Mold Remediation in South Bend, IN

Notre Dame football's College Football Playoff chances looked bleak following a Week 2 loss to Northern Illinois in a paid game; however, the Fighting Irish have responded well.

Notre Dame is expected to be among the teams in the newly expanded 12-team CFP field when the first rankings go live on ESPN's reveal show at 7 p.m. ET on Tuesday. It will be the first of six ranking reveals, with the final telling fans the 2024 College Football Playoff field.

According to ESPN's College Football Power Index, the Irish ― led by quarterback Riley Leonard and coach Marcus Freeman ― have a 56.7% chance of making the College Football Playoff, edging out Alabama (55.7%) and trailing BYU (57.5%).

Notre Dame's regular season schedule includes one more major test: a matchup against undefeated and No. 19 Army at No. 23.

Here's what to know on how to watch Tuesday's CFP rankings release show, including where Notre Dame is currently projected and more:

Watch first CFP rankings release show live with Fubo (free trial)

What channel are CFP rankings today?

ESPN will broadcast the College Football Playoff rankings reveal nationally on Tuesday at 7 p.m. ET. It can also be streamed on the ESPN app (by logging in with your TV provider credentials) or on Fubo, which carries the ESPN family of networks and offers a free trial to new subscribers.

When do College Football playoff rankings release?

The first of the six CFP rankings will be released on Tuesday, Nov. 5.

College Football Playoff rankings schedule

Here's a look at the complete list of when all six College Football Playoff rankings will be released:

All times Eastern

*The second College Football Playoff rankings will be unveiled between games at the Champions Classic.

What time is CFP rankings?

The first set of College Football Playoff rankings reveal shows will start Tuesday at 7 p.m. ET.

Notre Dame football CFP rankings projection

If Penn State football wins its remaining regular-season games, it is highly expected to be in the 12-team CFP field.

Here's a look at where some college football analyst has Penn State ranked in their CFP rankings leading into Tuesday:

USA TODAY: No. 9 seed

Blake Toppemeyer: "The Irish’s soft schedule should prevent them from being ranked much higher, but the committee can point to wins against Texas A&M and Louisville to justify this ranking."

ESPN: No. 10 seed

Heather Dinch: " Notre Dame got a lot of help during its bye week when Iowa State, Kansas State, Clemson and Texas A&M all lost. The loss to Northern Illinois is still holding the Irish back some, but the committee will recognize their improvement -- particularly on offense -- since that day. The Irish dominated Navy, but the committee would respect a neutral-site win against a team that was previously undefeated."

ESPN Staff

All of the ESPN college football experts have Notre Dame in their playoff field; however, where they fall depends on the analyst. Andrea Adelson and Kyle Bonagura each have the Fighting Irish as high as an eighth seed, while Harry Lyles Jr. and David Hale have Notre Dame as a No. 11 seed.

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SOUTH BEND — Pick one.

Can’t do it. Won't do it.

Highlighting what play Notre Dame women’s basketball guard/magician Olivia Miles made Monday that made you sit up straight and say no way is like picking which of your children you like best.

It’s impossible.

Then again, so was Miles in her first official college basketball game in nearly two years.

Complete coverage:Notre Dame women's basketball: Complete coverage of the 2024-25 season

Think about that. All those long days and nights of not being able to do what she may love most to do. Play basketball. Dribble a basketball. Get a teammate the basketball. Leave all your cares at the arena door and go be free. That’s basketball for Miles.

Think of something that gives you joy. Maybe it’s your kids. Or grandkids. Or your job. Something that puts a smile on your face. That puts happiness in your heart. Gives you a sense of overwhelming satisfaction.

That’s basketball for Miles, who played her first official college basketball game in 617 days on Monday. That’s a lot of hours of hoping and praying that she could maybe play basketball again. A lot of hours of seemingly endless rehab. Of sweat. Of tears. Of the unknown. Of motivation that she would step on the basketball court again and do what she did Monday. Run. Jump. Dribble. Score. Play.

Miles is back playing college basketball, and college basketball is better for it.

Injuries update:Who's in, who's out for No. 5 Notre Dame women's basketball opener?

The junior from Phillipsburg, New Jersey finished with 20 points, 10 rebounds and 10 assists, her fourth triple double of her career in a 105-61 win over Mercyhurst.

As for that triple double, Miles made it happen. Literally. Knowing it was Miles’ first game back, team videographer Ben Dismuke demanded in the run-up to this one that was never close only that she go and get a triple double. No pressure there, kid.

“I was like, ‘All right. Let me try,’” Miles said. “It’s awesome to kind of see those meaningless words at the time come to fruition and then experience that with my teammates.

“It was special.”

This one means more, in part because Miles probably feared that she’d never get the chance to score, to rebound, to pass, to play. Shredding your right knee as Miles did in Louisville on Feb. 26, 2023, and there must be doubt.

There was doubt, but that doubt was dominated by determination. She would be back. She would play. She would be ... better? Miles sure looked it Monday in logging 32 minutes before departing with 4:40 left in the fourth quarter and giving her head coach a double high-five.

Welcome back, Liv.

Livin’ right.

“Phenomenal game,” Irish head coach Niele Ivey said of one of her two starting point guards. “Made some spectacular passes. Really amazing to watch.”

Amazing. Awesome. Unbelievable. Pick a word to describe what cannot be described.

Watching Miles with the ball in her hands speeding down the floor and weighing her options just feels right. Again. Look, there she goes again surveying the entire scene. A maestro orchestrating everything. She sees her point guard buddy Hannah Hidalgo drifting to the far corner in front of the Mercyhurst bench, where she could likely shoot an uncontested 3. Get her the ball, Liv. Get it to her now. It’ll be a bucket.

Ah, but Miles had other ideas. She saw Hidalgo, but she also saw Pittsburgh transfer Liatu King slicing toward the hoop. With no Mercyhurst player on the roster taller than 5-foot-11 (seriously), there was only one option for Miles. One place to go with the ball.

Miles looked at Hidalgo — looked right at her! — while at the same time zipping a pass the other direction for King for another layup. That play allowed even Ivey, standing over there on the sideline, to smile. We saw it, Coach!

Later in the first half, when she had already entered serious triple-double territory, Miles was again on the move. Ball in her hands. Options being sorted. Another no-look pass. Another King bucket. The game’s not supposed to be that easy.

King’s going to score a lot and do a lot for the Irish this season. Likely on the receiving end of plenty of passes from Miles.

“Man, it’s really exciting,” King said of teaming with Miles. “I joke with Liv, like, sometimes I don’t even know when she’s going to throw the ball. Just always be prepared because she is a selfless point guard.”

There also were hesitation dribbles and scoop layups. One left-handed in the first half. One right-handed in the second. Early second half, one possession after hitting the underside of the rim off a back cut, Miles drove the lane, showed the ball to a defender, took it back and finished a layup and free throw.

Just another day (or night) at the office.

Finally — we'll stop after this one, promise — late clock in the third quarter, Miles looked up to caluclate time and space and everything else. She dribbled between her legs once. Then twice. She called off a King ball screen. It was too early. When the time was right, she called King back, then was gone. Down the lane and by her defender again for a left-handed scoop layup to close the quarter.

Pick one of those? See? Can’t do it. Won’t do it. For Miles, for the Irish, it’s all about playing with a certain freedom that comes from Ivey. Like go play the way you play.

“She understands that we have the best guards in the country,” Miles said of Ivey. “She trusts us to run her offense. I know what she wants and how she wants offense run. She allows us to be creative at the same time.”

Always. On Monday, Miles just played. She looked not the Miles of old, but the Miles of new. Miles 2.0 if you will.

As for the calendar, it lied a little. Notre Dame’s season didn’t really start Monday. It may not start with Sunday’s visit to Purdue. Boiler up? Boiler down! It may not start with next week’s home game against James Madison. Jimmy doesn’t stand a chance.

It may not start until that November 23 visit to No. 3 USC. That’s already circled. That’s when this will get good. Hollywood good. Everything until then will be window dressing. Until that day out in LA, it will be about fine-tuning an already tuned offense. It will be about getting some more stops. It will be about getting healthy. Seven available players? Ugh.

It will be about biding time until the nation’s No. 5 team can look — and feel — like one. As long as Miles is a part of all of it. Again.

Follow South Bend Tribune and NDInsider columnist Tom Noie on Twitter: @tnoieNDI

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SOUTH BEND — South Bend residents will be heading to the polls on Nov. 5 to vote on four seats on the South Bend Community School Corp. (SBCSC) board — two at-large seats voted voted on by all South Bend residents and two district ones, for which only residents of specific areas are eligible to vote. Only Districts 3 and 4 are up for election this year.

Not sure which SBCSC school board district you live in? Here's a list of the precincts for each district; you can find your precinct code by searching for your polling place.

District 1

District 1 is currently represented by Kate Lee and is not up for election this year. The district is in central and eastern South Bend.

District 1 includes the following precincts:

District 2

District 2 is currently represented by Mark Costello and is not up for election this year. The district is in southern South Bend.

District 2 includes the following precincts:

District 3

The District 3 seat is up for election this year; board member Leslie Wesley, who currently holds the position, is not seeking reelection. Candidates Catrina Baker and Bill Sniadecki are competing for the seat.

Who is running?Two candidates seek open District 3 seat on South Bend school board

District 3 encompasses north and west South Bend. There is also a small portion of District 3 near Maple Road and Prairie Avenue that is surrounded by District 4.

District 3 includes the following precincts:

District 4

The District 4 seat is up for election this year, as incumbent Stephanie Ball seeks to retain her seat against competitors Carlos Leyva and Annette Malone.

Who is running?6 at-large candidates seek 2 seats on South Bend school board

District 4 is located in central South Bend. There is also a small portion of District 3 near Maple Road and Prairie Avenue that is not part of District 4.

District 4 includes the following precincts:

District 5

District 5 is currently represented by Stuart Greene and is not up for election this year. The district is in northeast South Bend.

District 5 includes the following precincts:

At-large

Both at-large seats are up for election this year, and six candidates are vying for the two spots. At-large trustees serve a four-year term and do not have a specific district, instead representing the entire city of South Bend.

Who is running?6 at-large candidates seek 2 seats on South Bend school board

The terms for incumbents Jeanette McCullough and John Anella are up, although only McCullough is seeking reelection. She is challenged by candidates Marcus Ellison, George Jones, Gabrel Kempf and Lynn King.

Email South Bend Tribune education reporter Rayleigh Deaton at rdeaton@gannett.com.

SOUTH BEND ― Potawatomi Zoo has decided to remain open through Nov. 24 because of the warmer-than-usual forecast for the month.

“We wanted to give people a chance to see the zoo in November,” said Kristina Barroso Burrell, marketing and communications manager at the zoo, pointing out that the zoo has been closing at the end of October in recent years.

The milder forecast was an important factor in the decision as well as the plethora of new arrivals, including a baby giraffe that was born at the zoo on Oct. 13.

The baby giraffe isn’t allowed outside unless the temperature is above 60 degrees, but many of the zoo's animals are actually more active in cooler temperatures.

The zoo remains open daily from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. through Nov. 24. After that, it will move into its annual Gift of Lights event, which runs from 5 to 9 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays and from 5 to 8 p.m. Sundays from Nov. 29 through Dec. 22.

Need a break? Play the USA TODAY Daily Crossword Puzzle.

For more information, visit the zoo’s website or Facebook page.

SOUTH BEND − New college basketball season, old college basketball issues for the No. 5 Notre Dame women.

Those would be the injury issues. Health issues. Availability issues. As in, who’s in uniform and available and who’s on the sideline in a team-issued sweatsuit and may be back sometime in the future?

The latest ― 40 minutes prior to Monday’s season opener against Mercyhurst ― was transfer forward Liza Karlen and guard Sonia Citron. Both were not in uniform or going through the usual pre-game stretch routine.

That left Notre Dame with seven available scholarship players. The roster maximum in Division I is 15. At one point during warmups, the Irish had seven players on the court and five seated on the home bench.

2024-25 WOMEN'S HOOPS:Here are five things to know as Notre Dame prepares to open season

TOM NOIE ON NOTRE DAME:Women’s basketball begins a new era playing two lead point guards. Can it work?

Notre Dame won its exhibition game last week by 60 points despite having only seven players available. That included Karlen, a transfer from Marquette, who played 14-plus minutes before limping off with an apparent left foot/ankle issue.

Karlen was wearing a gray walking boot on her left foot and dribbling a basketball while seated courtside during warmups.

Citron and Emma Risch were held out of the exhibition for precautionary health reasons. Risch played in seven games last season before undergoing season-ending hip surgery. She was in uniform on Monday.

The Irish already are without KK Bransford (lower leg), Kylee Watson (Knee) and Maddy Westbeld (left foot) because of injuries. Bransford is not expected to play this season. Watson may not play this season (a return date from offseason surgery from the knee surgery suffered in March has not been established), while Westbeld hopes to be back for the start of Atlantic Coast Conference play, which ramps up in early January.

Monday started a stretch of four games over the first 14 days of the regular season for Notre Dame. The Irish will then get five days off before their first marquee matchup of non-conference play, a Nov. 23 game at No. 3 USC.

Follow South Bend Tribune and NDInsider columnist Tom Noie on Twitter: @tnoieNDI