Could hype and expectations lead to disappointing seasons?

[Rudy89]

I first want to say I don't mean to bother anyone with this thread and mean no disrespect if you feel differently. Some seasons that I feel were disappointments you may feel were a good year and I'm not trying to say you're wrong. I was thinking the other day that for the last 10 years every year we have had some kind of hype or expectations has usually made for the year after to be a disappointment ( I know we are ND and there will always be some hype and a certain expectation for this team but please hear me out).

2003 we had a good record our first season under Ty and I can remember some people thinking we were in for another good year (myself included I was young and just started playing football myself so I didn't overanalyze everything like I do now) we ended up going 5-7 and having a terrible year.

2006 we look great after Charlie's first year we come off a BCS season and we are ranked #2 to start the year then we get destroyed by Michigan at home, despite them being good memories for me as a fan it takes miracles to beat two teams we should've handled very well, our biggest rival dominates us, and we are humiliated in the Sugar Bowl by LSU even though it was a year where we went to the BCS it was really a disappointment we didn't really improve much at all.

2009 we come off Clausen looking great in the Hawaii Bowl and getting the bowl losing streak monkey off our backs, start the season ranked, then we have the worst November I can remember as an Irish fan and it leads to our coach getting fired.

2011 we come off a big four game win streak to end last season including beating USC we come out at home and get upset by a lowly USF team, lost a heartbreaker against Michigan, get smacked in the mouth at home against USC, and lose another heartbreaker in the bowl against FSU. This one may be disagreed with because I know a lot of people felt we had a good year that year despite the losses but I feel that 2011 was a let down.

I'm not trying to be a negative guy even though my past on this board may make it seem like I am. I also know we have a long way to go before the season begins but with a great year despite the whopping in the title game and with the talk that we may be back to being contenders year in and year out like OU, Oregon, etc do you think that we are still going to follow this trend and have a year next year that doesn't live up to our expectations or do you feel confident that Kelly has turned this program around to where we won't have to worry about that anymore

 

[chicago51]

If by a dissappointing year ND goes 10-2 instead of 12-0 then yes it is possible that we could be dissappointed.

I personally though hardely consider 10-2 to be a dissappointment. With most people everything is realtive to expectations. I personally though could expect 11-1 or 12-0 and still be satisfied with 10-2. I do want win ND to at least win 1 BCS game before they end the BCS though.

 

[RallySonsOfND]

I would just like to get back to winning 10+ on a yearly basis. With a few NC years sprinkled in

 

[tommyIRISH23]

No, unless that hope is smoke and mirrors. In 06 and 09 we had some serious flaws in our defense that were a result from ****-poor players management from the coaching staff. We had absolutley no balance to our team, and certainly no foundation.

Sure, we probably overachieved this year, but BK has been building a solid foundation for a few years now. We dont have any glaring weakness in our team and we are seeing the beginnings of the ND team reloading instead of rebuilding.

The hope is real. The foundation is built. We will be in the BCS/Playoff discussion consistently in the future. We are nowhere near where Kelly wants us to be, just wait and see how much more efficient next years team is than this years. We're going to be pleasently surprised.

Go Irish

 

[johnnykillz]

Damn strong points.

It just goes to show, that we are afraid of recent history moreso than optimistic about historical runs.

 

[Irish#1]

I first want to say I don't mean to bother anyone with this thread and mean no disrespect if you feel differently. Some seasons that I feel were disappointments you may feel were a good year and I'm not trying to say you're wrong. I was thinking the other day that for the last 10 years every year we have had some kind of hype or expectations has usually made for the year after to be a disappointment ( I know we are ND and there will always be some hype and a certain expectation for this team but please hear me out).

2003 we had a good record our first season under Ty and I can remember some people thinking we were in for another good year (myself included I was young and just started playing football myself so I didn't overanalyze everything like I do now) we ended up going 5-7 and having a terrible year.

2006 we look great after Charlie's first year we come off a BCS season and we are ranked #2 to start the year then we get destroyed by Michigan at home, despite them being good memories for me as a fan it takes miracles to beat two teams we should've handled very well, our biggest rival dominates us, and we are humiliated in the Sugar Bowl by LSU even though it was a year where we went to the BCS it was really a disappointment we didn't really improve much at all.

2009 we come off Clausen looking great in the Hawaii Bowl and getting the bowl losing streak monkey off our backs, start the season ranked, then we have the worst November I can remember as an Irish fan and it leads to our coach getting fired.

2011 we come off a big four game win streak to end last season including beating USC we come out at home and get upset by a lowly USF team, lost a heartbreaker against Michigan, get smacked in the mouth at home against USC, and lose another heartbreaker in the bowl against FSU. This one may be disagreed with because I know a lot of people felt we had a good year that year despite the losses but I feel that 2011 was a let down.

I'm not trying to be a negative guy even though my past on this board may make it seem like I am. I also know we have a long way to go before the season begins but with a great year despite the whopping in the title game and with the talk that we may be back to being contenders year in and year out like OU, Oregon, etc do you think that we are still going to follow this trend and have a year next year that doesn't live up to our expectations or do you feel confident that Kelly has turned this program around to where we won't have to worry about that anymore

The difference in those years and now is that we have a coach.

 

[stlnd01]

I agree that we're stronger and deeper now than we were in '06 or '04 or '09. But it's generally true that in the post-Holtz era, we've tended to have our best years when no one was expecting it.
Hopefully that era is over.

 

[Kak7304]

I agree that we're stronger and deeper now than we were in '06 or '04 or '09. But it's generally true that in the post-Holtz era, we've tended to have our best years when no one was expecting it.
Hopefully that era is over.

I'm confident that it is. The difference between Kelly and the other coaches is he came in and focused on building a program rather than winning ASAP. We finally have depth and are continually improving with outstanding recruiting classes. We are again nearing the point of reloading rather than rebuilding.

 

[BurningRiver]

I don't know man. I just feel like this team is different. Built on a very solid foundation, excellent coaching staff, perfect balance of veterans and young players. It just feels like this season was the start of something giant.

 

[D-BOE34]

BK is a different breed. However, how the team comes out next year could surprise us. I think the OP is on to something. Not speaking from him but all of my history is what he stated. Who is not to say at some point in off season BK calls GK the starter and we start 0-2? I mean, with ND, sh!t gets crazy. I don't see BK doing that without GREAT GREAT judgement. As an ND fan Since TW last year, I do have some worry.

On that note, I am with the guy that said several 10+ win seasons would be great. When we went 8 wins back to back and had a chance to do it for a 3rd year, I was stoked!!! BK has it together. Just hope he keeps it together and I sure as hell think he will.

Don't hate me but.... IF, BIG IF, we go BCS bowling and not to the NC, I hope we meet tOSU and smoke them D BAGS!!!!

 

[Jerry]

I think the difference between ND and the rest of the country is the front loaded schedule. We have UM, MSU and Oklahoma all before the end of Septembe next season. People will downplay those programs all they want but even in off years they are 10x tougher than W. Carolina. There is something about losing early in CFB that stamps overrated/disappointment on a team and ND's schedule sets up for them to lose early on a regular basis.

If we don't go undefeated through the early part of the schedule it will be a letdown but hopefully this team won't fold down the stretch like some of those other teams of the past. The program has more depth now if Golson can really take over and lead this team next year they could be right back in the mix for the NC.

 

[IrishBlood81]

I think the main and most important reason this season will be different is because of coaching staff, period. What it seems like they have instilled into this team is something that I did not see in previous years.
Its a mindset and attitude of fundamental hard work, playing for each other, no entitlement, play for 4 whole quarters and doing whatever it takes to win.

But, yes, this year will prove it. There is no reason they should not have 9 wins or more.
Consistence is the substance I crave and is the only such which will satisfy me.

 

[eNDzone]

We went 12-0 in the season with some major flaws. The staff knows the flaws and have already started to work on them, through recruiting and developement. I am confident that the team will return stronger. Whether the win\loss record shows that is another question.

 

[BobD]

Think about it. The past is completely irrelevant to our future performance.

 

[ulukinatme]

I think we will have a good season next year, but I don't see us going undefeated. There will be some replacements on the O-Line, some defensive replacements, and a younger backfield. Also, I expect teams that were down like Michigan State and USC to be better than they were this year as there was young talent there that will be improved. Thats not to say we won't improve in some areas as well, but I think there will be more potential with those teams that were rebuilding. I think the future is bright with this new recruiting class coming in, but they're freshman and most of them will need 1-2 years before they'll be contributing. I'm thinking 10-2 with losses to Stanford, USC, and/or Michigan.

 

[NDohio]

I want ND to win 9-12 games on a regular basis, play in BCS Bowls, and have a NCG opportunity every 4 years. The key to all of this is the foundation that BK has poured through recruiting. The last four coaches had their winning seasons then didn't continue to build the team the way BK and his staff is. There was some talent brought in but the way this staff focuses on all aspects of the team makes me feel good that we will not have the BIG letdown like we have in previous years.

 

[RDU Irish]

I will never take a double digit win season for granted. Anyone who does needs to be forced to live in a hole with only the 1995 - 2010 seasons to watch in loop for eternity. We have the cupboard well stocked for continued success as the summary below will show.

Per rivals -
2013 we have 3 - 5*, 13 - 4* and 6 - 3*
2012 we had 1 - 5*, 8 - 4*, 7 - 3* and one 2*
2011 we had 2 - 5*, 8 - 4*, 12 - 3* and one 2*
2010 we had 10 - 4* and 12 - 3* commits
2009 we had 1 - 5*, 9 - 4*, 5 - 3* and 3 - 2*

OK so what. Well go back further and we did not have the horses.
2006 we had 2, 8, 15, 1 (5*, 4*, 3*, 2*)
2005 we had 0, 2, 11, 2 (Joey Hiben and DJ Hord as the 4* "studs" of that class)
2004 we had 0, 2, 8, 6 (Junior Jabbie and Anthony Vernaglia as 4*s)
2003 we had 1, 6, 13, 1
2002 we had 0, 12, 4, 2

Judging by the lowest common denominator - the 2002-05 classes had ELEVEN two star scholarship athletes on the team while the 2010-13 classes have a total of TWO. Kickers and long snappers are pretty much the only two star athletes to brag about, which is exactly what we brought on in 2011 and 2012.

What about the highest common denominators? 2002-2005 had ONE 5* and 22 4*s, 2010-2013 has SIX 5*s and 39 4*s. Those are some Chef Boyardee ingredients versus Wolfgang Puck!

Oh, and we aren't done yet with this recruiting class. Oh, and we went undefeated regular season without the 2013 class that is far more highly ranked than the previous four classes.

 

[Jerry]

Think about it. The past is completely irrelevant to our future performance.

I agree and I think the future is bright. I think as far as 10 win seasons go we should be in the ballpark every year going forward. But as far as disappointing the fan base I think our schedule sets up for early season losses more than anyone else in the nation.

 

[irishtrinity]

I predicted a 11-1 season this yr. So again i say 10+ wins based on the players we have now. The future is so bright at ND now. Were winning we proved we can best the best at everything so now we have that SWAG back with the younger guys.

 

[IrishinTN]

Could nuclear hot buffalo wings give me explosive diarrhea? Yes, but I don't worry about it. I just enjoy the wings. I must say, if we get to a point where I start getting disappointed with 10 win seasons it is far better than the disappointment I've been feeling for most of the last 20 years.

Do I expect them to start winning 10 consistently? Yes. But I'm not going to start worrying about what it takes to disappoint me. I'm just going to enjoy the wins.

 

[Seanthornton]

I first want to say I don't mean to bother anyone with this thread and mean no disrespect if you feel differently. Some seasons that I feel were disappointments you may feel were a good year and I'm not trying to say you're wrong. I was thinking the other day that for the last 10 years every year we have had some kind of hype or expectations has usually made for the year after to be a disappointment ( I know we are ND and there will always be some hype and a certain expectation for this team but please hear me out).

2003 we had a good record our first season under Ty and I can remember some people thinking we were in for another good year (myself included I was young and just started playing football myself so I didn't overanalyze everything like I do now) we ended up going 5-7 and having a terrible year.

2006 we look great after Charlie's first year we come off a BCS season and we are ranked #2 to start the year then we get destroyed by Michigan at home, despite them being good memories for me as a fan it takes miracles to beat two teams we should've handled very well, our biggest rival dominates us, and we are humiliated in the Sugar Bowl by LSU even though it was a year where we went to the BCS it was really a disappointment we didn't really improve much at all.

2009 we come off Clausen looking great in the Hawaii Bowl and getting the bowl losing streak monkey off our backs, start the season ranked, then we have the worst November I can remember as an Irish fan and it leads to our coach getting fired.

2011 we come off a big four game win streak to end last season including beating USC we come out at home and get upset by a lowly USF team, lost a heartbreaker against Michigan, get smacked in the mouth at home against USC, and lose another heartbreaker in the bowl against FSU. This one may be disagreed with because I know a lot of people felt we had a good year that year despite the losses but I feel that 2011 was a let down.

I'm not trying to be a negative guy even though my past on this board may make it seem like I am. I also know we have a long way to go before the season begins but with a great year despite the whopping in the title game and with the talk that we may be back to being contenders year in and year out like OU, Oregon, etc do you think that we are still going to follow this trend and have a year next year that doesn't live up to our expectations or do you feel confident that Kelly has turned this program around to where we won't have to worry about that anymore

Gentleman,
At this time I cant take this negativity. One incredibly bad game and your talking about the dark ages ? Trends are all Horse Sh*t !! Stop listening to ESPN and all the othe Football gods !! We have a program in place. We will improve on both sides of the ball. After seeing where we need to be. It may take us some time but to get paranoid about this coming fall ? Im excited ! Lets worry about all that other crap in the fall..........We just had a great season. Go ahead fire away...................

 

[Sureal]

I don't see ND having problems with this schedule. Michigan is the big threat I see off the rip as well as Stanford. I see an 11 win season next year. Big game at the Farm.

 

[chicago51]

I'm not afraid of Stanford.

 

[IrishSteelhead]

No hype. We are back at the kiddie table after getting throttled by what the media perceives as a "real" football team.

Heavy hearts, lots to prove, chip on shoulder.

2013 will be the nastiest team we have seen in quite awhile, and you can take that s-it to the bank.

 

[chicago51]

No hype. We are back at the kiddie table after getting throttled by what the media perceives as a "real" football team.

Heavy hearts, lots to prove, chip on shoulder.

2013 will be the nastiest team we have seen in quite awhile, and you can take that s-it to the bank.

Losing the national championship is not a good thing.

I do though think 2013 team may be better than they would of been had they won it all in 12. It is better to be the hunter than the hunted.

 

[IrishSteelhead]

Losing the national championship is not a good thing. QUOTE]

Understatement of the century.

 

[chicago51]

Losing the national championship is not a good thing. QUOTE]

Understatement of the century.

Thats what I'm here for, to tell people what they already know. I seem to be serving my purpose very well.

 

[BGIF]

Thats what I'm here for, to tell people what they already know. I seem to be serving my purpose very well.

Chumming for Overrated votes?

 

[Rudy89]

Just out of curiosity if we dont make the BCS will we be eligible for the bowls that have ties to ACC next year or when does that start? If thats not the case what if we dont make the BCS what bowl games do we have a shot at? Are any of them good?

 

[scUM Hater]

No, unless that hope is smoke and mirrors. In 06 and 09 we had some serious flaws in our defense that were a result from ****-poor players management from the coaching staff. We had absolutley no balance to our team, and certainly no foundation.

Sure, we probably overachieved this year, but BK has been building a solid foundation for a few years now. We dont have any glaring weakness in our team and we are seeing the beginnings of the ND team reloading instead of rebuilding.

The hope is real. The foundation is built. We will be in the BCS/Playoff discussion consistently in the future. We are nowhere near where Kelly wants us to be, just wait and see how much more efficient next years team is than this years. We're going to be pleasently surprised.

Go Irish

Only argument would be with special teams.