Revised season prediction - bye week

[koonja]

Sitting at a LOVELY 4-0 after the first third of the season. Bye week allows the guys to rest up and re-focus on the upcoming, middle of the season schedule which looks like it won't get any easier. This schedule is brutal, and IMO, the bye week couldn't have come at a better time, coming off of two emotional wins.

I expect to beat Miami.

After that it's 3 very challenging weeks in a row. Starting with #8 Stanford, BYU, and #16 Oklahoma. 2 of the 3 are home, and I'd be happy to win 2 of those 3 games.

So IMO, we're sitting 7-1, 4 weeks from now.

Then it's the last third of the schedule, and if there was a soft-spot in the schedule, it'd be the end.

Should be favored heavily against Pitt, BC, and Wake. Sprinkle in the USC game, and I'd be happy if we went 3-1 through that stretch.

Optimistic = 10-2.

Realistic = 9-3. Still think that unless we get rolling offensively, we lose at least one game we should be favored in. And 9-3 is pretty damn good.

 

[OrlaNDomer]

I would say after starting 4-0 anything less than 9-3 would be a disappointment, 10-2 would be right on par (and probably get us a BCS game), 11-1 would be outstanding (and be just on the outside looking in at the NC game), and 12-0 would be unreal (and almost automatically a spot in the NC game).

 

[RallySonsOfND]

We goin' undefeated boys!!!! 12-0. National Title Game.


Calling it here right now.

And yes I'm drinking green kool-aid (mountain dew) at the moment.







GO IRISH!

 

[koonja]

I think if through this bye week BK gets the offense rolling, 10-2 is very realistic. But we haven't seen anything to believe that it will, so I'm more than happy with 9-3.

 

[BurningRiver]

I agree with the above post. Anything worse than 9-3 would be disappointing, and I might actually be disappointed with that, too. Although, given the fact that we thought this year would be a bit of a rebuild before our true BCS runs would start in 2013, I'd take 9-3.

And with our schedule, we'd get a BCS game. And we'd deserve it too.

 

[clashmore_jon]

13-0

 

[Rack Em]

Optimistic = 10-2.

Realistic = 9-3. Still think that unless we get rolling offensively, we lose at least one game we should be favored in. And 9-3 is pretty damn good.

I agree completely. Let's not lose sight of the forest through the trees if we do end up 9-3. We just lost Michael Floyd and Harrison Smith to the draft. Plus Slaughter, Wood, and Collinsworth are done for the year. And we're breaking in a new QB.

5 weeks ago, if someone told me we'd finish 9-3, I would have laughed...hard.

 

[koonja]

We have 3 teams on our schedule that are better than everyone we just played. We need the QB(s) to step it up, or we're going to have the box heavily stacked by season's end. I hope Golson gets a lot of film work in over the break. This offense will be very good when he gets the hang of D1 football.

 

[clashmore_jon]

I think if through this bye week BK gets the offense rolling, 10-2 is very realistic. But we haven't seen anything to believe that it will, so I'm more than happy with 9-3.

Quote from BK: "We've played very good defense, we haven't played as well offensively yet. I think that's going to come" (source: Coach Kelly Press Conference Transcript - After Michigan - UND.COM - University of Notre Dame Official Athletic Site)

BK wouldn't lie to us. Thus my above 13-0 prediction. Our offense rolls and we start putting up 1 TD per quarter and sprinkle in a FG here and there and I like us over any team in the country. Especially now that we have the Tommy Rees ultraslowsneak trick play.

 

[irishff1014]

Quote from BK: "We've played very good defense, we haven't played as well offensively yet. I think that's going to come" (source: Coach Kelly Press Conference Transcript - After Michigan - UND.COM - University of Notre Dame Official Athletic Site)

BK wouldn't lie to us. Thus my above 13-0 prediction. Our offense rolls and we start putting up 1 TD per quarter and sprinkle in a FG here and there and I like us over any team in the country. Especially now that we have the Tommy Rees ultraslowsneak trick play.

13-0 is drinking way to much kool aid bud.

 

[Kak7304]

Quote from BK: "We've played very good defense, we haven't played as well offensively yet. I think that's going to come" (source: Coach Kelly Press Conference Transcript - After Michigan - UND.COM - University of Notre Dame Official Athletic Site)

BK wouldn't lie to us. Thus my above 13-0 prediction. Our offense rolls and we start putting up 1 TD per quarter and sprinkle in a FG here and there and I like us over any team in the country. Especially now that we have the Tommy Rees ultraslowsneak trick play.

It's effective because the defense can't even tell he's moving.

 

[Downinthebend]

Undefeated National Championship

 

[rocket66]

A lot of guys were holding off on drinking the kool-aid until after the Michigan game. Any new drinkers taking a sip?

I know I am. We have a BCS-level defense and I'm confident we will get the offense to start clicking, starting with the Miami game. The early part of the season didn't lend our young qb much leniency for learning on the job since 3 of the first 4 games came against solid defenses.

Agreed that the bye week couldn't have come at a better time. I'm predicting 11-1 and obviously a BCS game.

 

[Kak7304]

Undefeated National Championship

I think the real question at this point, is how many in a row?

 

[greyhammer90]

Still trying to stay away from the Koolaid. (Koolaid for me means potential national title.) Oklahoma is my moment, we win that and I will start to believe in my gut.

 

[PerthDomer]

Win the next 2 and we're all but guaranteed a BCS trip... to get me to pick NC winning I need to see Golson get a ton better.

 

[Bubba]

Still trying to stay away from the Koolaid. (Koolaid for me means potential national title.) Oklahoma is my moment, we win that and I will start to believe in my gut.

With the loss to KSU, I fear that if we beat OU, everyone will just say OU wasn't as good as we thought.

 

[clashmore_jon]

I think the real question at this point, is how many in a row?

well they only allow one per year...and brian kelly is what, like 50 years old? so maybe about 25-30 in a row?

 

[woolybug25]

I am an eternal optimist, but I will be pretty nervous in every game we play until I see us beat a team that plays lights out against us.

I don't think that is going to happen very often because I truly believe that we have an elite defense, that being said, even elite defenses get tested by somebody. I want to see our offense respond in a game where our defense needs their help.

 

[GreatGolson]

10-2 (Stanford and SC expose our young DBs, offense cant take advantage of oppurtunites) Gives us a birth in the Fiesta Bowl against WV or Tex (both beatable)

 

[PerthDomer]

Sugar picks first, they'd take us. ND vs. SEC #2. Win and the media will be on our Jock all off season. We start out #2 to Bama and 2013 is the NC year! Also Teo takes back picks vs. Stanford OU and SC. Heisman for Teo this year and Golson next. Then the rapture happens.

 

[Kak7304]

If ND goes undefeated and the world does end this December, I'm going to be pissed.

 

[Buster Bluth]

6-6 = WTF HAPPENED?!
7-5 = Pretty pissed
8-4 = content, slightly disappointed
9-3 = expected right now
10-2 = immensely happy
11-1 = uncontrollable excitement
12-0 = perpetual orgasms

 

[ulukinatme]

If ND goes undefeated and the world does end this December, I'm going to be pissed.

That would be our luck

 

[greyhammer90]

With the loss to KSU, I fear that if we beat OU, everyone will just say OU wasn't as good as we thought.

I couldn't give a **** about the media. If we're 8-0 they will be sitting in our lap

 

[philipm31]

With the loss to KSU, I fear that if we beat OU, everyone will just say OU wasn't as good as we thought.

Yeah, but win that game on the road and then the Irish can take that confidence from that road win to USC for the biggest game at USC in ten years.

GO IRISH!!

 

[RallySonsOfND]

I couldn't give a **** about the media. If we're 8-0 they will be sitting in our lap

More like giving us a lap dance. haha

 

[notredomer23]

6-6 = WTF HAPPENED?!
7-5 = Pretty pissed
8-4 = content, slightly disappointed
9-3 = expected right now
10-2 = immensely happy
11-1 = uncontrollable excitement
12-0 = perpetual orgasms

Pretty much this.

I wouldn't accept 6-6 though. 6-6 after this start and Kelly deserves to go.
I am WTF Happened at 7-5,
8-4= Really pissed. That means we dropped a game we shouldn't.
9-3= Content
10-2= What we should win
11-1= Uncontrollable excitement
12-0= eternal orgasms. seriously.

I will be fine at 9-3. That means we won the games we should, lost the games we should. 8-4 would mean we lose to a team that we are clearly better than. I still think we go 10-2 though beating one of USC, Stanford, Oklahoma

 

[North Buffalo Irish]

6-6 = WTF HAPPENED?!
7-5 = Pretty pissed
8-4 = content, slightly disappointed
9-3 = expected right now
10-2 = immensely happy
11-1 = uncontrollable excitement
12-0 = perpetual orgasms

What about 4-8 and 5-7?

It all starts with Miami. Notre Dame has become accustomed to losing games that they should win. There are three marquee games coming up, but I am almost more interested in the other five games. We should beat Miami, BYU, Pitt, BC and Wake. Do that, and you are playing with house money against Stanford, OU and USC.

If we can beat Miami comfortably, with the offense doing it's fair share... then start lining the bar with Kool-Aid shots. I will remain reserved over these next two weeks, and continue to take in the majesty of the college football season as the Irish are at the forefront of the national discussion

 

[BurningRiver]

Win the next 2 and we're all but guaranteed a BCS trip... to get me to pick NC winning I need to see Golson get a ton better.

I wouldn't necessarily say that. Yes, to be undefeated halfway through the season with wins over Stanford, Michigan, and MSU would be attractive to a BCS committee, but Oklahoma and Southern Cal could easily drop us. Throw in a WTF loss that could very well happen, and we could easily be looking at 3 losses.

A 9-3 ND team would look attractive on the surface, but in this what-have-you-done-for-me-lately world of College Football, hell would have to freeze over for any team to make it to a BCS bowl after going 3-3 in its final 6. All the time two 11-1 teams are separated by the fact that team A lost in week 1, while team B lost week 12 and is snubbed from a better bowl because the loss is fresh in everyones' minds.