The SEC Is the Gold Standard in CFB

[koonja]

But I think we should schedule at least one game per year with them. Last night validated everything people say about ND not being able to compete in the SEC, but if we play a game with them in-season (aka, not 30+ days to plan) I know a BK led team can compete with them. Say what you want about schedules, the SEC has won 7 straight titles.

IMO, we should 'lighten' our schedule by taking 3/4 'good' (aka, MSU, Michigan, Stanford when they come back to earth) and add a few 'weak' teams and one SEC team.

Thoughts?

 

[ThePiombino]

But I think we should schedule at least one game per year with them. Last night validated everything people say about ND not being able to compete in the SEC, but if we play a game with them in-season (aka, not 30+ days to plan) I know a BK led team can compete with them. Say what you want about schedules, the SEC has won 7 straight titles.

IMO, we should 'lighten' our schedule by taking 3/4 'good' (aka, MSU, Michigan, Stanford when they come back to earth) and add a few 'weak' teams and one SEC team.

Thoughts?

Didn't you just say in another thread that you WEREN'T saying we should schedule them every year? Hmmm...

 

[koonja]

Didn't you just say in another thread that you WEREN'T saying we should schedule them every year? Hmmm...

No, we should. And that's what I said in whatever thread you're talking about. If I said we shouldn't schedule ONE per year, I misspoke.

 

[ThePiombino]

No, we should. And that's what I said in whatever thread you're talking about. If I said we shouldn't schedule ONE per year, I misspoke.

Guess I misread. Apologies.

 

[Whiskeyjack]

Thoughts?

• 'Bama != SEC. The Tide are simply on another level right now. Until we improve our overall talent level and depth, scheduling them in the regular season (or any of the inferior SEC teams) will do nothing to help us.
  
• We won't play FCS teams, so it's not so easy to "lighten" our schedule. Not to mention that no one wants to watch us play Temple or a directional Michigan school.
  
• Our schedule was tough enough this year, even with the B1G schools being weak. What happens when Michigan, MSU and USC bounce back? What if Stanford doesn't "come back down to earth"?

As I said in the other thread, you seem to be buying the SEC propaganda, and it's giving you an inferiority complex. Public perception won't mean much once the selection committee is choosing who makes the playoff.

 

[irishff1014]

The question is do they want to schedule a game on ND. The only Sec teams you want to Play are Bama, LSU, Florida, Georgia. They may not want to schedule us.

 

[Irish YJ]

Here's what I said back in Sept12. Got beat up for it.

Skimmed through. A lot of folks talking about not having enough easy games. My thoughts... if we are the team we need to be.... the following games should be easy for us.....

Navy 99% of the time
Purdue 90% of the time
BC 90% of the time
Duke 100% of the time
Virginia 90% of the time.

Even Miami is a cupcake this year so far.

By shear number of ACC teams, no one team will be on the schedule every year, let alone 2 (assuming each team will play ND every 3 years)

As I see it, the ACC has 4 teams that have been, or could be top tier... FSU, Miami, Clemson, and VT. The rest... Mid and low level.

I'd love to see in no particular oder accept I'd like to see the easier games up front...

1. Navy
2. Big10 1 - Purdue/Indian Rotating
3. Big10 2 - UM/MichSt Rotating
4. ACC 1 - FSU/Miami Rotating
5. ACC 2 - GT/Clemson/VT
6. ACC 3 - Syr/Duke/BC
7. ACC 4 - Mar/NC/NCSt
8. ACC 5 - Pit/Vir/WF
9. USC
10. Big 12
11. SEC
12. At large (BYU, other Pac12, Big E, ?)

 

[phork]

No one can compete with Alabama. As long as Nick Saban is there the only thing stopping Alabama from winning 5 in a row, or more, is Alabama.

Playing SEC teams is not going to help. Its Alabama, then everyone else. I never expected to win this game, deep in my heart I knew our depth sucked, we haven't played on this stage in 25 years and Alabama is a juggernaut. I did, however, expect to see a respectable game. Outside of the 2 bad calls by the refs we were force fed Chitlins & pickled pigs feet from the second the ball was kicked off.

 

[BleedBlue&Gold]

Didn't you just say in another thread that you WEREN'T saying we should schedule them every year? Hmmm...

That was me, and maybe one per year is not the answer, maybe its every 3, what ever the case, what Michigan did is not a bad idea, schedule an SEC team in a big venue, jus a thought.

 

[HereComeTheIrish]

But I think we should schedule at least one game per year with them. Last night validated everything people say about ND not being able to compete in the SEC, but if we play a game with them in-season (aka, not 30+ days to plan) I know a BK led team can compete with them. Say what you want about schedules, the SEC has won 7 straight titles.

IMO, we should 'lighten' our schedule by taking 3/4 'good' (aka, MSU, Michigan, Stanford when they come back to earth) and add a few 'weak' teams and one SEC team.

Thoughts?

Last night didn't prove anything other than we ran into a buzz saw, also known as the best College Football Program of the last 5 years. We could have/would have beaten any other team in the SEC. To say that the SEC is the best because they won the big game is just silly. Personally, I was pretty unimpressed with the SEC this season as a whole.

Take it for what it's worth.

 

[IlovethehireofCoachKelly]

This is a pretty gay thread. I almost vomited in my mouth.

 

[OrlaNDomer]

I'd like to see us get some SEC schools on the schedule over the next few years. Not necessarily 1 every year, but they would make for exciting games. I'd much rather watch us play Vandy than Temple or BYU. I think aTm would be a really cool home and away (and give us a game in a recruiting territory we other wise wouldn't play in).

 

[Redbar]

This is a pretty gay thread. I almost vomited in my mouth.

My sentiments exactly. They are certainly NOT the Mecca of college football. Maybe the Mecca of football teams affiliated with a university. Sad part is, their success will only encourage more schools to allow their football teams to operate more like a program housed by the university rather than integrated students who excel at the sport of football.

 

[Canton_Irish]

Playing a top tier SEC team would be good for us. Alabama is obviously the cream of the crop and while I do not buy into the SEC as a whole is unbeatable the fact is that Alabama is always challenged or beaten by LSU, UF, and Georgia.

The problem is that UF will never travel to ND. They simply do not play up north. LSU would be the most likely of the desirable opponents, but they aren't going to give up a cupcake game to play a top 10 Irish squad.

I think we need to do something with the schedule otherwise we are stuck hoping the ACC suddenly becomes respectable. Our B1G schedule next year isn't going to be anymore impressive than it was this year either IMO.

 

[Buster Bluth]

• 'Bama != SEC. The Tide are simply on another level right now. Until we improve our overall talent level and depth, scheduling them in the regular season (or any of the inferior SEC teams) will do nothing to help us.
  
• We won't play FCS teams, so it's not so easy to "lighten" our schedule. Not to mention that no one wants to watch us play Temple or a directional Michigan school.
  
• Our schedule was tough enough this year, even with the B1G schools being weak. What happens when Michigan, MSU and USC bounce back? What if Stanford doesn't "come back down to earth"?

As I said in the other thread, you seem to be buying the SEC propaganda, and it's giving you an inferiority complex. Public perception won't mean much once the selection committee is choosing who makes the playoff.

Choo Choo! The Logic Train is rollin'.

 

[irishtrain]

The question is do they want to schedule a game on ND. The only Sec teams you want to Play are Bama, LSU, Florida, Georgia. They may not want to schedule us.

First of all you will not get them to come in cold weather and for me personally I would try to schedule one of those 4 for the sake of telling a recruit you'll get a chance to measure yourself against them. If it were me I'd try for Alabama. If you ever want to win it all you cant avoid 'em so why not try to schedule them. Problem is they only want the game as the lid lifter not in November. I'll take this one more step and shock all of you guys. Maybe the conference to join would be the sec if your going to play by the same standars as the sec. If not then you cant be in that conference keeping present standards. The difference is the players not Brian Kelly or Lou Saban. (Love calling him Lou)

 

[ALLGATOR]

kuehnja I think you are overreacting to this loss now. BK just needs to recruit better players. All this we need to play an SEC team is BS. I look at ND's schedule next year and ask myself where is the loss? ND has the perfect schedule right now. ND is not playing many dominate teams IMO but at the same time the schedule is hard enough to get you in the playoffs when that starts in a few years.

 

[arrowryan]

kuehnja I think you are overreacting to this loss now. BK just needs to recruit better players. All this we need to play an SEC team is BS. I look at ND's schedule next year and ask myself where is the loss? ND has the perfect schedule right now. ND is not playing many dominate teams IMO but at the same time the schedule is hard enough to get you in the playoffs when that starts in a few years.

Which he is doing

 

[ALLGATOR]

Which he is doing

I agree this years class is a step in the right direction he needs to bring in more elite DL though

 

[Irish YJ]

Bama is not on another level compared to rest of the SEC. This is also a down year for them. They lost to TAMU, went to the wire with UGA and LSU. SC is also climbing into that top teir. HCTI, to say that we'd beat any other team in the SEC... well, I love ya buddy, but you're wrong. There are several easy answers here. Bigger, stronger, faster, deeper. Not rocket science. Throw in outcoached, and boom, the mystery is revealed.

I attend at least 6 SEC games a year. They are not perfect, but they are the best conference. And I hate it (I do like the Vols). We are recruiting size, speed, and stregnth. But we have a few years to go before we aquire similar depth. We will get there. At that time, it comes down to coaching and development.

IMHO, playing the SEC once a year, or every few years does help. We always say competition (internally) drives improvement. Why not externally.

We had a great season. We won every regular season game. Aside from talent, learning how to win is half the battle. Being self aware is the other half. We all are now very aware of who we are, and what we need to do. That's the positive.

 

[koonja]

Yes, Bama is in their own world right now. But scheduling beatable SEC teams would do us favors, imo. You can't tell me Tennessee, South Carolina, even Georgia wouldn't give ND more credit nation wide. If we schedule a SEC team every year and win 2/3, people can't use the 'you avoid the SEC' argument against us.

 

[Irish YJ]

I'd love to see UT, UGA, Vandy, and KY on the schedule.

 

[irishff1014]

I'd love to see UT, UGA, Vandy, and KY on the schedule.

Other the UGA none of those other schools do anything for us.

 

[Irish YJ]

Other the UGA none of those other schools do anything for us.

About as much as Navy, Wake, Purdue, Maryland, BC, I can go on.

 

[chicago51]

For the most part ND at least recently seems to want to play schools that are come close to them academically. ND and Standford are on the same level. Of the rest of the teams MSU, UM, Purdue, Wake Forest, Boston College, and Pitt are strong academically. Miami despite the criminal reputation is better than people think. Only school I'm not sure about is Oklahoma.

One interesting thing about SEC scheduling is they rarely take on anyone outside of SEC terf. Out of conference games and bowls are always at warm weather neutral sites. Common SEC play ND, Ohio State, or Oregon on the road in late October, early November. The week before rivalry week all the SEC schools pretty much played FCS teams. Why not replace them SEC with a home and homes teams from up north or out west? You afraid SEC?

 

[NDohio]

I completely agree.

A few have stated that 'Bama is the SEC or that 'Bama is on another plane. Well, they did lose. And they were taken to the final seconds in 2 other games. How were those teams able to do that and we were not? Experience. Plain and simple. I do not believe that GA or LSU is better than ND. I believe they knew what to expect because of their experience.

Our guys took bad angles Monday night. They were not ready for the speed of the 'Bama players and I believe that is the biggest advantage that the SEC has over all other conferences - speed. They weren't bigger than us. They didn't really push us around. We missed many of our tackles because we reacted just a skosh later than we needed to.

Gaining experience on what to expect from the SEC speed is how we will be better prepared when we break the SEC run on national titles. Monday was a good start. Our recruiting class is another step. Playing against speed will only enhance that.

 

[ND NYC]

can anyone find out the ENTIRE SEC bowl record over last say 5 yrs?

 

[kmoose]

I agree this years class is a step in the right direction he needs to bring in more elite DL though

Why?

 

[FLDomer]

Why?

I hope this is being sarcastic. We DO need more depth at Dline after next year we will probably be losing two studs and beyond them we need more depth so has not to have a significant drop off when rotating bodies. I think Jones, Rochelle, Day..., can be studs but depth is crucial to keep fresh legs in the game.

 

[chicago51]

I dare any SEC school to schedule a home and home series with a northern state school later in the year. Play a Notre Dame, Ohio State, or Oregon on the road just once in November.

Almost all the bowl games are on SEC terf and they never play anyone got of conference on the road.