Preseason Top 25 Polls

[Buster Bluth]

61 posts about an unofficial ESPN poll in February...

ESPN 1
Irish Envy 0

 

[chicago51]

61 posts about an unofficial ESPN poll in February...

ESPN 1
Irish Envy 0

Sad but true. Although to be fair half the posts are posts are about OSU's cup cake schedule.

 

[irishtrain]

Schedule-I keep coming back to this meaning if you took ANY sec team and made them play that schedule they would have losses. And more than likely enough losses to keep them out of the last game. The style of play/turf variations/weather/on the road situations would eat them up. They (sec) have the market cornered with where they play/who they play/when. I do not see Notre Dame back in the last game until they run the table again. Then fingers will have to be crossed to see if everyone else has lost like this year. This bothers me because as they pound their chest they (any sec team including alabama) would have losses after that schedule and their stock would go down in for getting into the last game. Notre Dames only hope for another shot at the title is when the 4 team deal starts and they by record and strength of schedule are in the top 4. Personally I'd like to see the playoff be 6 teams with 1/2 getting byes. I repeat-I challenge anyone from sec country to tell me they have a team that could play this schedule and survive. Of course they will say they beat those teams in bowls games-we all know that is bull%$#@. Play this schedule and come out with one loss-no way I dont care who you are. So far only Notre Dame has been able to do that. I'll stop saying this statement when my fellow IrishEnvy mates tell me to---EMBRACE THE PAIN OF THE @## KICKING BY ALABAMA AND LET IT FUEL YOU!

 

[Bishop2b5]

Schedule-I keep coming back to this meaning if you took ANY sec team and made them play that schedule they would have losses. And more than likely enough losses to keep them out of the last game. The style of play/turf variations/weather/on the road situations would eat them up. They (sec) have the market cornered with where they play/who they play/when. I do not see Notre Dame back in the last game until they run the table again. Then fingers will have to be crossed to see if everyone else has lost like this year. This bothers me because as they pound their chest they (any sec team including alabama) would have losses after that schedule and their stock would go down in for getting into the last game. Notre Dames only hope for another shot at the title is when the 4 team deal starts and they by record and strength of schedule are in the top 4. Personally I'd like to see the playoff be 6 teams with 1/2 getting byes. I repeat-I challenge anyone from sec country to tell me they have a team that could play this schedule and survive. Of course they will say they beat those teams in bowls games-we all know that is bull%$#@. Play this schedule and come out with one loss-no way I dont care who you are. So far only Notre Dame has been able to do that. I'll stop saying this statement when my fellow IrishEnvy mates tell me to---EMBRACE THE PAIN OF THE @## KICKING BY ALABAMA AND LET IT FUEL YOU!

You may be right, but we've played some tough schedules during the SEC's streak of NC's and the teams didn't get to the BCSNCG by playing soft schedules. All the ratings for the difficulty of schedule are taken from Sagarin/USA Today at USA TODAY To look at different years, just change the 2 numbers at the end of the url to whichever season you want.

In 2006, Florida went 13-1 against the 8th toughest schedule.

In 2007, LSU went 12-2 against the 11th toughest schedule.

In 2008, Florida went 13-1 against the 4th toughest schedule.

In 2009, Bama went 14-0 against the 2nd toughest schedule, including wins over three teams that finished in the top 10, six in the top 20, and ten bowl teams.

In 2010, Auburn went 14-0 against the 13th toughest schedule.

In 2011, Bama went 12-1 against the 15th toughest schedule.

In 2012, Bama went 13-1 (including wins over 3 top 10 teams) against the 19th toughest schedule (ND's was just behind at 21st toughest).

This past season, our schedule didn't work out to be quite as tough as usual or as tough as it looked before the season because 3 annual opponents who are usually good (Auburn, Arkansas, and Tennessee) were way down. Still, 19th isn't exactly a weak schedule. ND has a tough schedule in 2013, but I don't think it's any tougher than what we face most years.

 

[Bishop2b5]

61 posts about an unofficial ESPN poll in February...

ESPN 1
Irish Envy 0

This is what the offseason will do to otherwise normal people.

 

[phork]

61 posts about an unofficial ESPN poll in February...

ESPN 1
Irish Envy 0

More like:

Offseason 1
IE 0

 

[irish4ever]

I do not care what bowl game we end up in. I do not care how well our season goes (okay yes I do). I do not care if I break my hand again in frustration of watching an ND game. I do not care if the Sky falls....Just please PLEASE PLEASE beat Michigan. (And if we somehow rematch Bama at the end of the year....)

I ditto that!

 

[ulukinatme]

Would rather start low and work our way back up again, already hearing crap from people that ND will be ranked too high at the beginning of the season when their teams went 8-5.

 

[IrishJayhawk]

We lose our heart and soul on defense, our best two running backs, and the best TE in the country. And we still have a QB with only one season under his belt.

I think the ranking is totally reasonable. Arrow continues to point up though.

 

[beryirish]

Good... good...

How that arm and shoulder didn't get broken in 10 different places is beyond me

 

[Bogtrotter07]

Michigan has a lot of young guys that got defensive experience last year, and did well. With Mattison, that is what ESPn sees. It won't be enough. Even with Green at rb, they won't have a qb and Hoke is still the head coach. Solid but not top shelf.

Stanford is getting the benefit of the doubt for a suspect secondary. How many times has an asymetrical loss of top talent affected both sides and caused a drop in production in the unit as a whole. I think Stanford's O will be better but their D won't! I hope they stay up in the rankings; but we don't play them until the year end. Doubt it will do much good for us, especially when we have to play them on their sand-volleball courts.

 

[koonja]

Stupid question, looking at UM's schedule... They have their annual rivalry game with OSU as the last game of the year. Won't they likely play OSU again the following week, due to the big 10 champ game?

We need to beat Michigan. We're their only tough game through the first 5. Nothing makes me sicker than seeing them off to a 'hot' start, playing next to no one.

 

[phork]

Stupid question, looking at UM's schedule... They have their annual rivalry game with OSU as the last game of the year. Won't they likely play OSU again the following week, due to the big 10 champ game?

We need to beat Michigan. We're their only tough game through the first 5.

They would play, and lose, to OSU 2 times in a row. That will change with the division realignments.

 

[arrowryan]

We lose our heart and soul on defense, our best two running backs, and the best TE in the country. And we still have a QB with only one season under his belt.

I think the ranking is totally reasonable. Arrow continues to point up though.

But we return 2 future firt round draft pick on the defensive line, return both cornerbacks, a great left tackle, a QB that took us to the NCG on his first try, all of our starting receivers except one, 3 of the 4 starting linebackers, and we bring in a top 5 recruiting class. #9 is a little stingy.

 

[RammerJammer91]

Not so sure we deserve to be #1. We're losing too much on the OL and a couple of major DL players. OL worries me the most.

Stanford's a little over-ranked. Good team and great coach, but there's not that much elite talent.

OSU sure has an easy path to an undefeated season, but everybody said the same about FSU last year too. Hard not to stumble somewhere along the line.

UF is a mystery. They looked so good all year, but then that disaster in the bowl left me wondering if they were for real or just a paper tiger. I'm leaning towards writing it off as just a bad night, but time will tell.

ND should probably be a couple spots higher and definitely ahead of Louisville, but #9 is not a big problem. Win and you'll climb. You moved up 25 spots last year. Preseason top 10 puts you easily within striking distance if you win.

I'm not a huge fan of preseason polls, but since they exist, there's no question that Bama will have "deserved", I guess you could say, the preseason #1 ranking.

They will FAR more talented and deeper than the 2012 team. The Defense will be better, with 7 starters back, and a ton of guys who saw significant reps as backups. The LB core will be the best in the country, and think about this, Reuben Foster might not even see the field a whole lot. That says it all right there. The DL will be more talented and deeper, despite losing 2/3 starters. Pagan should have a big season, and challenge for All-SEC honors. I'm gonna miss Jesse in the middle, but I liked what I saw from Brandon Ivory, and Lake will get some snaps, too. He's a beast. The Safety position will be loaded-HaHa, Collins, Sunseri, and Nick Perry (depending where he lines up).

Offensively, Bama will have the deepest and most talented group of skill positions players in the country. By a wide margin.
8 deep at RB: Yeldon, Fowler, Dee Hart, Drake, Henry, Tyren Jones, Tenpenny, and Kamara.
9 deep at WR: Cooper, Norwood, Christion Jones, Bell, White, Black, Robert Foster, Cyrus Jones, Marvin Sinn
TE: O.J. Howard (5-star Recruit), Brian Vogler.

Now, not all of these guys will play, but if injuries arise, Bama will be in excellent shape.

As for the OL, people forget that entering the 2009 season, Bama returned just 2 starters on the OL and everyone said that the OL would prevent them from being successful. What happened? Bama won the National Title. The depth and talent among the reserves is far greater now than in 2009. Kelley will be filling in at Center and he could likely start for a ton of teams in the country. Kellen Williams, Arie K., and Lindsay looked really good in reserve action, andBama has the best strength and conditioning coach in the country, in Scott Cochran. Will the OL be as talented as it was in 2012? No. But, I feel confident that the unit will play really well in 2013.

 

[beryirish]

Mark May tweeted his preseason Top 5:

Alabama
Florida
Stanford
Texas A&M
Clemson

 

[Bogtrotter07]

Of course!

 

[phork]

So has Lou Holtz:

1. ND

 

[rikkitikki08]

The weis years seem so long ago, no way i would have complained about being ranked 9th

 

[palinurus]

Can you imagine if we had a schedule that included the Florida A+M Rattlers, Buffalo Bulls, SD State Aztecs, and the Hoosiers?

We would be absolutely raked through the coals.

Give me a ****ing break. I say would would have crushed Ohio State last year, maybe will this year in the NCG? That would be a dream.

And the Illini, and Cal (off a three win season), and Iowa (off a four win season).

That's disgusting. I firmly believe they should knock down ten ranking spots teams that play 1AA teams.

 

[Bogtrotter07]

But we return 2 future firt round draft pick on the defensive line, return both cornerbacks, a great left tackle, a QB that took us to the NCG on his first try, all of our starting receivers except one, 3 of the 4 starting linebackers, and we bring in a top 5 recruiting class. #9 is a little stingy.

Every year Kelly has had a net increase in talent and performance on defense since he has been here. Next year's defense's strength will be its balance of incredible talent, (with much better overall experience.)

 

[FightingIrishLover7]

The weis years seem so long ago, no way i would have complained about being ranked 9th

Agreed... Get greedy over 9... Must mean the program is doing well! I just want to retain position at the top.

With our returning roster that should be manageable. And this year we'll be beating our lesser teams by a good margin. No more purdue pitt etc fiascos

 

[irishtrain]

You may be right, but we've played some tough schedules during the SEC's streak of NC's and the teams didn't get to the BCSNCG by playing soft schedules. All the ratings for the difficulty of schedule are taken from Sagarin/USA Today at USA TODAY To look at different years, just change the 2 numbers at the end of the url to whichever season you want.

In 2006, Florida went 13-1 against the 8th toughest schedule.

In 2007, LSU went 12-2 against the 11th toughest schedule.

In 2008, Florida went 13-1 against the 4th toughest schedule.

In 2009, Bama went 14-0 against the 2nd toughest schedule, including wins over three teams that finished in the top 10, six in the top 20, and ten bowl teams.

In 2010, Auburn went 14-0 against the 13th toughest schedule.

In 2011, Bama went 12-1 against the 15th toughest schedule.

In 2012, Bama went 13-1 (including wins over 3 top 10 teams) against the 19th toughest schedule (ND's was just behind at 21st toughest).

This past season, our schedule didn't work out to be quite as tough as usual or as tough as it looked before the season because 3 annual opponents who are usually good (Auburn, Arkansas, and Tennessee) were way down. Still, 19th isn't exactly a weak schedule. ND has a tough schedule in 2013, but I don't think it's any tougher than what we face most years.

Bishop I cant dispute statistics so in all regards you are correct but the schedule strength is based on things other than who/when/weather/rivals/ etc. I still say put Alabama in Notre Dames schedule and see what happens. The strength of schedule is tilted towards a computers reasoning of dimensional statistics. Still your reasoning is correct I just dont agree with how they come up with it.

 

[Bogtrotter07]

This is where we bring in a point of Old Man Mike's. He was talking about some posters wishing ill of Michigan and Ohio State. It was his point if the three of us and MSU, NW and a few other started to do well, it would have recruits and others looking back at the Midwest as a football mecca. He was commenting on perception, and prejudice, breaking stereotypes as much as anything. It would also help with ratings for strength of schedule.

It doesn't take much of an understanding of the chaos theory, statistcal systems, or logic, to see how we can affect the outcome of our own models (strength of schedule) based upon prejudices we have coming in when we set up equations.

 

[Wolverine1997]

I think Michigan is about right. I'd put them at #14 personally.

Texas.....LOL

 

[Bishop2b5]

Bishop I cant dispute statistics so in all regards you are correct but the schedule strength is based on things other than who/when/weather/rivals/ etc. I still say put Alabama in Notre Dames schedule and see what happens. The strength of schedule is tilted towards a computers reasoning of dimensional statistics. Still your reasoning is correct I just dont agree with how they come up with it.

I don't disagree with you at all. I realize other things affect the difficulty of a team's course through the season such as when & where you play, bye weeks, emotional factors, etc. You are completely correct. The problem is that those things are mostly subjective and there's not an easy way to objectively quantify them in order to produce a more accurate SOS. I think most poll voters intuitively take those things into consideration, but yeah, it's hard to find a way to really account for them in SOS.

I won't argue ND's schedule isn't brutal this year. It is, and you have your work cut out for you. It would be a huge challenge for Bama or anybody. OTOH, it can definitely play in your favor. The hotter the fire thing, plus it also impresses the voters. 11-1 against the 5th toughest schedule will get you into the BCSCG over a team that went 12-0 against the 50th toughest schedule.

It's very difficult to get up 12 weeks in a row and not have a letdown, though. Somewhere along the line, you almost always have that week where you're just physically and emotionally drained from playing one good team after another. We had it at LSU this year and survived, but it caught up to us the next week against A&M. No matter how good you guys are this upcoming year, you'll have that week where you may have to win one on pure guts and discipline when everything goes the other team's way.

 

[Bishop2b5]

This is where we bring in a point of Old Man Mike's. He was talking about some posters wishing ill of Michigan and Ohio State. It was his point if the three of us and MSU, NW and a few other started to do well, it would have recruits and others looking back at the Midwest as a football mecca. He was commenting on perception, and prejudice, breaking stereotypes as much as anything. It would also help with ratings for strength of schedule.

It doesn't take much of an understanding of the chaos theory, statistcal systems, or logic, to see how we can affect the outcome of our own models (strength of schedule) based upon prejudices we have coming in when we set up equations.

I agree 100% with you. It's the rising tide lifts all boats thing to a great extent. You can hate a rival, but in reality, the better they do, the more it pushes you to improve and the better your wins over them are. Absolutely a key to SEC success. Raising the level of competition touched off an arms race in the South for players and coaches. One team's success drove other teams to work harder to keep up, and all of that drew more top talent and top coaches. In the end, it raised the quality of play enormously and the perception of the league's quality and strength unimaginably.

I may hate Auburn and want to beat them every year and get a little perverse pleasure in their misery when they have a horrible season, but them going 9-3 is actually much better for us than them going 3-9. The better they do, the more it pushes us to work harder, and the more a win over them helps our SOS.

You wouldn't have gotten EV this year if you'd gone 6-6. You got him because you went 12-1 and he can see how bright your future looks. If UM, OSU, ND, etc start consistently winning big, you'll all drive each other to a higher level and draw that sort of elite talent to the region again. You may not like OSU or UM, but their success will actually help you in the long run.

 

[Who'saWildManNow]

Oklahoma, ASU?, USC? and Stanford.

IMO, those are the 4 toughest games. We should handle everyone else on that schedule.

We have the talent, we have the experience, we have the depth.

We are not well oiled just yet but I expect to see us significantly pull away from our weaker competition this year.

Temple, Purdue, MSU, Navy, Air Force and BYU are just simply not bringing in the talent and developing at our rate.

In order for us to get to a championship level of football, it is imperative that we stomp these teams.

 

[Who'saWildManNow]

Also, we don't run into a premier quaterback all season.. Josh Nunes or Max Wittek may be the best we see.

 

[Wolverine1997]

Also, we don't run into a premier quaterback all season.. Josh Nunes or Max Wittek may be the best we see.

Devin Gardner is a MUCH better passer and decision maker than Denard was. I'm not saying he's premier yet by any means but he is still worthy of mention.