Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
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www.BLUEANDGOLD.com NOV. 30, 2019 7 UNDER THE DOME Keep 'Em Home For Thanksgiving By Todd Burlage One benefit to Notre Dame playing as an independent is supposedly its ability to schedule independently. Given the way college football is changing because of the College Football Playoff format, Notre Dame needs to reinvent is scheduling philosophies today for a better playoff path tomorrow. Navy can go, see-ya Stanford — and why is ending every regu- lar season with a game in California so sacred? It's time for Notre Dame to start a new tradition and end each regular season with a home game. Flexibility is the scheduling advantage that independence pro- vides Notre Dame. The Irish have the ability —which other schools do not — to build a diverse schedule, and a stronger postseason profile, against opponents from all conferences and all over. While teams such as Georgia, LSU, Auburn, Ohio State, LSU, Oklahoma and others are paying closer attention to their non-conference profiles with higher risk-reward out-of-conference games, Notre Dame is losing its sched- uling advantage because it's stuck in its own scheduling muck. Understandably, finding quality opponents to play at Notre Dame Stadium in late November won't always be easy. But if Pac-12 members Stanford and USC can free up every other Thanksgiving weekend to play the Irish out of confer- ence, certainly other schools that appreciate the potential benefits of a high- profile regular-season finale game would be willing and able to do the same. Independence, brand recognition and profitability all give Notre Dame more scheduling privilege than any other team in the country. And if used wisely, this weekend could bring a league championship feel to campus that right now seems reserved for early September. Scheduling Stability Not Easy As Independent By Lou Somogyi Since 1960, Notre Dame has finished a regular-season at home only three times — twice against Air Force (a win in 1969 and a loss in 1983), and the infamous defeat to Boston College in 1993. Why isn't it done more often? It was in the 1960s that the university brass decided that as a year-end reward (especially with a bowl ban that lasted into 1969) the team would be sent to a warm-weather locale. USC in even-numbered years was set, and then Miami for the odd-numbered years also was added from 1965-89, with a few exceptions (including LSU in 1971), and even adding Hawai'i in 1991 and 1997. Is it now passé? Maybe, but the alternatives aren't appeal- ing. Marquee teams from top conferences will have no desire to travel to northern Indiana on Thanksgiving weekend, which also is traditionally a huge "rivalry week" among league members. An SEC school such as Georgia, or even Arkansas next year, will come up in September, but not late November. LSU and Tennessee used to, but those days are gone, just like a fullback in most offenses. Playing lesser foes that same holiday weekend is not going to lure a huge contingent of Notre Dame people from out of town to sit in the cold, especially with high-definition television experiences. For now, the year-end regular season agreement at either USC or Stanford provides a stability in scheduling and a presence in a valued recruiting terri- tory. If it can be tweaked — specifically Stanford — in the future, then I would be for it. In the present, that does not appear to be the case. Point ✦ Counterpoint: SHOULD NOTRE DAME BEGIN TO HOST THE FINAL REGULAR-SEASON GAME? In what was more of a surprise opportunity than a chance meeting about four years ago, former Irish bas- ketball team captain Zach Hillesland was unexpectedly asked about filling in as a radio analyst during Notre Dame basketball games. Two other former Irish players, LaPhonso Ellis and Jordan Cornette, were han- dling the bulk of the analyst work at the time, but each was taking his broadcast career to a national level — and often out of town — creating an opportunity for Hillesland to oc- casionally fill in as needed. Cornette was the first to gauge Hillesland's in- terest. Hillesland's substitute role evolved into a regular gig the last two seasons, taking his place each game, home and away, alongside longtime Irish broadcaster Jack Nolan for the Notre Dame Basketball Radio Network. A 2009 Notre Dame graduate, Hillesland, 33, lives with his wife, Claire, in Chicago and holds down a full-time job as a senior brand strategist at Kohler, Co., handling graphic design, digital marketing and Internet promotions, along with many other responsibilities. BGI: What does it mean to get back and be around the program you played for? Hillesland: "It's honestly been a godsend. It's been great. The further you get away from that experience, I think the more you ap- preciate it. Certainly, when you're young and stupid and all of that, you can maybe take some things for granted, and I certainly did. "So, to kind of have a better perspective on ev- erything, I feel incredibly fortunate, not only to have the radio gig now that gives me a great excuse to come back and see everyone 30-plus times a year, but it's just a great university with great people." BGI: How difficult is it juggling the radio work with your full-time job? Hillesland: "The great thing about the nature of what I do [for Kohler] is that it is extremely flexible in terms of me being able to work from different locations. I've got to thank modern technology for giving me that kind of flexibility, and obviously they are understanding bosses and managers as well. "They've let me kind of piece things together and make it work." BGI: What did your time here mean to you? Hillesland: "It's everything to me now. All my best friends are from Notre Dame. The people that stood up in my wedding were from Notre Dame, and the relationships I built, those relationships maintain and it's really nice having that sense of home so close even though I'm still in Chicago. "It's one of those experiences that I would never go back and change or want to go anywhere else." BGI: Is this kind of like a second go-around for you at Notre Dame? Hillesland: "Yes, it is. I maybe would've changed my attitude the first time through, but youth is wasted on the young and that was certainly ap- plicable to me at times. But it's been great to get back, and they have given me so many opportuni- ties and blessings to be involved with the program. "It is definitely something I don't take for granted this time." BGI: Your beard was legendary, kind of a James Harden look. Did Claire make you shave it? Hillesland: "When we met, I had the beard and she had never seen me without it so when I actually took it off, it was a little bit jarring to her. "There's a time and a season for everyone to have the beard and I'm sure it will come back but I'm enjoying the bare face to scruff spectrum for right now." — Todd D. Burlage Five Questions With … NOTRE DAME BASKETBALL RADIO NETWORK ANALYST ZACH HILLESLAND Hillesland, a co-captain in 2008-09 during the Big East era, is enjoying his second go- around with the Irish as the color analyst for the Notre Dame Basketball Radio Network. PHOTO COURTESY ZACH HILLESLAND PHOTO COURTESY NOTRE DAME FOOTBALL