Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/1547079
BLUEGOLDONLINE.COM OCT. 17, 2026 5 INDEPENDENCE, BIAS AND TRUST In response to the rather poignant entry by John F. Gaski, we may need to worry about more than just ACC offi- cials. What became a travesty of a Col- lege Football Playoff last year (and yes, Notre Dame was intentionally screwed) has only led to a much bigger problem in 2026: gambling. And if the Western Michigan-Mich- igan and Texas-Ohio State games were proof enough, the bookies would've lost big had it not been for some "interfer- ence." I am so thankful that Coach Free- man remains firmly committed to his 'leave no doubt' mantra, but concerns will continue about just how fair the college game is going to become, not just for Notre Dame but for many teams. Even worse for the fans. We shall see who sustains longest. Eric Swope I agree with John Gaski that there is a prejudice against ND by the ACC. This huge majority puts pressure on the ACC administration to favor those schools even though they realize the ND mem- bership and agreement to play other members benefits the conference more than any other individual institution's membership. I do not think that it af- fects officiating. We can reduce that prejudice sub- stantially by joining the conference as a full member. I think that is the same problem with the committee. All the committee members are appointed to this plush job by conference administrators. They just lacked foresight as to when to screw us. I still want football independence. The Jet Evansville, Ind. Eric and Jet, last season's playoff dis- appointment understandably left many Notre Dame fans questioning whether the Irish receive a fair shake. But contro- versial calls alone aren't evidence that gambling interests influenced a game, and disagreements with the selection committee don't establish an intentional effort to exclude Notre Dame. Football independence brings both ad- vantages and complications, but join- ing a conference would hardly eliminate disputed calls or playoff arguments. Head coach Marcus Freeman's " leave no doubt" approach remains the best re- sponse on the field. Off it, fans deserve clear explanations, consistent standards and accountability from officials and playoff decision-makers. 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 Following a 37-26 victory at North Carolina that moved Notre Dame's record to 5-0, one Irish fan, "The Little Leprechaun," posed a poll on the message board at BlueandGold.com: "Will ND be ranked No. 1 at any point this season?" Of the first 184 voters who responded as of Oct. 8, 112 said, "Yes." That was 60.9% of the voters. Here's a sampling of what they had to say: BIG BOZ: Yes. At the end. CoachT4: This is the correct answer [in response to BIG BOZ]. lucio: Yeah, late January 2027. und37: We're either #1 on November 8th (if we win against Miami) or we're not (we lost) and won't be at any point. chuckybetz: I have this premonition/vision (hope) for us climbing to #1 at some point this season and not giving it up. 51yardboot: It would require that Notre Dame remains undefeated after the Miami game and Texas, Georgia and Alabama all lose at least one game. Also, it would be interesting to see how the pollsters would treat an undefeated Indiana if they beat Ohio State. I think Notre Dame beating Miami would carry more weight than Indiana beating a one-loss Ohio State. Crash_Davis_8: Notre Dame could beat Miami and go 12-0 and still not be #1 if certain other teams win out. I know Indiana played a s--- OOC schedule, but if they run the table through the CCG, they could jump ND. If Bama beats UGA and runs the table they'd surely be #1 over ND. And if we're counting CCGs, certain 1-loss B1G and/or SEC teams could jump ND as well. ND really needs SMU and Wisconsin to be 9- or 10-win teams, and Miami's and BYU's only regular season loss to be to ND. Irishchef: I hope at the end, that is all I care about. One thing has become certain, the entire top ten has flaws. There is not a perfect team. I watched an average Clemson team get a ton of heat on Mensah for Miami. That makes me feel like ND could get to him a lot when they play. If you can limit Jeremiah Smith's touches, Ohio St. is a very winnable game for ND if they see them in the playoffs. And Leonard Moore can limit his touches. Texas looks vulnerable, I am still not sold on Georgia's passing game. IU does not look the same. Back to the poll question, I think ND will be number one by week 7 or 8. Shabak: If Texas and Georgia keep winning regardless of what we do against Miami we won't be ranked number one. But if Texas and Georgia lose we beat Miami of course we'll be ranked number one irush: My gut tells me ESPN will not allow it. They control everything. FROM THE WEB .com .com JOIN THE CONVERSATION AT BLUEANDGOLD.COM! Head coach Marcus Freeman's "leave no doubt" approach remains the best response on the field. PHOTO BY MMCHAEL MILLER