Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
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14 PRESEASON 2019 BLUE & GOLD ILLUSTRATED UNDER THE DOME Irish community excelling on the field and in the classroom Lee Kiefer — Fencing On Aug. 5, the Lexington, Ky., native and former Fight- ing Irish standout became the first fencer — male or female — from any nation and in any weapon to win three straight i n d i v i d u a l Pa n A m e r i ca n Games titles, taking home gold in the foil competition at Lima, Peru, after titles in Toronto in 2015 and Guadalajara in 2011. The 25-year-old Kiefer was the International Fencing Federation's fifth-ranked fencer in the world entering the Pan Am Games. Kate (Sobrero) Markgraf — Soccer The former Irish standout (1994-97) was named the first- ever general manager of the United States Women's Na- tional Team Aug. 12. She will lead the process of selecting the next head coach ahead of qualifying for the 2020 Olym- pic Games, and will also manage the overall technical plan for the program. Markgraf — a three-time All-American at Notre Dame — played in 201 matches for the USWNT, appearing in three Olympics and three FIFA Women's World Cups. Joe Piane — Track & Field The longtime Irish mentor was announced in August as one of six class of 2019 inductees for the U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association Coaches Hall of Fame in December. Piane became the second- longest tenured athletic coach in Notre Dame history (Jack Kline coached the baseball team for 42 years), leading the track & field program from 1975 to 2014. Among his numerous accomplishments, his programs racked up 189 All-America accolades. Zach Yeadon — Swimming The junior from San Antonio competed for Team USA at the World Univer- sity Games in early July at Na- poli, Italy. He finished seventh in the 400-meter freestyle with a time of 3:52.18. Yeadon also swam a strong 800-meter freestyle relay leg, posting a 200-meter split time of 1:50.16 in the preliminaries. Although he did not participate in the finals, he earned gold when the relay placed first with a time of 7:09.77. TOP OF THE CLASS ✦ GIMME FIVE The notion of parity is dead in college foot- ball, or at least it has been in this decade. Clemson and Alabama have split the last four national titles and are the heavy favorites to make it five, per MyTopSportsBooks.com. Meanwhile, Ohio State — the last team other than the Tigers or Crimson Tide to win the na- tional championship (2014) — is ranked No. 4, while Oklahoma is projected to make the Col- lege Football Playoff (CFP) for the fourth time in the six-year history of the event. Last year, Notre Dame became the 10th dif- ferent school to make the CFP. This year, it is ranked No. 11 in both the odds to make the CFP (7/1) and in the odds to capture the national title (45/1). That's primarily because two of its opponents rated higher will both be played on the road. On Sept. 21 the Fighting Irish play at Georgia, which is No. 3 in both odds to make the CFP (8/5) and to win the national title (11/1). Then on Oct. 26 Notre Dame travels to Michigan, which is No. 6 in odds to make the CFP (4/1) and to win it all (22/1). Here are the top five odds to claim the 2019 national championship: 1. Clemson: 5/2 2. Alabama: 7/2 3. Georgia: 11/1 4. Ohio State: 13/1 5. Oklahoma: 17/1 Also ahead of the No. 11 Irish are Michigan (22/1), Texas (32/1), Florida (33/1), LSU (35/1) and Oregon (40/1). CHARTING THE IRISH Similar to the 2018 opener between Notre Dame and Michigan, this year's Sept. 21 showdown between Notre Dame and Georgia can be perceived as an inside track to this season's four-team College Football Playoff (CFP). Notre Dame's 24-17 victory over Michigan propelled a 12-0 regular season because no other op- ponent during that time was deemed a favorite over the Fighting Irish. The Wolverines also remained in the hunt by winning their next 10 games, but were whipped 62-39 by Ohio State in their regular- season finale. With Clemson and Alabama virtually considered as automatics again in the CFP after splitting the last four national titles, the popular assumption is that only two more spots remain. Thus, the Sept. 21 result in Athens is expected to make the winner a front-runner for the limited vacancies. The importance and buzz of that game can be shown in the ticket pricing in the secondary market. Per Zach Anderson, president of TicketCity, the matchup be- tween the Fighting Irish and Bulldogs is far and away the top-priced ticket in non- conference meetings by nearly $300 to the runner-up. In fact, as of July 29 this year, Notre Dame had three of the top six most costly tickets in the secondary market in out-of- conference meetings. Getting To Know … JUNIOR NOSE TACKLE KURT HINISH Hometown: "Pittsburgh." High school: "Central Catholic." Major: "Sociology." Favorite food: " Tacos. I am a Taco Tuesday guy." Favorite movie: "'A Bronx Tale.'" Favorite TV show: "I watch a lot of TV shows. Probably 'Trailer Park Boys.'" Greatest football memory at Notre Dame: "Running out of the tunnel for the first time." Who is your idol: "My father. I have learned a lot of lessons from my dad. Probably the greatest lesson I have learned is your body can go a lot further than you think it can. He always used to tell me, 'You'll pass out before you die.'" Favorite part about playing for Notre Dame: "The brotherhood. The band. The tradition. The camaraderie." Toughest player you've ever faced: "[Former Irish All-American guard] Quentin Nelson." Rk. Game Date Price 1. Notre Dame at Georgia Sept. 21 $674 2. LSU at Texas Sept. 7 $386 3. Nebraska at Colorado Sept. 7 $360 4t. Texas A&M at Clemson Sept. 7 $282 4t. Notre Dame at Michigan Oct. 26 $282 6. USC at Notre Dame Oct. 12 $243 7. Florida vs. Miami Aug. 24 $231 8. Pittsburgh at Penn State Sept. 14 $159 9. Clemson at South Carolina Nov. 30 $155 10. Georgia at Georgia Tech Nov. 30 $147 MOVING? Let us know! Call 1-800-421-7751