Tag Archives: blue and gold

Six Notre Dame players make pre-season awards lists

by
All-american LB Manti Te’o

No fewer than six Notre Dame Fighting Irish players have made the annual awards listings for the forthcoming 2012 season.

By far the best chance for any potential winners for Notre Dame and the prestigious awards, are those who were highly considered last season.

For Notre Dame, those individuals are All-American’s LB Manti Te’o and TE Tyler Eifert.

Te’o is back for his senior year when many believed he would opt to join the professional ranks of the NFL last season.

The 6’2″ 255 lbs MLB currently ranks as the eight all time leading tackler for the Fighting Irish with 324, has made the watch lists for the best defensive player in the nation, Chuck Bednarik Award and the Bronco Nagurski Award, along with fellow senior Kapron Lewis-Moore.

Eifert continues a rich tradition and legacy at Notre Dame for producing some of the top calibre tight ends in the sport.

Eifert is hot favourite to win the John Mackey Award for the nations best tight end.

He is the only tight end in the country to make the Maxwell Award watch list and is joined on the list by fellow Fighting Irish, RB Cierre Wood.

Offensive linemen Zack Martin and Braxston Cave made the Outland Award watch list for the best interior lineman, with Cave also getting notables in the Dave Rimington Award for the best center in the country.

Jason is owner and author of godcountrynotredame.me and writes for both IrishCentral and domersportsreport You can find Jason on twitter at @jayomahony

Potential tie-in to Orange Bowl for Notre Dame?

by
Photo USA Today

The ACC and the Orange Bowl Committee have reached a 12-year agreement that will annually feature the ACC Champion in the Discover Orange Bowl.

The game will be moved from its night time slot to be played on New Year’s Day at 1:00 pm beginning after the 2014 season, with the official opponent tie-in still to be determined.

It is widely rumored that a special deal may be made to Notre Dame in a bid to provide the Fighting Irish with a more stable bowl game “home”, if the Irish meet certain W/L criteria.

“The ACC and Discover Orange Bowl have a terrific relationship and, as we look ahead to the future of postseason college football, this will further an already beneficial partnership for both organizations, said ACC commissioner John Swofford.

“The Discover Orange Bowl has a rich history of prestige, is located within the league’s footprint and is a great destination for our student-athletes, alumni and fans. In addition to our continued partnership, we are very pleased to be playing annually on New Year’s Day.”

The new playoff system in 2014 has the Orange Bowl hosting four semi-final games within a 12 year stretch, and says in those years, its champion will play in one of the three other host bowls.

If the ACC champion makes the playoffs, another ACC team will play in the Orange Bowl to face either an “at-large” or a 9 win Notre Dame outfit.

The Fighting Irish have played in no fewer than five Orange bowl’s and have played a large part in making the Orange Bowl what it is today.

The ACC is now the fifth power conference to announce a tie with a bowl game that expects to be part of the pool of six bowls from which two semifinal sites will rotate.

The Big 12 and Southeastern Conference are creating the Champions Bowl, while the Big Ten and Pac-12 are both committed to the Rose Bowl.

Jason is owner and author of godcountrynotredame.me and writes for both IrishCentral and domersportsreport You can find Jason on twitter at @jayomahony