Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
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6 NOV. 22, 2025 BLUE & GOLD ILLUSTRATED BAD CALLS While all college coaches and fans can criticize the officiating in a particular game, the officiating in Notre Dame games has been subpar, including video reviews. A most notable example, the reality is that but for the terrible of- ficiating in the Texas A&M game in the fourth quarter, Notre Dame would be 7-1. Then most recently Boston Col- lege, there was a critical phantom face- mask penalty called on Notre Dame on a fourth-down sack. Perhaps when re- porting grades of the various units and coaching, Blue & Gold Illustrated should add a new category to the report card: "Officiating." John Lushis Jr. Fort Wayne, Ind. Mr. Lushis, unfortunately, bad offici- ating calls are part of the game for every- one. The best thing players and coaches can do is focus on what they can control, like their team's performance, and don't overreact to every mistake. If the NCAA wants to bring an end to the discussion around their officials, though , the best fix would be to make the crews all full-time employees. When the season ends, most officials move on to other jobs, and when the season rolls back around, no one should be surprised that they're getting calls wrong. Making the officials full-time employ- ees would cost more, but everyone would quickly see how much better the games would be called . It would bring a new level of accountability to the sport, which would force the officials to be better. DISSECTING THE FROGS I agree that TCU's Dallas-Fort Worth location and Big 12 affiliation make them an appealing potential opponent. I predict that the final score of the first meeting with Horned Frogs, whenever it occurs, will be 21-7 in favor of the Irish. And I'm willing to bet on it … Go Irish! Chris Whitman London, England Mr. Whitman, hello from across the pond. We certainly wouldn't bet against the Irish in that matchup. Another as- pect that would make TCU an appealing potential opponent is that they were the only one on our five-team list that has earned a berth in the College Football Playoff, doing so in 2022. FAN FORUM BE HEARD! Send your letters to: steve.downey@on3.com or mail to: Blue & Gold Illustrated, P. O. Box 2331, Durham, NC 27702 Notre Dame is a polarizing football program due to its storied history and its unique status as an indepen- dent. In particular, the independence often creates resentment from opponents and fans of other programs. With the Irish claiming the No. 10 spot in the first College Football Playoff rankings Nov. 4, the nay- sayers — including people like Texas Tech head coach Joey McGuire and Pitt head coach Pat Narduzzi — had plenty to say. Irish fans responded to the "hate" on our message board at BlueandGold.com. aundelrwilliams: People love to criticize Notre Dame for being independent, but here's the truth: if these teams — Texas Tech, or anyone else — really have an issue with it, line up and settle it on the field. Notre Dame hasn't been afraid to schedule anybody, anytime, anywhere. If independence is such a problem, why don't all these programs drop their conference ties and go play whoever they want, too? Stop hiding behind conference schedules — Notre Dame's never ducked competition. The reality is, most of these teams need their conferences to survive. Notre Dame doesn't. dnett63: Embrace the hate, because it has every- one talking about ND and all of that talk becomes marketable. Josh1033: Let them hate. They are hating because ND is having success. They are afraid of what [Marcus] Freeman is building here. Barbaro2232: I'll only be concerned when they stop hating ND. I don't want to be like them. Mrmean58: It's easy to hate when your team is no more than a regional brand. If all teams could com- pete on a nationwide level and maintain their independence they would. We are already hearing from many of the new teams in the B10 and ACC about all the extra travel and how hard it is on their programs. The Irish travel coast to coast annually and on occasion throw in games in Europe without complaint. There's a reason why ND is televised weekly and has one of the best travel fan bases in all of college football, it's a brand most universities aspire to reach. TT has been spending a lot of money to buy a team that can compete. Let's see if their future results can reach those expectations. Jeffrnr: I realize ND has to play so many ACC games but Pete B can start to decide what teams we decline. ND fills away stadiums = $$$. But, we can take our game elsewhere if there is outward disre- spect. But McGuire/Narduzzi, how did this whole schtick work for the last coach that threw shade at ND's independence? First rule as head coach, don't create locker room/social media stuff. Jaebird: I've been a Notre Dame fan since the '80s. They've always been hated. When they start doing good, they're hated even more. It is what it is. Bring it! Zinger72: Jealousy breeds hate! Crash_Davis_8: Because they're colluding to make ND join a conference. Outside of ND getting lucky and a couple of the ACC teams we play in November are ranked, what good games do you see on future schedules late in the season? Sure, we're lining up some great games in September and early October, but we're basically playing sh-- ACC teams and G5 schools from the middle of October on. jrndmd: Living rent-free in their heads is so awesome. Do you know who doesn't care if Notre Dame is in a conference or not? Ryan Day … Kirby Smart … Dabo Swinney … Nick Saban … They were too busy winning national titles to worry about Notre Dame. BGI User 1099: As a fan for the last 60 years my advice is to enjoy it. They whine the loudest and the most when we're at the top. IrishNY1212: I love it. Let them keep talking. Just points to ND's relevance in the sport. FROM THE WEB .com .com JOIN THE CONVERSATION AT BLUEANDGOLD.COM! Sign up for just $1 for the first seven days! Most Irish fans are not bothered by others who are green with envy when it comes to Notre Dame football. PHOTO BY MICHAEL MILLER