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Everyone Wants A Piece Of March Madness, Including College Football Fans

It’s that time of year when college basketball fans think they have died and went to heaven, while college football fans try to blow the whole thing up... again.

PGA: PGA Championship - Practice Round Green Bay Press Gazette-USA TODAY Sports

Now that Selection Sunday is over and fans of the Notre Dame Fighting Irish have put “buy drywall repair kit” on their “to-do list” for Monday, we can all start to look forward to The Big Dance, March Madness, or quite simply... the NCAA Tournament.

Printable Bracket

You need one. Some of you need many. Click here for a printable PDF version of the NCAA bracket, or use the image below.

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Notre Dame Starts The Round of 64

The Irish got a bad seed, but the draw was actually quite good. Irish fans won’t have to wait long to watch this team play as Notre Dame is the first game scheduled in the Round of 64. We have start times, stations, and announcing crews for your pleasure.

Matt Farrell is probably happy Allie LaForce will be in Buffalo.
Bro Bible

TV Schedule For Round of 64

Game Date Tip Time (ET) Network Site Commentators
Game Date Tip Time (ET) Network Site Commentators
Notre Dame Fighting Irish vs. Princeton Tigers March 16 12:15 p.m. CBS Buffalo Verne Lundquist / Jim Spanarkel / Allie LaForce
Virginia Cavaliers vs. UNC Wilmington Seahawks March 16 12:40 p.m. truTV Orlando Ian Eagle / Steve Lavin / Evan Washburn
Butler Bulldogs vs. Winthrop Eagles March 16 1:30 p.m. TNT Milwaukee Carter Blackburn / Mike Gminski / Debbie Antonelli / Lisa Byington
Gonzaga Bulldogs vs. South Dakota State Jackrabbits March 16 2 p.m. TBS Salt Lake City Andrew Catalon / Steve Lappas / Jamie Erdahl
West Virginia Mountaineers vs. Bucknell Bison March 16 Approx. 2:45 CBS Buffalo Verne Lundquist / Jim Spanarkel / Allie LaForce
Florida Gators vs. East Tennessee State Buccaneers March 16 Approx. 3 p.m. truTV Orlando Ian Eagle / Steve Lavin / Evan Washburn
Minnesota Golden Gophers vs. Middle Tennessee Blue Raiders March 16 Approx. 4 p.m. TNT Milwaukee Carter Blackburn / Mike Gminski / Debbie Antonelli / Lisa Byington
Northwestern Wildcats vs. Vanderbilt Commodores March 16 Approx. 4:30 p.m. TBS Salt Lake City Andrew Catalon / Steve Lappas / Jamie Erdahl
Maryland Terrapins vs. Xavier Musketeers March 16 6:50 p.m. TNT Orlando Ian Eagle / Steve Lavin / Evan Washburn
Villanova Wildcats vs. Mt. St. Mary's/New Orleans March 16 7:10 p.m. CBS Buffalo Verne Lundquist / Jim Spanarkel / Allie LaForce
Saint Mary's Gaels vs. VCU Rams March 16 7:20 p.m. truTV Salt Lake City Andrew Catalon / Steve Lappas / Jamie Erdahl
Purdue Boilermakers vs. Vermont Catamounts March 16 7:27 p.m. TBS Milwaukee Carter Blackburn / Mike Gminski / Debbie Antonelli / Lisa Byington
Florida State Seminoles vs. Florida Gulf Coast Eagles March 16 Approx. 9:20 p.m. TNT Orlando Ian Eagle / Steve Lavin / Evan Washburn
Wisconsin Badgers vs. Virginia Tech Hokies March 16 Approx. 9:40 p.m. CBS Buffalo Verne Lundquist / Jim Spanarkel / Allie LaForce
Arizona Wildcats vs. North Dakota March 16 Approx. 9:50 p.m. TBS Salt Lake City Andrew Catalon / Steve Lappas / Jamie Erdahl
Iowa State Cyclones vs. Nevada Wolf Pack March 16 Approx. 9:57 p.m. truTV Milwaukee Carter Blackburn / Mike Gminski / Debbie Antonelli / Lisa Byington
Michigan Wolverines vs. Oklahoma State Cowboys March 17 12:15 p.m. CBS Indianapolis Jim Nantz / Grant Hill / Bill Raftery / Tracy Wolfson
Baylor Bears vs. New Mexico State Aggies March 17 12:40 p.m. truTV Tulsa Kevin Harlan / Reggie Miller / Dan Bonner / Dana Jacobson
Arkansas Razorbacks vs. Seton Hall Pirates March 17 1:30 p.m. TNT Greenville Brian Anderson / Chris Webber / Lewis Johnson
Oregon Ducks vs. Iona Gaels March 17 2 p.m. TBS Sacramento Spero Dedes / Steve Smith / Len Elmore / Ros Gold-Onwude
Louisville Cardinals vs. Jacksonville State Gamecocks March 17 Approx. 2:45 CBS Indianapolis Jim Nantz / Grant Hill / Bill Raftery / Tracy Wolfson
SMU Mustangs vs. Providence Friars/USC Trojans March 17 Approx. 3 p.m. truTV Tulsa Kevin Harlan / Reggie Miller / Dan Bonner / Dana Jacobson
North Carolina Tar Heels vs. Texas Southern Tigers March 17 Approx. 4 p.m. TNT Greenville Brian Anderson / Chris Webber / Lewis Johnson
Creighton Bluejays vs. Rhode Island Rams March 17 Approx. 4:30 p.m. TBS Sacramento Spero Dedes / Steve Smith / Len Elmore / Ros Gold-Onwude
Kansas Jayhawks vs. NC Central/UC Davis March 17 6:50 p.m. TNT Tulsa Kevin Harlan / Reggie Miller / Dan Bonner / Dana Jacobson
Dayton Flyers vs. Wichita State Shockers March 17 7:10 p.m. CBS Indianapolis Jim Nantz / Grant Hill / Bill Raftery / Tracy Wolfson
Duke Blue Devils vs. Troy Trojans March 17 7:20 p.m. truTV Greenville Brian Anderson / Chris Webber / Lewis Johnson
Cincinnati Bearcats vs. Kansas St. Wildcats/Wake Forest Demon Deacons March 17 7:27 p.m. TBS Sacramento Spero Dedes / Steve Smith / Len Elmore / Ros Gold-Onwude
Miami Hurricanes vs. Michigan State Spartans March 17 Approx. 9:20 p.m. TNT Tulsa Kevin Harlan / Reggie Miller / Dan Bonner / Dana Jacobson
Kentucky Wildcats vs. Northern Kentucky Norse March 17 Approx. 9:40 p.m. CBS Indianapolis Jim Nantz / Grant Hill / Bill Raftery / Tracy Wolfson
South Carolina Gamecocks vs. Marquette Golden Eagles March 17 Approx. 9:50 p.m. TBS Greenville Brian Anderson / Chris Webber / Lewis Johnson
UCLA Bruins vs. Kent State Golden Flashes March 17 Approx. 9:57 p.m. truTV Sacramento Spero Dedes / Steve Smith / Len Elmore / Ros Gold-Onwude
Christopher Novak

Do You Need A Challenge?

So much of this information is being repeated. Why? Because once the tournament starts, you can’t really get in on all of this fun and be respectable. So, be respectable. Join the OFD Bracket Challenge. It’s for that timeless Notre Dame prize of glory. You know the one... we are always returning to it.

UNDefeated As A 5

I’m sure this info is in a lot of places, but since it’s something I didn’t know, I’ll link Tom Noie’s piece on Notre Dame’s Selection Sunday.

Notre Dame is a 5 for the first time since 2008 and fourth time in school history. The Irish are 3-0 as a 5 seed in NCAA openers. They went to the Sweet 16 as a 5 in 2003.

Yes, College Football Wants A Piece Of This Too

The calls for a college football playoff are old and varying in one degree or another. Some hate the 4 team format because they want an 8 team playoff- or even a 16 team playoff. People that want a 32 team playoff aren’t people, they are lizard people sent here to destroy our way of life in the most covert of ways. They are also responsible for the Kardashians and Bravo. It all makes sense now- doesn’t it?

In that spirit, Bleacher Report put together a 16 team format to remake the 2016 season. To make a long story short, the final result was the same. Clemson wins and nothing really changes other than the amount of money between hands.

A couple of things to think about here:

  • There is no way of knowing how other games played would affect the games already played. Translation: Would Clemson still beat Alabama if they had to play a couple of games first? Maybe.
  • The seeding wasn’t done by ranking alone. It included adjustments for all sorts of things like match-ups and geography.

All in all, I can’t think of any reason to expand the 4 team format other than it makes more money. We get it, March Madness is NUTS and there is so much action both on the court and within banking accounts to make college football jealous. However... a cash grab is all it would be. Football ain’t basketball, and the FBS ain’t the FCS. We pretty much know what we have with the top 5 schools. Number five will just have to do better next year.

Lastly, the regular season that we all love and worship above any regular season played anywhere would be cheapened and watered down for a bid. Don’t screw with that.