ND QB Ian Book returning for 5th year
December 30th, 2019 at 12:20 AM ^
insert "fields isn't book returning because his classes are all online" joke
December 30th, 2019 at 12:46 AM ^
Lame.
December 30th, 2019 at 12:28 AM ^
To hell with Notre Dame.
December 30th, 2019 at 12:32 AM ^
This is really the only necessary response.
December 30th, 2019 at 10:24 AM ^
Unless he gets 13 years of eligibility, who cares?
December 30th, 2019 at 12:59 PM ^
I don't care if he gets 20 years.
December 30th, 2019 at 8:14 AM ^
this is the way
December 30th, 2019 at 12:40 AM ^
The NFL’s limited interest probably made that decision for him. That or I underestimated the lure of sticking around for one more season to see if Brian Kelly will turn full-Grimace.
December 30th, 2019 at 6:52 AM ^
Yes, we all want to see the 50 shades of purple.
December 30th, 2019 at 9:23 AM ^
I don't really know that one more year in college is going to make that much difference for Book, NFL-wise. At this point in your career, you kind of are what you are.
He's not a bad QB by any stretch. He's fine, and he led them to 11 wins this year. Nothing to scoff at. But he's not going to be the guy that gets you to the national championship. Much less win it.
December 30th, 2019 at 12:40 PM ^
ND is a perennial 8 win team in either the SEC or Big10. Everyone seems to know that by now.
December 30th, 2019 at 2:30 PM ^
I'm guessing most LSU fans said the same about Joe Burrow last year.
December 30th, 2019 at 9:48 AM ^
I hate BK's Lamest as much as the next guy, but this is good for ND. People will be talking about them as NC contender.
December 30th, 2019 at 1:00 PM ^
No they really won't, at least not seriously, unless those people live in South Bend.
December 30th, 2019 at 12:41 AM ^
Not sure if ND fans are happy about this. Their offense found a groove after the Michigan and VT game, but it seems like their opinion of Book was equivalent to people’s opinions of Patterson here - he’s fine, but not a difference maker.
December 30th, 2019 at 8:22 AM ^
Sometimes "fine" is good enough. They won 11 games this year - not every year will be better than that.
December 30th, 2019 at 10:56 AM ^
But they never beat anyone good! ND plays a weak schedule that may be more difficult when USC is good. ND is one of the former strong programs that fell apart in the 80s, came back for a few good years in the 90s but has been so/so for the past 20 years. I’m afraid our team is the same. We had a good run under Bo, Mo and Carr, then had dark years with RR and Hoke. Now we are back to being so/so under Harbaugh.
December 30th, 2019 at 11:09 AM ^
They play who they play, just like us. Yes our schedule is harder than theirs, but they played Georgia this year and it's not ND's fault that Georgia happened to be slightly down.
11 wins in a single season when you're playing P5 teams is impressive regardless of SOS. You might argue that ND has more variance than Michigan, which is true, but you can't really argue that they're similarly successful. They've been to two championship type games in the recent past while Harbaugh has won a single bowl game and gotten to 10 wins three times.
All that said, I'd be fine with UM going football independent too. We could probably still schedule our real rivals (OSU, ND, MSU, and Minnesota) plus a bunch of cupcakes and end up with a good SOS.
December 30th, 2019 at 3:14 PM ^
I don't think anyone cares about SOS. All that seems to matter is winning the big games on your schedule.
December 30th, 2019 at 1:15 AM ^
will this be the year he gives kelly an aneurysm
December 30th, 2019 at 1:24 AM ^
Not sure, but if he wins 10 games next year, he'll leave as their all-time winningest quarterback. That's something, at least.
December 30th, 2019 at 7:18 AM ^
Their schedule is pretty easy again next year. Should be 8-0 before they play Clemson. Only decent opponent is Wisconsin before that, @USC afterward.
December 30th, 2019 at 1:24 AM ^
Does ND want to turn the page? Or write a new chapter?
December 30th, 2019 at 3:30 AM ^
December 30th, 2019 at 8:48 AM ^
We'll see if they have a spine. The ink is not dry yet so let's bookmark this page and look at it again next year.
December 30th, 2019 at 8:54 AM ^
Book's audios leave a lot to be desired.
December 30th, 2019 at 3:37 PM ^
That's my read on it.
December 30th, 2019 at 2:55 PM ^
They’ll just have some tutors write the chapter for them
December 30th, 2019 at 1:26 AM ^
Too bad we're not playing them next year. He isn't...very good.
December 31st, 2019 at 2:59 PM ^
He would be starting for 85-90% of P5 teams.
December 30th, 2019 at 1:31 AM ^
Considering he’s not that good I hope he gets a 19th year so we can stomp him again.
December 30th, 2019 at 2:43 AM ^
I imagine he'll start the season. Then be replaced with a guy who has an identical skill set who lights the world on fire against Navy and Wake Forest or whatever. Then that QB struggles when they play Stanford and USC or whoever. Then Kelly yanks the younger QB for Ian Book for the next few games .... And finally they alternate every series for their bowl game. Notre Dame fans will then begin the process all over again when the young QB becomes the old QB in the following season, and a new young QB is named, subsequently broken by Kelly. Also, the RBs will average 9 yards a carry every game, but Kelly will still throw 2 out of every 3 plays.
December 30th, 2019 at 7:50 AM ^
Brian Kelly is responsible for the death of Declan Sullivan.
December 30th, 2019 at 8:38 AM ^
Wonder if they make a run at Costello
December 30th, 2019 at 11:29 AM ^
If I'm Costello, I try to start a bidding war between LSU and Bama, assuming Tua doesn't come back.
December 30th, 2019 at 1:02 PM ^
Would he have the academics to get in to either school?
/s
December 30th, 2019 at 9:03 AM ^
Lol enjoy the L. They gotta sit with it for the next 4,996 days until they get hammered at The Big House again in 2033.
December 30th, 2019 at 9:26 AM ^
Wonder what Kelly has lined up behind Book on the depth chart. I imagine a lot of ND fans want to see someone else get a chance. Book's not bad by any stretch, but he's not the difference-maker that gets them over the top.
Schedule does set up for them to probably grab 10-11 wins in the regular season next year, though. They'll get beat by Clemson, and the game against Wisconsin @Lambeau is probably a coin flip, but beyond that, they've got a bunch of creampuffs lining up to play them.
December 30th, 2019 at 10:01 AM ^
ND is a tough team to figure out. ND went 11-2, but their combined opponent record in wins was 69-66. ND's signature wins are UVA and Navy. UM is 9-3 with combined opponent record in wins of 56-56. UM's signature wins are Iowa and ND. UM could still add Alabama to that list, though it seems unlikely.
If UM had ND's schedule, I have no doubt UM would have finished 12-1, only losing to UGA. ND's 11-2 team seems a lot like Hoke's 11-2 season. Sure it was nice to have, but didn't really say much about how good that team actually was.
December 30th, 2019 at 11:34 AM ^
Yep, and a lot of ND fans like to harp on Michigan for not "getting to the big dance" and getting to sitting at the big boys playoff table. Like ND is a cut above.
Well gee, if the schedules were switched I can only imagine what the results would be. Michigan would regularly be winning 11 games with that schedule, sometimes even 12 if the ACC scheduling aligned w/o Clemson or FSU (they'll be back eventually) or some other monumental road game like going to Georgia.
ND would never even sniff the playoff with having to deal with PSU, MSU and OSU every year, and then Wisconsin 3-4 times every 10 years.
They'd be in the same boat we're in. A perennial 8-4 to 10-2 program.
December 30th, 2019 at 10:20 AM ^
Book is producing an epilogue.
December 30th, 2019 at 10:21 AM ^
Trying to figure out why I should care
December 30th, 2019 at 11:09 AM ^
Potentially good for Shea Patterson, I guess. Doesn't really affect us though.
December 30th, 2019 at 12:05 PM ^
To hell with ND.
We don't play ND again for more than a decade - who gives a F about Ian Book now?
December 30th, 2019 at 12:11 PM ^
Any news on the NC State QB situation? Whos coming back at punter for Boston College?
December 30th, 2019 at 12:38 PM ^
Inasmuch as we don’t play them for a decade or so, all ND news is somewhat irrelevant for the next several years. Not that I wouldn’t look forward to tales of imaginary girl friends.
December 30th, 2019 at 1:05 PM ^
I can't believe we're 40 comments deep and no one has said it yet, but...
information about teams we don't play for the next bajillion years should be labeled OT!
December 30th, 2019 at 1:26 PM ^
Where would he have gone? A Bulgarian experimental football league?
December 30th, 2019 at 1:43 PM ^
I think if the current format of the playoffs stays pat, ND is going to be forced to join a conference
They went 11-2 and played in the Camping Bowl or whatever. Their schedule every year is the perfect blend of opponents that are "so easy nobody cares" and "absurdly difficult they have no chance to win". Almost all of their historical rivals are down and they literally have to go undefeated every year if they want to make the playoffs. Even then, they'll get curb stomped if all past evidence is any indication. They're in football purgatory. Let's just hope the big ten doesn't help them out