Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
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8 OCT. 31, 2020 BLUE & GOLD ILLUSTRATED UNDER THE DOME Overall Yes, But It Also Depends On Schedule By Lou Somogyi Since the start of the College Football Playoff in 2014, a popular notion has been that as a football independent, the only way Notre Dame is going to be invited to the four-team affair is with a 12-0 regular-season record. I don't agree, and the 2017 season was proof. The Fighting were 8-1 and ranked No. 3 at that time by the CFP committee. They easily would have been selected at 11-1 because of the strength of schedule (before losing to No. 7 Miami and Pac-12 North Division champ Stanford). This year that is not the case because the sched- ule overall is one of the most favorable in the past 50 years. Even just one loss would put it on the bubble. The issue is Notre Dame is projected to play No. 1 Clemson twice: at home Nov. 7 and in the ACC championship game Dec. 19 in Charlotte, N.C. Beat the Tigers at home on Nov. 7 but lose to them a month later, and the lack of strength of schedule might work against the Irish. But lose in November yet topple the Tigers in December, and Notre Dame would be an automatic in, provided there are no other defeats. Whether as an independent or in the ACC full time, strength of sched- ule matters. However, this year especially the chances are much better entering December because of the opportunity presented with a much more abbreviated season for the Pac-12 (six games), everyone other than Alabama in the SEC having at least two losses, and potential Big 12 cannibalization. No, Reputation Matters, And ND's Isn't Good By Todd D. Burlage How does the old saying go? Fool me once, shame on you. Fool me twice, shame on me. Fool me three times, shame on me again? That's the situation the College Football Playoff committee will find itself in this December if a one-loss Notre Dame team is being considered for one of the four invitations. Fair or not, the perception of the program and the memories of Notre Dame losing to Alabama and Clemson by a combined score of 72-17 in its last two legitimate title runs will spoil any chance of an 11-1 Irish team making the cut. Need a deeper look into how Notre Dame is viewed nationally because of its inability to beat quality teams under head coach Brian Kelly? Look no further than last season. Following the 45-14 drubbing to Michigan in game seven, the Irish dropped from No. 8 all the way to No. 16 in the Associated Press poll. Following the loss, Notre Dame won its final six games of the season by an average of 25.3 points — four of those by more than 30 points — yet, it only climbed four spots during those six dominating weeks and finished No. 12 in the final AP poll. The good news for the Fighting Irish is that playing in the toothless ACC will keep it in playoff consideration into December. The bad news is that Notre Dame's soft schedule and reputation as a team unable to run with the big dogs will turn the committee's attention to an- other one-loss team if that's the eventual choice it faces. Point ✦ Counterpoint: IN THE ACC, DOES A ONE-LOSS NOTRE DAME TEAM HAVE A BETTER SHOT AT THE CFP? During most of his five years working as a team member to help operate the Notre Dame Mono- gram Club, Matt Weldy spent time finding cre- ative ways to reunite and bring together former Irish student-athletes from around the country and even around the world. But under the current COVID-19 cloud, Weldy spends most of hid days trying to find creative ways to bring these groups together, without actually bringing them together. Weldy, 34, spent four years working as the Monogram Club Associate Director before he as- sumed the Executive Director position in Septem- ber 2019. He works closely with his on-campus support staff, a board of directors from around the country comprised of club members, and the Notre Dame Alumni Association, all in an effort to keep its 8,500 members — ranging in ages from 22 to 92 — connected to their campus, sports programs and communities. Blue & Gold Illustrated caught up with Weldy to find out more about his unique position and the challenges of keeping the Monogram Club viable. BGI: What are the special challenges that CO- VID-19 has created for your organization? Weldy: "We have to think out of the box and find different ways to bring groups together. Defi- nitely meeting in person is our favorite vehicle to unite members, but the reality is, we've had to think and look at things through a different lens during this COVID situation. "We're still working, we're still hustling, so I'm not complaining, I'm just hoping we can kind of get to the other side of this thing sooner than later and return to life as we once knew it." BGI: What is at the root of the Monogram Club mission? Weldy: "Our mission is to keep engaged all of our 8,500 monogram winners — who are 80, 90 years old and other members in their 20s — so it's not a one-size fits all. "Just trying to be nimble, be creative and posi- tion ourselves as one of the best letter winners organizations across the country." BGI: The Monogram Club has always been ac- tive on campus, especially during football game weekends. How important is taking the mission on the road and outside of the local bubble? Weldy: "With Notre Dame there is such the national presence and even beyond, so what we try three or four times a year is to take those exact campus experiences and take them across the country. A lot of times we hear, 'Hey, I'm just not getting to South Bend more than one time a year, if that,' so we have to be mobile. "Obviously, these times are a little challenging from travel to budget, to everything related to that. I'm certainly hopeful that we'll be in a position maybe a year from now to get back to that." BGI: Beyond reunions, celebra- tions and reconnections, what other important initiatives does the Monogram Club coordinate? Weldy: "Service by way of help- ing our members through career transitions is one. Sometimes our former student-athletes will go play pro, and we tell them to empty the tank and play as long as you pos- sibly can, then you're going to have this world- class degree. "This network of monogram winners has been in your shoes before and can help you make those transitions." BGI: Lastly, what makes the Monogram Club so special? Weldy: "We're fortunate that there is such an affinity for Notre Dame from our members. They've shed blood, sweat, tears and poured everything they had into their athletic experience and their athletic programs, and now they want to stay connected and they want to help the next generation." — Todd D. Burlage Five Questions With … NOTRE DAME MONOGRAM CLUB EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR MATT WELDY WELDY