Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/216396
fan forum fense, please contact Lou Holtz. John Schumarker Glens Falls, N.Y. It's About Time What's with all of these mid-afternoon 3:30 p.m. starts? I really miss those games that started between noon and 1:30 p.m. There's just something about a college football game on a Saturday under the bright sunshine that is fun. Right now that is missing at Notre Dame. Can someone please explain to me who made this decision? NBC may want two night games a year in the future. If I can offer any advice, have more early afternoon games. Pat Patrick Via the Internet Mr. Patrick, we share your dismay (especially with long nights and mornings meeting a deadline), but that is the world we live in specifically with television revenue and advertising. There was a time when despite the 1 p.m. starts, Notre Dame could not be on national television more than three times over a two-year period. The demographics have shown that the later the game is slotted, the more eyeballs it attracts. This is an NBC decision, and as a partner Notre Dame has agreed because it benefits both sides financially. Virtually all of the Irish road games are now at night for that reason, but Notre Dame still would prefer to keep the majority at home in the afternoon. The 3:30 time serves as a form of compromise. From The WebSite The week after Pitt upset Notre Dame (28-21), the Panthers naturally lost the next week to North Carolina. We see this quite frequently. "Notre Dame gets its best shot from everyone," has been a popular alibi for decades after a defeat. When Jim Colletto was the head coach at Purdue (1991-96), he said he'd much prefer to have a bye week the week after playing Notre Dame than the week before because the team is so emotionally and physically spent the week after playing the Irish. Nevertheless, Pitt losing to North Carolina only exacerbated the frustration. Here were a few samples from our message board: NDNJ96: What a mess. Hard not to get your blood boiling again at this staff. NDFan76: I know "Notre Dame gets everyone's best game" is a very, very popular excuse for every ND loss, but I'm just not seeing it anymore. Pitt didn't play above its ability because ND was on the schedule. ND played like crap and is not as talented as some may think. Garyfh: First half score: ND 14, Pitt 7 — Pitt-i-ful, but still a win. Second half: Pitt 21, ND 7 — Stephon Tuitt ejection changed the momentum, Pitt began playing loose and aggressive, while ND was tight, tentative and mistake prone. Hodges: How many years did Michigan State play the game of their lives and beat ND — always followed by a loss the following week? Irishjake1: Kelly did not have the team ready to play, bottom line. No excuses. HuskyGuy81: That's college football for you. Johnnycarnes: So now that USC beat Stanford, does that mean we are going to beat Stanford?