, some thoughts on the top-ish tier of teams. 

(Also, I don't have that many vendettas when it comes to college football.  They mostly develop during the season, so if you're a partisan for one of the teams mentioned, don't take it personally.  Please please please correct me on anything I totally miss, because while I put in the research time for these, rosters are fluid and things get missed.)

1) Georgia – The Bulldogs have a lot of the important parts coming back, with 9 starters (six of the top seven tacklers) returning from a defense that got downright dominant as the season progressed and a backfield combo of experienced youth that combined for 37 touchdowns in 2007.  UGA does not pass all that often, so the lack of a big-time receiver isn't particularly hurtful (high man holdover is Mohamed Massaquoi, who had 32 grabs last season), because hey, you've got Knowshon Moreno, the whole offense thing gets relatively simple.

Still, the offseason has not come without problems for the Bulldogs.  The two departures from the defense were their leaders in sacks and interceptions, and then injury unfairly struck down starting left tackle and All-Name team shoe-in Trinton Sturdivant.  When you recruit as well as Mark Richt does, these are not huge, gaping problems, but they still need addressed.  Young Matthew Stafford will also have to hone down the picks a bit, because you need to do slightly better than 19:10 to survive undefeated.

The most glaring problem for the Dawgs is the schedule, which seems to be unfairly colluding with the Fates to deny them their mythical national championship chance.  They must travel to South Carolina (who knocked them off in Athens last year), Arizona State (their first trip outside the south for a road game ever, or something like that), LSU, Kentucky and Auburn, plus the Cocktail Party versus Florida, plus home games against Alabama, Rocky Top and Georgia Tech.  And, oh yeah, if they survive all that, it'll likely be a rematch against Auburn or LSU in the SEC Championship game.  That just isn't the type of schedule one can navigate undefeated, no matter how talented they are.  LSU made the title game with two losses last year, but that's an aberration, not the norm, and I just don't see anyway Georgia makes it through the season untainted, and therefore, number one.

2) Ohio State – Everything for Ohio State hinges on the September 13^th game with Southern Cal.  If they lose that, then no matter of Big Ten dominance will be able to dispel the memories of the Januarys from the minds of voters and fans, while a victory there sets them up nicely for a merry run through their conference.  Road trips to Wisconsin, Michigan State and Illinois might be tricky, and home dates with Penn State and Michigan could cause trouble, but there shouldn't be anything in-conference that will derail a team returning pretty much everybody of note.

Predictions right now say that a lot of hardware will be going to the Buckeyes come December, and that seems like an incredibly safe prediction.  Criminally overrated linebacker James Laurinaitis will win any and all defensive awards of note, while Chris "Beanie" Wells will be a deserved Heisman favorite.  The Todd Boeckman-to-Robiskie and Hartline connection, while not staggering in production last season, was good enough to keep defenses honest against the run.   Throw in potential all-world X factor Terrelle Pryor, and there's no reason to think the offense won't keep chugging along while the defense continues oppressing.

But then again, you all saw the games against Florida and LSU right?  Wastes of your extended-Christmas and New Years holiday?  A lot of these players were here for one if not both of those, and it doesn't seem like the kind of thing you can just forget.  While the internets were abuzz with "OMG Speed Killz," the real downside was just really stupid errors from the Buckeyes, including "Not tackling," "dropping passes" and "Heisman winners totally imploding."  Can The Senator right the ship?  If they don't come out of Troy alive, it won't matter.

3) Southern Cal – My pick for number one, just because it's always easy to spring to the top of the polls – one early loss to Ohio State or not - with nationally broadcast beatdowns of Notre Dame and UCLA to end the season.  As I say in this space nearly every year, say what you will of Pete Carroll and his program, but they do not shirk in their non-conference scheduling.  This year it's a trip to Virginia to open the season and the epic clash with Ohio State, both of which should be manageable, with or without Mark Sanchez.  As far as conference play goes, the Trojans get all the tough ones at home after traveling to Berkeley, Eugene and Tempe last year. 

But then again, no one saw the war machine losing to UCLA, Oregon State or Stanford the last two years, or being pressed like they did by the likes of Washington last year.  They always right the ship in elaborate, January fashion (poor Michigan and Illinois felt their wrath), but with logjams of talent (some of it proven, some of it not so much), will those position battles result in the best shining brightest or a never ending Lazy Susan of roster switches resulting in another shocking loss?  It feels like a comfortable bet to say the Trojans will be winning a BCS bowl when the dust settles (they've done so 5 of the last 6 years, all in extremely comfortable fashion), but will it be in the mythical national championship game or another Rose Bowl?  It's not like either result is bad, but I imagine the folks in Troy would like to return to the glory days of '03/'04.

Biggest questions for the Trojans personnel-wise?  Figuring things out at QB – especially if one of the replacements particularly shines with Sanchez out, leading to a controversy – will be the first priority.  Protecting the QB might be a problem as well, since they return only one starter from a line that wasn't overly dominant last season.  They're still waiting for a wide receiver to step up to Dwayne Jarrett/Mike Williams/Steve Smith level, and while there are plenty of candidates, none have done so yet.  You could make that exact same statement and substitute in "running back" and "Reggie Bush/LenDale White," but I think this might go down as the Season of Joe McKnight, erasing those worries.  Defense should be absolutely fantastic, so they might not have to score all that many points anyway.

4) Oklahoma – What to think of the Sooners.  The less than pleasing aftertaste left for many fans were the primetime thrashings by Texas Tech and West Virginia, both teams that embarrassed Bob Stoops' defense in every way imaginable.  Sam Bradford was a revelation at quarterback, but when SMQ was looking at sophomore quarterbacks who played as freshman, they almost always head towards the mean, which is not a good thing for a stellar performer like Bradford.  He also loses second leading receiver Malcolm Kelly, All-Namer Joe Jon Finley and leading rusher Allen Patrick (although DeMarco Murry and Chris Brown should make that a very, very moot point). 

Questions arise in the defense, which returns only five starters and none of the top four tacklers.  The frontline should be somewhere between "stout" and "impregnable," with both highly-touted tackles back, but both Pat White and Graham Harrell made the defensive backfield look plain silly.  They contained Chase Daniel, who they won't see until (maybe) the Big XII championship, but they do have to contend with a deep conference QB-wise, with Todd Reesing (who the Sooners didn't have to contend with last year), Graham Harrell, Colt McCoy, Zac Robinson and Steve McGee.  None of the tougher games are on the road, with Texas Tech, Kansas and Nebraska in Norman and the Shootout in Dallas with the 'Horns, but the non-conference games aren't exactly cakewalks.  They have to play Washington in Seattle, where both Ohio State and USC almost slipped up last season, and host Cincinnati, who were beyond frisky in 2007.  They'll be double-digit favorites in both of those games, but if Bradford slips up and the defense starts leaking, I can't be wholly confident.

The main problem for the Sooners is that their pass defense was revealed as pretty flawed last season and they're playing in a conference stacked with quarterbacks.  If they can tighten the screws in the secondary and Bradford doesn't suffer a drastic drop-off, they will be Big XII favorites, but those are two incredibly big "if's" to factor in.

5) Florida – Tim Tebow Tim Tebow Tim Tebow Tim Tebow.  Do not let the rather underwhelming performance against Michigan make you forget how good of a season Tebow had, or that Percy Harvin is, to go along with the cliché, a threat to score every time he touches the ball.  With Emmanuel Moody coming in from the left coast to steady things at the tailback position (which was not a strong point for Urban Meyer's offense last year), the offense should be back to putting gobs of points every game.  Remember, this unit put up 59 against Rocky Top, 45 against Kentucky, 51 at South Carolina, 45 against Florida State and 35 against the Wolverines.  The loss of tight end Cornelius Ingram to injury, along with crafty receiver Andre Caldwell to old age, will have an impact, but there's a reason Meyer recruits a dozen receivers every year.

But much like the Sooners, the defense could be trouble.  The defensive line, essentially divided into groups of guys who de-committed from Notre Dame and groups of guys who shoot of AK-47's in parking lots, could end up being solid, but oh, it is tough to tell.  I'm sure the Citrus Bowl performance against Michigan had more to do with Healthy Chad Henne and Healthy Mike Hart coming together, but another game in Florida, the Cocktail Party, conjures up images of Knowshon Moreno just running off tackle for a dozen yards a pop.  Major Wright may complete his transformation into Reggie Nelson, but it seems like a lot of people have to step up for the Gators to reach the heights of 2006.

Schedule-wise, it's not too tough for the SEC, with LSU and South Carolina coming to the Swamp, a road trip to Knoxville, missing Auburn and the Cocktail Party, but they do have games against Miami (FL) and Florida State out-of-conference, either of which could be due for a bounce-back season.  The only real question is the defense, which shouldn't be tested by a complete unit the Cocktail Party.  It all really hinges on the Georgia game, so be sure and circle your calendars for November 1^st.  Odds are good that either both of these teams will be undefeated, making it Epic with a capital "E," or one will get the chance to play a deliciously sweet spoiler for the other.

6) Missouri – An out-of-nowhere dream season for the Tigers last year, who managed to receive one of the biggest shaftings in BCS history before taking out all of that frustration on a hapless Arkansas team.  The key to the whole thing, Chase Daniel, is back, along with all-everything offensive talent Jeremy Maclin (they're like a Tebow-Harvin North).  They have to find somebody to replace Tony Temple at tailback, but beyond that, the defense is mostly intact and the only team to beat Mizzou last year, Oklahoma, isn't on the schedule. 

The schedule breaks pretty favorably, as they get Illinois to open the season then take a month off before trips to Lincoln and Austin, with a home date against Oklahoma State wedged in-between.  They miss Texas Tech and Oklahoma, then again close out the season with the Jayhawks.  With the schedule and Daniel, there is really no reason to think the Tigers can't run the table at least until the Big XII title game, where the Sooners or Red Raiders would most likely loom.

7) LSU – 2007 didn't prove anything to me in regards to Les Miles' ability to coach, and while I may just be being stubborn, I think I'm seeing this relatively clearly.  He took a team super-loaded with talent, caught a bunch of breaks (Georgia missing the SEC title game, WVU getting upset, coming out ahead in the Incredibly Close Games which have just as much to do with luck as any sort of skill) and then played an Ohio State team that totally crapped the bed in front of a home crowd.  He has since lost his savvy quarterback, and while the talent is still there, the schedule is just as tough and the dice may have gone cold.

They'll blaze into the Plains of Auburn at an easy 3-0, whoever their quarterback ends up being, but then things get tricky with that game and road trips to Florida and South Carolina before hosting Georgia at home.  They'll roll up a gaudy record and maybe even slip into the SEC Title game, but they will not be repeating the least heralded "championship" of 21^st century.

8) Clemson – If I just told you a team was returning eight starters on both sides of the ball, a quarterback who had a 27:6 TD:INT ratio last season, two stud tailbacks and was playing a very manageable schedule in the worst major conference, you'd immediately assume that team has a great shot at perfection.  And they should.  But this is Clemson, who manages to drop at least one game every season that has you shaking your head and wondering how exactly Tommy Bowden managed to fight off Victory and claim Defeat for his Tigers.

Granted, this reason alone is not enough to dismiss someone, as the 21^st century has proven to us that "They can't win the big one" is not a legitimate reason to toss someone aside.  Consider: Roy Williams, Bill Self, Jim Boeheim, Phil Mickelson, Bill Cowher, the Red Sox, the White Sox, Eli Manning, Peyton Manning.  But because I still don't want to believe in Clemson, I'll point to the neutral site opener with Alabama, road trips to Wake Forest, Florida State and Boston College and the home finale against the Ol' Ball Coach as reason enough to boo-hoo their chances of immortality.

9) West Virginia – I think the Mountaineers are in serious trouble this season.  I could care less about the loss of Steve Slaton with Noel Devine there to replace him and Pat White's transcendent brilliance, but you can't account for the departure of guys who had a huge part in almost every big win WVU had last season.  Folk hero Owen Schmitt, go-to receiver Darius Reynaud and sackmaster Johnny Dingle are all gone, along with seven other defensive starters.  Count in the fact that White will miss a game or part of a game with injury, that they have a tougher non-conference slate than past years (at East Carolina, at Colorado, Auburn) and end the season at Louisville, at Pittsburgh and home against South Florida, and I'm saying the Mountaineers have the potential to be fall well below the double-digit win mark.  Perhaps the steady hand of Bill Stewart guides them to the Promised Land, but I think the odds are better he ends up crashing them into a goddamn bridge embankment.

10) Auburn – I initially disregarded Auburn, but after looking at things a little more closely, they're quite enticing as a "Buy" in regards to the preseason poll.  They're switching to a more spread-like offense, inducting Kodi Burns (he of 26 pass attempts in '07) in at quarterback and don't have a particularly awe-inspiring rusher returning from last season, although the tailbacks are all returning.  But then you look at it a little closer.  The entire offensive line is back.  They get LSU, Rocky Top and Georgia at home after the death march last year, while missing Florida.  They're at Alabama but own the Tide.  Tommy Tuberville always- always – has a good defense.  Burns gets to tune up with a rather slight opening three weeks before the Bayou Bengals come to town, and voila, there's your SEC West champion.  I'm not sure Burns is the real deal at quarterback, but with the running game in place around him, he really only has to be serviceable to get Tuberville another quality season and SEC championship appearance.

While I'm not sure it's possible to set these instances to the Benny Hill theme music, the Michigan Wolverines have had their last few weeks be reminiscent of Notre Dame's on-the-field efforts against them in '06 and '07 (Mind you, not nearly as bad as the Irish effort in those games, but still, not great).  Since fall camp officially started, the following has Yakety Saxed the maize and blue:

• Yesterday, top-notch QB recruit Kevin Newsome decommitted, perhaps heading instead to Virginia Tech and Penn State.  They still have a line on Tate Forcier, but Newsome seemed to be in the fold and a great fit Ric Rodriguez's offense.  (I was also scanning the comments, and this one was particularly hilarious to me.)
• This might not be as big of a problem if the new favorite to start this season wasn't a walk-on.  Of course, last time Michigan played the majority of their season with youth in backfield, Henne and Hart led them to the Rose Bowl.  (And lost to the Irish!  Heyo!)
• And perhaps seeing the writing on the wall in regards to the season, running back Kevin Grady had a bit too much to drunk  earlier in the summer, and has plead guilty to drunk driving.  MGo linked to a report about the arrest, and Grady was apparently not just casually drinking and out for a spin, but drunk to the tune of "Thompson said he asked for a number between 12 and 14, and Grady answered '15.'"  Of course, you could just potentially say that a sober Wolverine couldn't correctly answer that question.  (Again, zing!  On fire!)

Over on the left coast, San Diego State is converting a defensive lineman to left tackle after starter Mike Matamua went down with a foot injury.   The Trojans are still trying to find a replacement for Mark Sanchez after his injury, but there's a tiny bit of talent behind him to fill in until Sanchez can return.  Irish Band of Brothers is keeping track of our 2008 opponents' camps, so be sure and check in there.

Hey, at least none of them had the day this guy did.

Cryptozoologists, monster hunters and those just intrigued by the weird are buzzing across the nation over the possibility that a rare, previously believed-to-be mythical creature has been spotted in central Missouri.   

"I've studied a lot of cases over the last decade or so about supposed sightings," said Jeff Meldrum, a professor at Idaho State University and author of the book Sasquatch: Legend Meets Science, "and this seems to be like the most legitimate instance of a 'Whoosh' appearance since late in the summer of 2006."

The 'Whoosh' Meldrum mentions, and the one that hunters and football fans have apparently been seeing about two hours west of St. Louis, exploded in the cryptozoology world in the waning days of the summer of 2006.  There were multiple 'Whoosh' sightings in Missouri before the rumors began concentrating in northern Indiana, near the campus of the University of Notre Dame.   

"The 'Whoosh?'  I never believed it at first," reminisced Jericho Williams from his front porch in Gloster, Louisiana.  Williams has been around the world, attempting to hunt down creatures most people would consider cooked up by crackpots with too much time on their hands.  His left cheek is divided by a long scar, which he claimed came from a run-in with a chupacabra near the Texas-Mexico border.   He leaned back in his rocking chair and added to the spittoon of tobacco juice next to him.  "There were dozens of us in the Mishawaka area over that summer – a damned hot one, too – and we never saw nothin' until, eh, middle of August."

His eyes got bigger and he stared off into the darkness, something in the distance – or perhaps the past – seemingly haunting him. 

"That's when we saw it the first time, speeding across a field in…South Bend?  It was South Bend, I think.  Nobody believed us, but they started to listen after a while."  He shook his head.  "It was so damned fast."

The first buzz about 'Whoosh,' also known by its scientific name of 'Munir Prince', began near the same time as the Fighting Irish's fall football camp.  The stories came from the darkest, least visited parts of the internet, where crazed fans breathlessly recounted stories about the mysterious creature: 

However, it looks as if things are about to change. The whoosh factor appears to have at long last returned to the Irish.

And it comes in the form of a 5-10, 175-pound blur who answers to the name of Munir Prince. Fitting name. For the freshman back from Florissant, Missouri looks to be a prince of a player.  

And given time and the right set of circumstances, Munir has the potential to eventually be a king-sized talent. Someday he might rule the gridiron.

It's also apropos that Munir should hail from the Show-Me state. Because ever since preseason practice began some two weeks ago, Prince has been showing a hell of a lot.  

His performance to date, along with his breathtaking swiftness, has caused both coaches and teammates alike to experience many anatomical reactions. Among these are eyes popping, jaws dropping and mouths salivating.

Even the hard to please Charlie Weis hasn't been able to contain his excitement over his incoming recruit. Weis speaks about Prince's speed as if it's a treasure that just fell into his lap.  

Weis must be intoxicated just thinking about the damage Prince can do whenever he gets a sliver of daylight or just a crease of an opening.

If you combine Weis' knack for scheming with Prince's ability to motor, the results could be spectacular. If Weis can just figure out ways to get his baby back in open space, plenty of thunder will be shaken down from the sky.  

Prince's impact has been so dramatic that he never had the luxury of flying under the radar. He literally thrust himself into the limelight from the get-go. As a result, he's not going to sneak up on anyone. His reputation has already proceeded him.

Before he's even taken his first snap in college, the expectations are that he's destined to be a major contributor to the Irish not only in the years to come but right off the bat.

As September approached, slightly more legitimate sources reported that Coach Weis had actually caught the 'Whoosh' and was apparently using it as a new toy.  There were rumors that the beast showed an uncommon ability to get off the line quickly, verifying Weis' claims of his magnificent speed.  Even some of the most trusted sources in the South Bend area were beholden to the whispers and hints of a previously unknown creature:

One freshman would did stand out in practice was Munir Prince. The 5-10, 175-pound speedster from Florissant, MO is in a battle to handle the backup carries at running back behind starter Darius Walker. If the first session is a good indicator of what's to come, Weis will have a smile on his face many times after Prince touches the ball.  

"I'm not used to seeing that type of speed," Weis said of his freshman back. "The last running back I spent time with (who had that type of speed) was Napoleon Kaufman out of Washington before he went to the Raiders. We all know Reggie (Bush) had giddy up but there aren't that many guys at that position who run that fast. He (Prince) runs really fast.

"I'm not used to seeing that type of speed at running back. When I'm talking speed, I'm talking about 'Whoosh.' I can't describe that sound but you know what I'm talking about." 

Weis was indeed talking about 'Whoosh,' but as summer bled into a cold autumn, the interest in the Munir Prince mystery waned.  There were occasional whispers (to the tune of 15 carries for 21 yards), but there would never be as many 'Whoosh' sightings as there were in that magical August of 2006.  Some hunters thought they had discovered an entirely new creature in the spring of 2007, but it turned out to be an evolved 'Whoosh,' but he wasn't nearly as interesting to cryptozoologists across the country, as they focused on newer, more exciting prospects.

"Do you see how the specimen moves in this footage?" asked Meldrum, showing what a local claimed to be a clip of the ‘Whoosh’ in its natural habitat.  "The locomotion here, taken last week Missouri, matches up exactly with some of the first video supposedly filmed two summers ago in South Bend." 

A family in Southern California visiting for the weekend claimed to have had a gift left outside their hotel room by the 'Whoosh,' but after that, all sightings of the cryptid ended in Northern Indiana, almost as if it had left the area entirely.  There were rumors earlier in the year that hunters in Georgia had recovered the body of a deceased 'Whoosh' and put it in their freezer, but it appears it to have revealed itself against in its native homeland of the Show Me State.

"The 'Whoosh' ain’t there, I tell yeah!" affirmed Williams, shaking his head angrily.  "Ain't nobody seen one in months.  Those people up in Missoura wouldn't know a Sasquatch from a Yeti, and you're telling me the 'Whoosh' is back?  I’ll believe it when I see it, and I tell ya, I’ve seen a lot."  

As a particularly robust August (Olympics!  Presidential races!  The Dark Knight rolling towards box office immortality!) reaches its midpoint, I imagine we in the Irish blogging business should begin looking ahead to this season's opponents.  When you go 3-9, you're not allowed to overlook anyone, so Michigan will be placed on the backburner – occasionally stirred, but not the focus of our attention - until the evening of September 6^th, when the first contest against San Diego State has been decided.

Coach Chuck Long, former Heisman Trophy runner-up, is in his third season, and despite a pledge to "Win now" way back in December 2005, his team has struggled mightily to do so since he took over.  The story linked above makes it seem as if there is limited pressure on Long, who is making slight progress in local recruiting and in the middle of a five-year, $700,000 per year (plus incentives) contract after time spent working under Bob Stoops at Oklahoma as offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach.  Unless that article is drastically underestimating the need for Long to start winning now in year three, there will be considerably more pressure on the sidelines in South Bend than in San Diego during the season, although there are dissenting opinions.

On paper, it doesn't appear as if Long has a whole lot to work with in 2008.  On offense, he lost his quarterback and top two receivers in the NFL draft, but the Aztecs were a below average offensive team last season with a future third round pick running things.  It's hard to say what will happen without some pro talent there to support things, but it appears as if freshman Ryan Tindley will be in charge of running Long's offense.  Things did not go particularly well for Tindley – or any of the quarterbacks, for that matter – in the spring game, where he went 2 for 7 with a pick.  Things certainly turned around in Saturday's spring game, where he was a crisply efficient 11 for 13 for 125 yards and three scores.  It's looking like it will be a committee at running back, with former quarterback Darren Mougey and sophomore Vincent Brown on the outside.  Bottom line for the San Diego State offense is that they're replacing the quarterback and wide receivers in an offense that wasn't good at running the ball last year, meaning there could be some big problems in producing points.

The defense has a slew of starters remaining, but it's debatable whether that is a good thing considering the Swiss cheese-like performance they turned in last season.  If trends continue from last season, it'll be a blessing for the much beleaguered Irish offensive line, since the Aztecs ranked 107^th in the country last year in sacks, registering only 1.25 per game.  The Robert Hughes (or James Aldridge) Show should also continue rolling on, as the fine gentlemen up front for SDSU gave up 1,500 yards and 15 touchdowns – on a 6.5 per carry average – in the final four games alone.  Before he broke all of our hearts at SBN and departed for Yahoo, Sunday Morning QB Matt Hinton put together this handy chart of just how bad the Aztec defense was:

The one guy you really feel for in this whole mess is linebacker Russell Allen, the only guy on the team to have a hint of All-Mountain West honors last season and a pick in the preseason's All-MWC team.  The team is 12-24 in his time there, despite some amazing efforts from Allen, who averaged over ten tackles a game last season, highlighted by a 22 takedown effort against a very good Utah team.  This story makes him seem like the perfect player, teammate and representative for a university, and it seems safe to say that if one Aztec is making a consistent impact when the Irish are on offense, it'll be Allen.

Injuries have maimed the front line of San Diego State defense, and they're turning to a massive man with a sledgehammer, which I happen to think is a fantastic solution to any problem.  It's possible Darias Jones will be putting a little pressure on the Irish defense come September 6^th, but I doubt he'll be in too great of playing shape that early in the season.  Jones is probably more of a beacon of hope for a downtrodden unit than anything else, which makes him a perfectly good story but not a particularly important factor come the season opener.   

When things have been as dour as they were the past few years for the Aztecs (as dour as things can get in southern California), you need to get creative in both motivational tactics and training.  Coach Long chose to embrace the strong ties between the Navy and San Diego, taking his team to Marine boot camp at the start of the season and unearthing a 28-year old linebacker who is a Navy veteran.  Apparently the Chargers did this in 1963 and won the AFL Title, so it seems like a fool proof plan for dominance in 2008.  At the very least, since the Marines are under the Department of the Navy, they’ll learn how to leap over running backs trying to block you.  To the video:

BEIJING -- In a surprise decision just before the start of the 2008 Notre Dame football season, NBC Sports announced that they will be making additions to their broadcasts of Fighting Irish home games.  Due to the overwhelming ratings success the Summer Olympics have been for the network this month, they will be incorporating some of the breakout stars from the games to football Saturdays in South Bend.

Former American women's gymnastics coach Bela Karolyi will be joining Tom Hammond and Pat Haden in the booth, providing the unrelenting enthusiasm and unfiltered partisanship that Notre Dame fans appreciate, all bundled in a loveable old man with a great mustache and accent.

"Working with Bela has just been great," said Olympic host Bob Costas, leaning back in his chair at the Beijing studio and placing both shackled ankles onto his desk.  "I'm chained to the set until the Closing Ceremonies, so my time spent watching gymnastics with Bela has been one of the few bright spots in a rather smog-covered week-plus here."

Karolyi, famous for training Nadia Comaneci, Mary Lou Retton, Dominique Moceanu and Kerri Strugg, defected from Romania to the United States in 1981.  He is perhaps best known for the conclusion of the 1996 women's gymnastics team competition, when one of his students, Strugg, executed a gold-winning vault on a bad ankle and had to be carried to the podium by Karolyi.

Karolyi has had a renaissance in popularity during these games, as his reaction to American victories and his crusade against underage Chinese gymnasts have made him a popular face on the primetime broadcasts.  Karolyi, who is not known to have any knowledge of American football, is also expected to provide additional commentary on the cheerleading routines of both Notre Dame and any visiting squads.

Also joining Karolyi during the broadcasts will be fourteen-time Olympic gold medalist Michael Phelps, who has helped NBC reach record ratings since he began his epic quest.  In an attempt to ride the Phelps mania that has swept the nation, the network will be attempting to incorporate him across their entire fall schedule.  The most accomplished medalist in history he will be hosting Saturday Night Live, attempting to get his name into Emmy consideration with a guest spot on 30 Rock, becoming Christian Slater's third personality in the freshman drama My Own Worst Enemy and starring as an "Aquaman"-type character and Hayden Panettiere's new love interest in Heroes.

NBC representatives said they were not sure what role Phelps would be playing during the Notre Dame broadcasts, but stated they were sure America would never, ever tire of Phelps no matter how often they put him onto the airwaves.

I'm not sure if Notre Dame fans are properly prepared for the rude awakening they'll receive on November 1^st when Pittsburgh rolls into South Bend.  Under Diamond Dave Wannstedt, the Panthers have been consistently underachieving in everything but recruiting rankings, failing to make a bowl in any of his three seasons, even with quality signal-caller Tyler Palko under center for two of them.  Perhaps the turnaround those in the Three Rivers area have been waiting for began on that chilly December evening last winter, when Wannstedt's crew pulled off the most improbable of upsets in Morgantown.  In denying West Virginia its championship bid, the Panthers began the catastrophic chain reaction that led to Rich Rodriguez in Ann Arbor, Oklahoma getting embarrassed in the Fiesta Bowl, the Connecticut freaking Huskies being co-Big East champions, LSU winning the least recognized championship since the '99 NBA Finals and Bill Stewart somehow getting hired as a Division I head coach.

The main catalyst in that turnaround?  LeSean McCoy, freshman phenom who would most likely be playing at a program with brighter lights than Heinz Field if not for a gruesome ankle injury suffered during his senior year of high school.  With a true freshman starting at quarterback and stud wide receiver Derek Kinder missing the entire season with a torn ACL, McCoy was more or less responsible for the majority of Pitt's five wins, eclipsing a hundred yards in all of them save the season opener against Eastern Michigan, the sole game he didn't start.  The coming out party was against Michigan State, where he rolled for 172 yards and would have earned the upset in East Lansing if not for some truly atrocious QBing.  The Panthers actually started going into the Wildcat formation popularized by Darren McFadden, realizing that if everyone knew they were going to run McCoy, they might as well drop any pretense of throwing the ball.

After a season's worth of tough losses (Pitt had a bunch of close ones last season, which probably had something to do with Diamond Dave, although I imagine the true freshman QB also played a role), no one gave Pitt a chance going into what was to be a coronation for the Mountaineers.  Instead, it was Pat White getting hurt, Steve Slaton not producing in a big game (again) and McCoy carrying the load to keep the WVU offense off the field, toting the rock a season-high 38 times, scratching out 3.9 yards per carry and doing whatever it took to get his team the victory.

His reward?  A ton of preseason hype, and a potential prime position in next spring's draft, as the year he spent rehabbing his injury and getting his grades in check will qualify him as three years beyond high school when this season concludes.  McCoy recalls being offered by "USC, Miami, Tennessee. … Florida and Penn State" before the compound fracture of his right ankle that ended his senior season only four games in.  After spending a season at Milford Academy in New York, McCoy was visiting Oakland and attending a Panther basketball game against Georgetown.  His method of signing will probably remain in Pitt lore for sometime:  

 "A Pitt fan at the game had a sign listing names of Panthers football recruits, with a check beside each who had committed. McCoy's name was on the sign. 'I checked it, and everybody went crazy,' says McCoy, who signed for real shortly after."

 As far as I can tell from reading about McCoy and watching his highlights, he's almost the perfect back.  He's powerful and able to shed tacklers, but also capable of just avoiding them, with speed to turn on upon finding the open field (we’re talking 4.25 here, people).  Look at his run against Michigan State below, where the offensive line does a good job of getting him a hole and it is good night, Sparty.  He doesn't catch a lot of passes (only 33 last season), but he's capable, grabbing 6 for 83 yards in a loss to South Florida.  He managed to put up the monster numbers he did (1328 yards, 14 TD's) and break separate freshman records held by both Tony Dorsett and the entire Big East conference with little or no help from other skill players on the Panthers, causing the 1976 Heisman Trophy winner to state "This is the first player who has come along who truly reminds me of me."  McCoy was first team All-Big East, the Big East Rookie of the Year (edging out Backyard Brawl counterpart Noel Devine) and a unanimous selection to the Freshman All-American team.

Perhaps the most important asset in McCoy's repertoire is the fact he now realizes he is the feature back in a Dave Wannstedt offense and will have to score if he wants to get off the field.  You might remember Wannstedt as the guy who caused Ricky Williams to retire in his prime, as he called the dreadlocked demon's number 383 times in 2002 and an astounding 392 times in 2003, running behind an offensive line that on its best days could be described as "decent."  (To put that sort of mileage into perspective, only one player – Larry Johnson, who had 416 attempts in 2006 – has had more carries in a season since 2002.)  Perhaps Wanny held off a bit on a freshman running back who was still working out the kinks a couple years after that ankle injury, but no such reservations will be made this season.  McCoy knows that after he did everything in that West Virginia game, his coach will be putting the ball in his hands most of the time, even with some weapons on the outside and some experience at quarterback.  His survival and livelihood (fewer carries equal a lesser chance of injury and more money in the pros) depend on him getting off the field, which depends on him getting the ball into the endzone.   He's literally running for his life every time he gets a carry, and with the talent he has, the skill level plus level of desire sum does not bode well for opponents.

"Shady" was contained a few times last season, unable to get over a hundred in losses to Connecticut, Virginia, Rutgers and South Florida, but there was some serious talent up front on some of those teams (Chris Long, George Selvie) and a 27-7 halftime deficit to UConn that rendered running the ball somewhat useless.  From all reports, McCoy didn't just hang out this offseason, catching up on Gossip Girl and counting his the accolades strewn upon him, so I imagine those sub-100 yard games will be happening infrequently.  Throw in the fact putting eight in the box (or ten, as was the case sometimes last year) will result in Kinder or Oderick Turner hauling in an easy touchdown grab and you have all the makings of a fantastic season, a run at the Doak Walker award and a high draft position.  One potential problem to note for Pitt will be the departure of first round pick Jeff Otah at left tackle and third rounder Mike McGlynn at right, meaning there will need to be some replacements made in the group of gentlemen creating holes for McCoy.

How can the Irish stop McCoy?  No idea, unless the front seven on defense is better than anyone imagines it will be.  Perhaps the best course of action will be to just score enough points that Pitt has to throw, which the Irish will hopefully be doing by the time November rolls around.  While there are a lot of talented players lining up against Notre Dame in 2008 – and with no offense meant to any other fanbases – methinks that McCoy just might be the best of the bunch, meaning that there might not be a gameplan in existence for stopping him.

Leading an American sweep of the podium, Mariel Zagunis, who helped Notre Dame to a fencing national championship in 2005, won the gold in individual saber over teammate and countrywoman Sada Jacobson.  You might remember Mariel from 2004, when she also won the gold medal, becoming the first individual to win gold medals in back-to-back Olympics since some French guys in the 80's (that's a rough citation of what the color commentator said after her victory). 

USA!  USA!  USA!  USA!

While it's always the point in time where you wish the college offseason would end, when it gets this close, people start going crazy and just desperately trying to fill the time before the first inaugural kickoff.  Case in point: The Big Lead tossing up some pictures of Jimmy Clausen, Brian Smith and James Aldridge participating in Beer Olympics and Notre Dame apparently taking steps to investigate it.  Cue the pointless hand-wringing, moaning and groaning:

A Notre Dame football spokesman said Monday there was no comment from the team for the time being. But du Lac, the school's guidebook for personal conduct, says that underage drinking and/or the participation in drinking games is cause for potential disciplinary action.

"The office of Residence Life will investigate possible violations of university policies when it is made aware of them, such as in this case," Notre Dame school spokesman Dennis Brown said Monday.

Join me in asking "Who honestly cares about this?".   College kids drink.  99.9% of the time it doesn't hurt anything other than their liver, sometimes your pride, your wallet and/or whatever stuff you break when thrasing out to Queen's "Don't Stop Me Now" at the after party.  Now at a normal school, this would get cast aside because there there isn't a single, normal, non-PTC person who would care that a group of friends got together, dressed up as different "countries" and competed in a series of drinking games for an afternoon.  I'd like to think this is just a creation of a blogger at the Tribune, but who knows, because ResLife was recently responsible for kicking a guy out of school for the most minor of minor drug violations that nobody else would or should care about. 

So it appears much like Clausen's Lame Summer Alcohol Problem: 2007 Edition, even those that generally take much glee in picking apart Notre Dame quarterbacks for their various transgressions aren't getting too worked up about it.  Orson is upset, and when the new, Leitch-less Deadspin isn't take a crack at somebody, you know it should probably just be let go.  So do you hear that, ResLife?  Just let it go.  You probably can't prove anything anyway, and if you start persecuting every Notre Dame student that drinks underage you won't have enough time to go after those that break parietals or are playing beer pong in their dorm room, and I know nobody wants that.

So let's just pretend this didn't happen and move along to more serious matters.

Following a breakout season where Grant helped get the Packers to the NFC Championship game, the folks at Lambeau took enough time away from the ridiculous Brett Favre situation to pony up the dough for the former Irish running back.  After a justifiable holdout, Grant will have the chance to earn up to $30 million in the four-year deal, capitalizing on a monster second half where he eclipsed a hundred yards five times in the final ten games after only 27 yards total in the first six weeks.  Grant also popped off for 201 yards against the Seahawks in the divisional round, atoning for two early fumbles, before getting completely corralled by the fantastic Giants defensive line.  For fantasy purposes, Grant seems to be a consensus top 15 pick, although it might be tough for him to get carries with Brett Favre and Aaron Rodgers wrestling in the backfield for every snap.