IT’S ACADEMIC
Off- the- field issues at both school cast a pall over battle of unbeatens
When we last saw Notre Dame in a huge game, the Fighting Irish looked like tortoises racing hares that were late for a wild multiplication party.
Besides being much faster, Alabama also pushed Notre Dame around in the 2013 BCS title game, leaving ND with intense feelings of inadequacy after the 42- 14 blowout.
It was clear the Irish would have to start landing more- athletic recruits if they were serious about the whole “winning’’ thing.
And now here they are, about to confront big, bad Florida State on Saturday in a game that should give them a better idea of whether they’ve made any progress in . . . screeeeeeeeeeeeeeech.
That’s the sound of game talk coming to a halt. Why the squeal of brakes rather than the lovely buzz about a game? Let’s just say events have overtaken the matchup itself. No. 2 Florida State is still set to meet No. 5 Notre Dame, but more of the chatter is about who’s eligible and who’s not than about who’s going to stop whom on the field.
Florida State is investigating whether Seminoles quarterback Jameis Winston, last season’s Heisman Trophy winner, sold his autograph, which would be an NCAA violation. That’s on top of an ongoing sexual- assault case that’s almost two years old and not going away. Given Florida State’s feet- dragging in Winston’s criminal case, it’s hard to believe an autograph controversy will keep him off the field in Tallahassee, Florida. But that hasn’t stopped a national debate this week about whether college players should be paid and whether Winston is everything that’s wrong with college football.
Las Vegas bookmakers have stopped taking bets on the game because of his uncertain status.
Three Notre Dame players announced this week— of all weeks— that they will not be part of the team this season because of their involvement in an academic fraud scandal. Defensive end Ishaq Williams, wide receiver DaVaris Daniels and linebacker Kendall Moore are done for the year. So is cornerback Kei Varae Russell, who revealed his status last week. Another player involved in the investigation, safety Eilar Hardy, hasn’t disclosed his status.
The Manti Te’o fake- girlfriend story seems quaint now.
Clearly, Winston’s problems are bigger than some players allegedly cheating in South Bend, Indiana, but it’s always something with the Irish. Whether you love them or hate them, it’s always something. And this wouldn’t be Life As We Know It without one of the biggest college football games of the year clouded by off- field issues.
Notre Dame finds itself in a strange situation, an almost nowin situation. It needs Winston to play. It needs to find out how far it has come since that disastrous Alabama game in Miami. It doesn’t want to beat the Seminoles without their best player. It doesn’t want to get to the fourteam, horribly named College Football Playoff with an asterisk. There’s no accomplishment in that. There’s only ammo for the massive anti- ND crowd.
And Notre Dame will not be allowed to use its missing players as an excuse for losing to Florida State. Why not? Because they will look like whiners. Because they’ve been without those suspended players anyway. And because it’s not easy being the Irish. That’s part of the deal.
Just like in 2012, very few people in non- Notre Dame colors believe the Irish can beat a dominant team. The Seminoles were 10 ½ - point favorites over the Irish before Las Vegas took the game off the board because of Winston’s murky situation. There once again is the whiff of the Irish being impostors. Until they start scheduling tougher opponents, they’re going to face these kinds of national doubts whenever they have a good team.
But, for the moment, all of that has taken a backseat to the offfield issues with this game. Florida State football has wildly benefitted from having Winston at its school, but there’s no doubt that much of the conversation has had to do with seedier topics than foot speed or arm strength.
Former Heisman Trophy winner Bo Jackson said he has tried to offer Winston counsel.
“If I give you advice on something that I know more about than you by just falling out of bed in the morning, if you can’t take that advice and learn from it, then I’ve got nothing else to do with the situation,’’ he told “The Jim Rome Show.’’ “You’re on your own.”
You can bet the advice was to play football and stay out of trouble. Players at two schools could have used it.