Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
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www.BLUEANDGOLD.com AUGUST 2021 11 UNDER THE DOME 3 Notre Dame players were included in the PFF College 50, a ranking of the 50 best players set to take the field in college football this fall. Pro Football Focus said its list "is not about how valuable players are but rather about how good they are, regardless of position." Junior safety Kyle Hamilton was the highest ranked at No. 9, while incom- ing graduate transfer offensive guard Cain Madden was No. 27 and senior offensive lineman Jarrett Patterson was No. 48. Hamilton was the top safety listed, while Madden was third and Patterson eighth among offensive line- men. Hamilton and Madden were also tabbed as preseason first-team All-Americans by PFF. Alabama and Ohio State led the way with four players each in the PFF College 50, fol- lowed by the Fighting Irish, Oklahoma, LSU and Georgia with three each. Cincinnati, North Carolina and Washington were next with two each. 4 Former Notre Dame lacrosse players were named starters in the Premier Lacrosse League All-Star Game — more than any other col- lege program. Midfielder Bryan Costabile (2017-20) of Atlas plus defensemen Garrett Epple (2014-17) and Eddy Glazener (2013-16) of Redwoods took the field for the Adversaries squad, while midfielder Sergio Perkovic (2014- 17) of Redwoods suited up for the Defenders team July 18 in San Jose, Calif. 9th Was where SportsBettingDime.com ranked Notre Dame's strength of schedule (SOS) among 130 Football Bowl Subdivision schools. The SOS formula is based upon opponents' efficiency ratings from last season minus the production lost from the 2020 team; recruiting rank- ings; and major transfers added and lost. The formula is then adjusted for each game based upon whether it's home or on the road. Of SportsBettingDime.com's five preseason favorites for the national championship, Georgia (29th) has the hardest schedule followed by Ohio State (33rd), Oklahoma (38th), Clemson (45th) and Alabama (50th). 22 Home runs for Notre Dame senior first baseman NIKO KAVADAS this season. He ranked third in the country behind only South Carolina's Wes Clarke and Florida State's Matheu Nelson, who both hit 23. However, that duo played 10 and six games more, respectively, than Kavadas, whose 0.47 home runs per game ranked first nationally. Kavadas' 22 homers also set the single-season school record, surpassing the 20 hit by Frank Jacobs in 1991. If Kavadas — who was selected No. 316 overall in the 11th round of the MLB Draft by the Boston Red Sox — opts to go pro instead of returning to Notre Dame for one more season, he will finish tied for second in program history with 46 career home runs. 124th Out of 127 Football Bowl Subdivision teams is where Notre Dame ranks in returning production, per ESPN's Bill Connelly. The Fighting Irish bring back 55.0 percent of their production, far below the national average of 76.7 percent. The 2014-20 national average for returning production was 62.6 percent, but lots of players returning for an extra year using the COVID-19 exemption — particularly at the Group of Five level — have skewed this year's data. In the prior five years, a team that brings back 55.0 percent of its produc- tion would have ranked 96th, 102nd, 106th, 95th and 100th. Furthermore, the last five teams to return the fourth-lowest amount of production brought back 42.0, 43.0, 40.0, 41.0 and 36.0 percent — well below Notre Dame's 55.0 this year. .500 Winning percentage (4-4) for Notre Dame men's basketball in the ACC/Big Ten Chal- lenge. This year the Fighting Irish will play at Illinois on Nov. 29, 2021. This marks the third matchup between Notre Dame and Illinois in the event, with the Irish having taken the previous two. In 2015-16, the Irish spoiled the open- ing of the State Farm Center with an 84-79 victory and then took down Illinois 76-74 at Purcell Pavilion during the 2018-19 event. The Notre Dame-Illinois basketball series dates back to 1922 when the Illini claimed two victories on back-to-back days (Jan. 1 and Jan. 2, 1922). The two teams met regularly through the 1960s, but have only met three times (2003, 2015, 2018) since 1973, all Notre Dame victo- ries. The Illini lead the all-time series 27-15 and are 11-2 versus the Irish on their home court. ✦ BY THE NUMBERS