Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
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10 SEPT. 13, 2025 BLUE & GOLD ILLUSTRATED UNDER THE DOME Schedule Home-And-Homes With The SEC By Eric Hansen It just means more? Actually, playing at least one SEC team on a rotating- but-annual basis instead of the new middling Big Ten version of Southern Cal has a pragmatic benefit. That is, if the Trojans' brass follow their recent rhe- torical retreat with an actual one off the schedule. Forever. When it comes to credibility with pollsters, fan bases and, most importantly, the College Football Playoff selection committee, there's no better currency than how a Notre Dame team actually measures up against the SEC team — as opposed to a hypothetical matchup. And you only have to look at last season's 23-13 season- opening takedown of Texas A&M in College Station, Texas — a victory that kept its potency even as the Aggies faded late. And beating the SEC champs, Geor- gia, by double digits (23-10) on a neutral field in the CFP quarterfinals only rein- forced a perceptual shift with national media and, most notably, recruits alike. Playing Southern Cal had a pragmatic side, too, at least in alternating sea- sons. Getting some high octane on the November schedule was a challenge for current athletics director Pete Bevacqua's predecessors. But even if Southern Cal's leadership relents and doesn't go cowering into 2026 without the Irish on the schedule for the first time in 100 years short of a World War or a global pandemic pre-empting it, there's no guarantee the late-November slotting will be a thing anymore, given its new Big Ten bosses. For the record, Notre Dame is a collective 50-26 versus the current mem- bers of the SEC, with only a losing record against Georgia (1-3). The Irish's Sept. 27 matchup at Arkansas will debut that series, leaving only Auburn, Mississippi State and Kentucky untapped. Nothing will ever match the pure venom of Notre Dame versus Southern Cal, but blocks of two-game home-and-homes with SEC teams is an alterna- tive that will just mean more. Renew The Regional Rivalries By Jack Soble Regional rivalries are what make college football great. That's true even for Notre Dame, who made its name on barnstorming across the country. Just look at the Lou Somogyi Board's "Dedicated Michigan Thread," a one-stop shop for Wolverine hatred. As of Aug. 19, it has more than 43,000 views in just under two months and 651 replies, which span 17 pages. No matter how many times the Irish and Trojans face each other, Michigan hatred will remain constant. And elsewhere in the Big Ten, past rivalries are stirring. Notre Dame has already scheduled a home-and-home with Michigan State, beginning in 2026. In this past season's College Football Playoff, Irish fans developed a disdain for the head coaches of Indiana and Penn State — as well as more heartbreak at the hands of Ohio State, which is the one hurdle Marcus Freeman hasn't cleared. There's no need to look down south if several excellent matchups are star- ing the Irish in the face, and that's what is happening here. Think about a trip to Beaver Stadium in November. Penn State would probably make that its White Out game, too. Think about a season opener at The Big House or a chance at revenge for 10 men on the field. There is an electricity to those matchups that a trip to Arkansas or even Texas A&M just can't replicate. Now, the obvious issue is the same issue happening with Southern Cal right now: Would any of those teams want to schedule the Irish? For what it's worth, the SEC probably isn't too keen on it, either. They would prefer to host The Citadel or Charleston Southern as a pre-rivalry week tune-up. But if Southern Cal doesn't want to add Notre Dame to its schedule, Plan A should be finding other Big Ten teams who will. Point ✦ Counterpoint: IF THE SOUTHERN CAL SERIES ENDS, WHAT IS THE BEST ALTERNATIVE? Even seven-plus months after the heartache, Christian Gray still routinely gets asked about it. It being a third-down conversion by Ohio State in its 34-23 victory over Notre Dame Jan. 20 in Atlanta. Gray was in coverage on the play that essentially clinched the national title for the Buck- eyes. It provided a moment of profound inflection for the now-junior Irish cornerback. How does that look all these months later? Blue & Gold Illustrated and other local media recently caught up with Gray after an Irish practice session. BGI: Have you gone back and watched the criti- cal play against Jeremiah Smith in the national championship game? Gray: "I do watch it. I watch it by myself some- times. I should have prevented him from getting on my toes. I was trying to protect my lever- age. All I can say is I should have opened up and turned as quick as possible." BGI: How has that play in the Ohio State game motivated you? Gray: "It's a big motivator for sure. But then again, it's also not the end of the world. It was a big game and emotional for everybody. It's a huge motivator, though, to be better and strive to be better. That play taught me what this game is. It's one play, reload and make yourself better." BGI: Where have you made the most strides since last season and what does that look like on the field? Gray: "I feel like I made the most strides in my press coverage. I definitely will say that. I'm also having a good consistent basis and building good habits. I feel like that's what I've been doing well in. I've done a lot of training work. "I have more confidence in it and added new techniques into it. I just made a really big stride there. … Feet before hands, that's what I always say, especially to the freshmen is feet before hands. When the receivers finally declare what route they want to run, that's when you can start to put hands on them at that time. I just think that's what makes press coverage what it is." BGI: Why did you switch to No. 6 this year after previously wearing No 29? Gray: "Six has been a number I've wanted since high school. Going back to my recruiting visits, I was always wearing No. 6. It reminds me a little bit of my grandma to have fun in the game. This is the number I always wanted; I got it now. I keep my grandma in mind and my grandpa in mind. But they always tell me, 'Remember who you do it for. You do it for God.' They always stay in my mind for sure." BGI: Your sister, La'el, was at Ohio State and is she now entering law school at Notre Dame? Gray: "Yeah, she's coming here. She's coming here right now. She's a big supporter in my life. She's like that friend I never really had. She's my only sibling, so yeah. My sister is my heart and everything. I'm glad she's here." — Eric Hansen Five Questions With … JUNIOR CORNERBACK CHRISTIAN GRAY Gray started all 15 games he played in during the 2024 campaign, and recorded 35 tackles with 9 passes broken up and 3 interceptions. PHOTO BY MIKE MILLER