Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
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www.BLUEANDGOLD.com MARCH 2018 11 UNDER THE DOME On Feb. 13, the NCAA denied Notre Dame's appeal of the decision to vacate 21 victories — 12-1 in 2012 and 9-4 in 2013 — because of academic misconduct that resulted in the use of ineligible players those two seasons. The issue first came to light in August 2014 when four Notre Dame players — wide receiver DaVaris Daniels, cornerback KeiVarae Russell, defensive end Ishaq Williams and linebacker Kendall Moore — were held out of practice and compe- tition during an ongoing academic cheat- ing probe that was self-reported by the university to the NCAA regarding its honor code policy. The internal investigation and findings by the school for the misconduct that in- volved a student athletic trainer ultimately resulted in a November 2016 verdict by the NCAA that included stripping Notre Dame of the 21 victories, fining the school $5,000 and placing it on a one-year probation. Notre Dame appealed the outcome that did not turn out in its favor. University of Notre Dame President Fr. John Jenkins C.S.C. has responded with a letter to alumni harshly criticizing the NCAA's decision. "We are deeply disappointed by and strongly disagree with the denial of the University's ap- peal, announced today by the NCAA, of an earlier decision by the NCAA's Committee on Infractions to vacate Notre Dame's 2012 and 2013 football victories due to academic misconduct by several student-athletes," he began in a lengthy response. "Our concerns go beyond the particulars of our case and the record of two football seasons to the academic autonomy of our institutions, the integrity of college athletics and the ability of the NCAA to achieve its fundamental purpose." At the end of the 2017 season, Notre Dame was barely behind Michigan on the all-time winning percentage chart and could have passed the Wol- verines with a victory in this year's opener Sept. 1. Now, with the rejection, the Irish record drops to 885-324-42 (it had been listed with 906 wins) for a revised winning percentage of .7242, by our calculation. (Ties count as a half-win, so the 1,251 games would be divided into 906 — the 885 wins and the 21 half-wins for 906.) In NCAA parlance, "vacating" a victory is not the same as forfeiting one. It affects only the vic- tor, not the loser of the game. For example, USC had to vacate its last two wins in 2004 (and thereby the national title) and all 12 wins from the 2005 sea- son. However, that did not mean that its epic 34-31 win at Notre Dame in 2005 was now a "victory" for Notre Dame. The Irish remained 9-3 that year despite the loss to the Trojans. It counted neither as a win nor a "non-loss" for the Irish. The losing team retains the defeat. By our calculation, here is the breakdown. 1. Michigan: 943-339-36 — .7291 2. Boise State: 438-165-2 — .7256 3. Ohio State: 898-324-53 — .7251 4. Notre Dame: 885-324-42 — .7242 5. Alabama: 891-328-43 — .7231 6. Oklahoma: 884-323-53 — .7226 7. Texas: 898-366-33 — .7050 8. USC: 834-339-54 — .7017 A vacated win affects only the penalized team's season records, all-time records and the head coach's record. Thus, a team that was 9-4 during a season in which it fielded ineligible players — a la Notre Dame in 2013 — would have its record revised to 0-4. In- stead of his current 69-34 record, Brian Kelly's mark at Notre Dame now would be listed at 48-34. The above top eight includes vacated victories by several schools: • Ohio State had 12 victories vacated by the NCAA during the 2010 season. • Alabama had eight victories and one tie for- feited by the NCAA during the 1993 season, plus 21 victories vacated by the NCAA for the 2005-07 seasons. • USC had 14 victories vacated by the NCAA during the 2004 and 2005 seasons. NOTRE DAME HOSPITALITY INSPIRES GEORGIA Much is made about southern hospitality in the United States, yet last September it was the South that was amazed by Notre Dame's courtesy and congeniality. Approximately 30,000 Georgia faithful crammed into Notre Dame Stadium for its "Sea of Red" inside the edifice, but where the Fighting Irish were even more hospitable — "Notre Disney," as critics refer to it — was outside the gates. According to columnist Chip Towers of Georgia's "Dawg Nation," the Bull- dogs' 20-19 victory at Notre Dame last Sept. 9, a springboard toward finishing as national runner-up, has helped inspire the creation of the "Silver Dawgs." Among Notre Dame's "Guest Services Team," is a cadre of mainly green-jack- eted, retired personnel whose duties center on providing friendly hospitality to fans of visiting teams. They are deployed on home weekends around campus to assist on anything from directions to restrooms to sightseeing information and historical data. They will also take them to various spots on campus in golf carts. Retired University of Georgia plant biology professor William Barstow, an emeritus athletic board member, now is attempting to assemble similar person- nel in Athens by the start of the 2018 season. "I'm sure we'll learn a lot in the first year," Barstow told Towers. "But the goal is to be better than Notre Dame by the time they come here in 2019." The Fighting Irish play at Sanford Stadium on Sept. 21, 2019. Maybe this time it's Georgia that can "play nice" off the field while Notre Dame wins on the visiting turf. The Bulldogs' game at Notre Dame last September — which saw approxi- mately 30,000 red-clad fans make the trip — has spawned the creation of a hospitality team at UGA's Sanford Stadium. PHOTO BY ANGELA DRISKELL NCAA Denies Notre Dame Appeal; 21 Victories In 2012-13 Vacated Notre Dame president Rev. John Jenkins C.S.C. (left), shown with director of athletics Jack Swarbrick and head coach Brian Kelly, was highly critical of the NCAA denying Notre Dame's appeal. PHOTO BY BILL PANZICA