Welcome to the Deadspin 25, a college football poll that strives to be more democratic and less useless than every other preseason poll. Leading up to the college football season kickoff, we will give you previews of the 25 teams that you, the readers, voted to be most worthy of writing about. Now, No. 15 Notre Dame. You guys are really going to make me preview Notre Dame, huh? Ya know, there used to be a time when a team like this being voted into the Deadspin 25 was an anomaly, not the norm. You were supposed to be better than the AP. For shame, readers. Head coach Brian Kelly is still a dick and has survived numerous hot-seat situations for nearing a decade, yet there he remains, steering the program. The Fighting Irish posted a 10-3 record in 2017, miles from where they found themselves in 2016, when the wheels started wobbling as they fell to 4-8. But everything was in order last year, with three signature, convincing wins against N.C. State, USC, and Michigan State and a one-point loss to Georgia proving that Notre Dame football, at least in 2017, was ready for its return to glory. The question now, for a fanbase more spoiled than most, is whether the Fighting Irish can string two successful seasons together and build toward what they had with Lou Holtz in the early ‘90s—it’s been 25 years since Notre Dame won 10 or more games in back-to-back seasons. Since Kelly’s arrived, they’ve had to go one or two years in between those kind of seasons. This year’s bunch, though, seems ready to break the streak. The 2018 offense will at least look somewhat similar to its 2017 counterpart, which is good news. Chip Long is in his second year as offensive coordinator, a tenure that so far has displayed Long’s love for airing it out and ability to adapt his offense when gifted a talented backfield. After two years running the show in South Bend, quarterback DeShone Kizer fucked up and got himself drafted by the Browns, in turn relinquishing the reins to Brandon Wimbush last season. In his redshirt junior year, Wimbush performed well enough to lock down this year’s starting spot before the offseason arrived, finishing with 1,870 yards and 16 scores through the air and another 804 yards and 14 touchdowns on the ground. He was an exciting player, especially when he decided to pull the ball down and take off, but Wimbush was also inconsistent with his arm, completing just 49.5 percent of his passes. Looking at who Wimbush has around him in 2018, he seems to have the necessary offensive weapons to improve on those numbers, but limited depth at the receiver position means he and his pass-catchers better have finished playing catch-up by opening kickoff. Equanimeous St. Brown, the leading wideout from 2017, is gone to the NFL. After (and before) a series of arrests, Kevin Stepherson was among four players kicked off the team in December ahead of the bowl game, so the Fighting Irish can kiss his 359 yards and five score goodbye as well. This leaves receiver Miles Boykin is the No. 1 target for Wimbush over the coming year. Boykin is not exactly a star, or at least not yet. Last year, he was fourth on the team in receiving yards with 253 and third in touchdowns with two, but he showed up in the postseason, earning MVP honors in the team’s bowl victory against LSU. If he can build off that performance, and if Long’s offense can channel its Memphis roots and get the ball to Boykin consistently, it’s clear the 6-foot-4 wideout is going to be a Problem. Chase Claypool will be a dependable target for Wimbush as well, after finishing last season with 402 yards and a couple of touchdowns. For those expecting the prolific running game trotted out last year to re-appear, 2018 might not be the best of years. For the first time in Notre Dame history, the Fighting Irish had two linemen selected in the first 10 picks of the NFL Draft. Not only will the left flank no longer be held down by Mike McGlinchey and Quenton Nelson, but offensive line coach Harry Hiestand left the program to coach for the Chicago Bears. And on top of all of that, star running back Josh Adams is gone. Dexter Williams will take over in the backfield, which is going to be a tall order given that he’s filling Josh Adams’s shoes. Maybe it’s because I’m an N.C. State fan, but Adams was a monster in the backfield, combining brute strength with enough speed to chew up 6.9 yards a pop. Williams will team with Tony Jones Jr. to try and replace Adams’s 1,430 yards and nine scores. The duo went for 592 yards and seven scores last year, and in his 39 attempts, Williams proved he could gash defenses as well, averaging 9.2 yards per rush. Issues arise with the position’s depth: running backs Deon McIntosh and C.J. Holmes were kicked off the team in December along with Stepherson, and Williams is possibly going to miss four games at the outset of the season because of some weird and vague disciplinary reasons Kelly hasn’t explained. Kelly pulled the same stunt last year when he benched Stepherson for the opening four games, but wouldn’t discuss the suspension with the media. Luckily for Notre Dame, the questions are mostly answered on the other side of the field. Clark Lea is running the defense now, having been promoted after Mike Elko left for Texas A&M, and last year’s linebackers coach has a few things going for him in his first year steering the ship. To start, he returns nearly the entire secondary after a year in which they allowed more than 250 yards through the air just three times, and still won all three of those games. This season, they might get even better thanks to Navy transfer Alohi Gilman. After a great spring, Gilman was bumped to the top of the safety depth chart, right alongside senior Nick Coleman—he’s going to have to earn his field time, though, with Devin Studstill and Jalen Elliot on his heels. The corners are led by standout Julian Love, whose 23 defended passes ranked second in the nation in 2017. Up front, Jerry Tillery will take on a new position after sliding from nose tackle to 3-technique (the other defensive tackle) and lead the linemen. Behind him, Te’von Coney and Drue Tranquill are returning to South Bend, which is amazing news for this defense considering they lost Nyles Morgan and Greer Martini this offseason. Whereas Morgan and Martini ranked second and fourth on the team in tackles in 2017, Coney and Tranquill were No. 1 and No. 3, respectively. A Guy To Know Making Brandon Wimbush the guy to know is a bit risky, considering it’s still not a lock that he’ll be the starter all season long—on the first offensive series of the second quarter in Notre Dame’s bowl game against LSU, the Fighting Irish coaches pulled Wimbush in favor of Ian Book, who led them to a 20-17 victory. Through the spring, the pair shared snaps, with both reporters and coaches unsure of who was going to get the nod. Then, the spring game arrived and Wimbush pulled ahead once again. As I mentioned before, Wimbush is an extremely entertaining player—watch some of the runs and off-balance throws he makes in the above clip. But a highlight reel is never adequately representative. Wimbush is not nearly as accurate as he should be, nor was he consistent week-to-week. Hoping to fix these issues, he spent the offseason working on his mechanics (he has a bit of a baseball player’s windup, where he dips the ball low and stretches his arm back for zippier throws.) It’s a big “if,” but if those concerns are addressed and his coaches believe in him, Wimbush, with his whip of an arm and ground game, very well could be one of the most exciting quarterbacks around. The Assistant Coach Tweet Of The Day He posts these every single day. Can They Make They Playoff? Yes, Notre Dame can make the playoff, and of the teams in that conversation, they are among the only ones balancing on a razor’s edge at both receiver and running back. Wimbush has promise, but promise has to be turned into a season’s worth of productive play to mean anything, and his 2017 outing was not quite good enough to make me believe he carry the team for a full season, or even the opening four games without Williams. The defense is there and the offensive starters potentially have the requirements for a lethal attack. But the playoff dreams are founded on the expectation that multiple players who were backups last year will fully form into premier college football stars—this is Notre Dame, and that’s what they’re supposed to do, but that doesn’t mean there won’t be a couple of bumps. With this group, Notre Dame should aim for the playoff but be content if they can get that elusive consecutive 10-win season. Schedule Aug. 31: Michigan Sept. 8: Ball State Sept. 15: Vanderbilt Sept. 22: @ Wake Forest Sept. 29: Stanford Oct. 6: @ Virginia Tech Oct. 13: Pitt Oct. 27: Navy (Neutral) Nov. 3: @ Northwestern Nov. 10: Florida State Nov. 17: Syracuse Nov. 24: @ USC Relatedlegal football betting sitesnfl play offs bettingncaa football bettingbetting nbaall mlb betting siteslegit nhl betting sitesbetting on major league baseballtop betting sites for soccerbetting sites for copa america
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The Italian Football Federation announced on Thursday that manager Roberto Donadoni would be relieved of his duties, to be replaced by former manager Marcello Lippi.
Lippi, who resigned after leading the Azzurri to glory in the 2006 World Cup, takes over a squad that was knocked out on penalties in the quarter-finals of a less-than-impressive Euro 2008 campaign.
Donadoni had been criticized for his choice of players during the tournament and met with federation president Giancarlo Abete to discuss the move.
Lippi will sign a contract that will run through the 2010 World Cup in South Africa, and his first match will be a friendly with Austria in August. Qualifying for the World Cup starts on September 6.
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Captain Iker Casillas says Spain will take to the field against Germany in Sunday s Euro 2008 final with only one objective in mind to end their 44-year title famine.
We have the chance to break this horrible statistic for Spain, we haven t won an international title for a long time (since Euro 64).
We went close 24 years ago (when losing in the 1984 final to France) but didn t succeed. Now we re in this final and winning it is important, he said here Saturday.
The Real Madrid keeper, speaking at the pre-match press conference at the Ernst Happel stadium, says he ll be dreaming of lifting the trophy on Sunday night.
To dream is free! But only one captain can lift the Cup, let s hope that s me.
Casillas put Spain s impressive run to their da…
Central Coast Mariners will host Macarthur in a home A-League elimination-final next weekend after beating Western United 2-0 following Brisbane Roar s defeat to Sydney FC.
Brisbane were beaten 2-0 by second-placed Sydney in their final match of the regular season at Moreton Daily Stadium on Saturday.
Goals from Kosta Barbarouses and Harry Van der Saag opened the door for the Mariners to move above the Roar and take third place, an opportunity they grabbed with both hands.
Jack Clisby struck in the first half and Marco Urena sealed the victory in stoppage time at Central Coast Stadium.
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Next Saturday. Mark it in your calendar.
: Tickets for the Elimination Finals and Semi-Final will be available to Club Members from Monday, June…
Tottenham striker Jermain Defoe is delighted to make England s Euro 2012 squad despite not being a regular starter for his club this season.
Despite playing back-up to Emanuel Adebayor and Rafael van der Vaart for the majority of the campaign, the diminutive striker plundered an impressive 11 Premier League goals in just 11 starts.
The 29-year-old said his impressive goalscoring record this season is due to extra training that he put in last pre-season, on the recommendation of good friend and former Arsenal striker Ian Wright.
I m delighted because I knew last summer I had a massive season coming up, Defoe told Tottenham s official website.
I worked hard on my fitness to be as sharp as possible and I think that work has paid off.
Defoe was a …
Augsburg defender Philipp Max is honoured to be linked with a move to Borussia Dortmund.
The 25-year-old has been touted as a possible target for title challengers Dortmund, who are believed to be in the market for a new left-back.
Max, under contract with Augsburg until 2022, admits he may have to move away from the WWK Arena to further his career.
Asked specifically about the links with BVB, Max told Sport1: Not just my name was mentioned in this context, but also 10 other players.
One deserved card for Philipp !
— FC Augsburg English (@FCA_World)
I am very far from saying that there is anything to report. But BVB is a very big club and I m honoured, of course.
In my first season at Augsburg I played in the Europa Lea…
Reported Manchester City target Aymeric Laporte is available to face Eibar on Friday, Athletic Bilbao coach Jose Angel Ziganda has confirmed.
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I count on Aymeric for tomorrow, Ziganda told reporters on Thursday. Without the injured players we will do our last training and we will give the call-up.
We have to face this kind of news, but the important thing is the match of tomorrow.
Aymeric is available to train he is calm.
Lapo…
Japan coach Alberto Zaccheroni has called for an improvement in concentration ahead of Friday s international friendly against Zambia.
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Bayern Munich forward Thomas Mueller says he is not using last season s Champions League failure as motivation to win this season.
Bayern Munich forward Thomas Mueller says he is not using last season s Champions League failure as motivation to win this season.
Chelsea beat the Bavarians in a penalty shoot-out at their own stadium, the Allianz Arena, in the 2011/12 European final.
Jupp Heynckes men face Arsenal in the Champions League last 16 on Tuesday in the first leg away from home, but Mueller said last season s loss was not a primary motivator.
I do not care for revenge, the Germany international told Kicker. I just want to win this thing, as quickly as possible.
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The Premier League is back once again this weekend as continue on through the always-crazy month of December. There are so many teams up and down the top flight who are in desperate need of some points on the board now that we re in the midst of the busy winter schedule, mainly because momentum can be such a vital piece of the puzzle during this time of the year. Today, we re going to be taking a look at what could be a thrilling encounter: Leeds United vs West Ham United.
Leeds
The Marcelo Bielsa era is still going strong in Yorkshire and while there have been a few bumps in the road, they re still giving off the impression of a team that could force their way into the top half of the table. They ve stood toe …
Marcos Llorente s development at Atletico Madrid does not come as a surprise to Zinedine Zidane, whose Real Madrid players will have to be wary of his potential impact in Saturday s derby.
Madrid host neighbours and LaLiga leaders Atletico at Estadio Alfredo Di Stefano with Diego Simeone s men holding a one-point advantage over Real Sociedad at the top of the table.
The defending champions are five points further back having already lost three games in 2020-21.
Key to Atletico s unbeaten start has been the form of Llorente, who has four goals and two assists in the league. He has featured in every game, making six starts.
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