Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
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10 PRESEASON 2020 BLUE & GOLD ILLUSTRATED UNDER THE DOME No, Too Many Unknowns For Such An Assumption By Todd D. Burlage Before we even start talking about Notre Dame playing Clemson twice this season, let's hope the two teams get a chance to play just once. There are too many unknowns heading into this football season to assume everything is going to hold together as planned and that Notre Dame will play Clemson as scheduled on Nov. 7 — and then again Dec. 12 or 19 in the ACC championship game at Charlotte, N.C. Let's start with the elephant in the room: Notre Dame already had to temporarily suspend the Aug. 19 and 20 practices when five players tested positive for COVID-19, bringing the total number of Irish players in quarantine to 11 at the time. So how many quarantines are coming when the season starts? And how vulnerable is Notre Dame if Irish quarterback Ian Book ends up in isolation and misses a game or two? With No. 1 Clemson and No. 18 North Carolina, the lone opponents for the No. 10 Irish that are ranked in the preseason, certainly Notre Dame's 10-game ACC slate is plenty manageable. But Louisville narrowly missed the preseason top 25 and Pitt seldom is an easy out for the Irish. And how can we already just pencil Clemson into the ACC title game? At first glance, Clemson and Notre Dame are clearly the best the ACC has to offer and the favorites to play for the league title in a December rematch game. But in a year that nothing has stayed on script, what would make anyone think this league season will? Yes, The Slate Is In Notre Dame's Favor By Lou Somogyi Todd makes a sensible and sobering post about how playing Clemson even once this season will be somewhat of a victory unto itself, regardless of who wins. Be that as it may, nobody in the 15-team ACC rivals Clemson and Notre Dame as the two best programs in the league in 2020. The advantages of the Fight- ing Irish schedule this year also are spelled out more elaborately on pages 64-65. Clemson's achievements since 2015 speak for themselves with five straight College Football Play- off appearances, two national titles and a 69-5 (.932 winning percentage) overall record. Notre Dame's 33-6 record the last three years is the sixth-best in the Football Bowl Subdivision and includes a 14-1 regular-season ledger versus ACC foes. There are two Notre Dame streaks I see coming to an end this year. One is the school-record 11-game losing malady versus a top-five team at the time of the game, dating back to 2005. Two is the 24-game winning streak versus unranked opponents, which is currently second only to Alabama and second in program history, behind the 29 from 1990-94. So in other words, my early prediction (always subject to change) is Notre Dame will upset Clemson but get toppled by someone nobody expected. A 9-1 regular season league record will be enough to advance to the ACC championship game again versus the Tigers. The 2020 ACC line of demarcation has Clemson No. 1, Notre Dame No. 2, and virtually everyone else vying for the bronze medal. Point ✦ Counterpoint: WILL NOTRE DAME FACE CLEMSON TWICE IN THE 2020 SEASON? Other than Muffet McGraw, who retired from her post in April after 33 years, no individual has had a more prolonged impact on the success of the Notre Dame women's basketball program — which began in 1977 — than Niele Ivey. Signed by McGraw in 1996, Ivey was sidelined with an injury during the school's first run to the Final Four in 1997, and then was the star point guard on the Fighting Irish's initial national cham- pions in 2001. After her professional basketball career, Ivey returned "home" as an assistant to McGraw in 2007 and played a major role with her recruiting and coaching that resulted in a 386-55 (.875 win percentage) record in that time before a one-year 2019-20 hiatus as an assistant coach with the NBA's Memphis Grizzlies. BGI: After seven Final Fours in nine years, with a 2018 national title, the program hit rock bottom last year with a 13-18 record. What's been your primary message to get back among the elite again? Ivey: "It's about building a culture and foundation, a competitive edge and mentality where you strive to get better every day and control what we can. "I'm accustomed to winning and saw it here, and I know from that what it takes to get there." BGI: The NCAA permits 15 scholarships in wom- en's basketball, but for team chemistry purposes in recent years it's been 10 or 11. This year is unusual with 14. Do you want to keep it so high down the road? Ivey: "This year it's going to be 14. That number could drop to 12 or 13 in other years. With the nature of injuries — and I've been a part of it both as a player and coach, including four ACLs when we won the national champion- ship — we want to avoid getting caught short. "When we talk about having a full roster, I can't determine what that number is going to be because every year is a different case. But I definitely want to make sure we have enough depth to sustain a season." BGI: This program in recent years has been prolific on offense but not always strong on defense. What do you want to put your stamp on as an identity? Ivey: "A competitive mentality that carries over on offense and defense, and having a toughness and swagger. What's going to be stressed is the way we approach every workout and having that confidence in who we are. "We want to build that DNA where it will carry into everything else we do in the classroom, in the community and in who we are." BGI: Had you been hired last year, you might have been blamed for the drop. Is it "easier" to come into this situation coming off a 13-18 record where any improvement next year will be lauded? Ivey: "Timing is everything, and I want to do whatever we can to en- hance this program and put my stamp on it. Regardless of what happened last year or before then, it's about doing your best and improving every year. "Even being away, I was still connected with Coach McGraw and the team. It was definitely a down year for many reasons, but I do believe we have great talent and the future will remain bright for us." BGI: In the four months you have been on the job, what have you learned most so far? Ivey: "To have faith over fear. There is a lot of uncertainty that is going on in this world right now with the pandemic and the racial climate. Instead of having fear, we want to continue to have faith. "We know some things are out of our control, but we approach each day with a positive attitude because that is something we can control — the energy that we bring." — Lou Somogyi Five Questions With … FIRST-YEAR WOMEN'S BASKETBALL HEAD COACH NIELE IVEY IVEY Notre Dame's Brian Kelly and Clemson's Dabo Swinney are favored to lead their teams to this year's ACC championship game in December. PHOTO BY BILL PANZICA