Preseason Top 25 Polls

[arrowryan]

Alabama #1? WTF?

 

[NDBoiler]

Stanford is going to be 100% legitimate this year.

I have them as #2 too.

Well if Buster has them #2 in the Buster Bluth Preaseason Top 25 Poll, then they MUST be a legitmate #2

 

[Bogtrotter07]

Funchess' stats are helped by the fact that he wasn't constantly double-teamed, or even triple in the red zone like Eifert. Besides, Eifert had more than double Funchess' yards, and Niklas had essentially the same average yards per catch, but never played because Eifert. I'm sure he's good, but I doubt he can block very well if he only caught 15 passes.

As far as Gardner, I'm not sold yet. We don't know what he'll look like when he's not a surprise, and teams are preparing for him, with decent film- I'll bet a solid 25% the plays UM ran with Denard at QB looked nothing like they were supposed to, and changed completely when you put Gardner in.

You know a huge advantage Gardner had last year that nobody has directly mentioned? Having Denard in the same backfield. Even hurt. Even part of the time.

We will see how good Gardner is this year with his new offensive line, too.

 

[ThePiombino]

Lol at Stanford being #2

It's A LOT more believable than OKState at #6

 

[phork]

You know a huge advantage Gardner had last year that nobody has directly mentioned? Having Denard in the same backfield. Even hurt. Even part of the time.

We will see how good Gardner is this year with his new offensive line, too.

Gardner and Funchess lit it up against the dregs of the BIG which is giving false hope to the Skunkbear nation. Gardner was being moved to WR because they didn't think he had "it" to be a QB, and now he is their new September Heisman hopeful. With no running game and less WRs, they don't present too many issues.

Speaking of.. Our dear friend Mr. Valenti, yes the ranter choking on apple sauce, was on the radio yesterday talking about how the Wolverines have a constant need to be in the news. Referring to the Adidas footballs with the MADE IN THE USA/NOT IN OHIO balls that Michigan will use. The constant talking about the team down South, Ohio, how Gardner wore an orange shirt and not a red shirt during practices... They haven't won anything for almost 8 years now and the OSU series has generally been a laugher for the last 12 years, but yet they keep chirping.

Looks good on them when you have Fred Flinstone and Uncle Fester on your sidelines.

 

[arrowryan]

It's A LOT more believable than OKState at #6

I don't see Stanford at #2 because they lost their starting running back, both starting tight ends (good ones too), best pass rusher IMO, and I don't even know if they have a receiving threat this year.

 

[Koreyirishkelly]

I honestly don't think that Stanford will be as good as everyone thinks they will be.

 

[IrishLax]

Stanford is the most over-hyped team since the 2006 ND team was slotted #2/#1 by most polls.

People forget that they could've lost about 5 or 6 games last year. For every ounce of "luck" people want to point to for ND; Stanford had 10x that. Their most recent showing? Struggling mightily with a 6 loss Big Ten team. Let me say that again... struggling mightily with a 6 loss team from the worst conference in the country. Hogan is laughably over-hyped for a quite mediocre to bad body of work. I post his game splits in another thread months ago, but if you go look at them they suck. Suck BAD. Yet people are tabbing him as a consensus top 10 QB.

Stanford could've quite easily lost to San Jose State, USC, Arizona, Oregon State, Oregon, and Wisconsin. Those are all games where they were very tight, tied, or trailing in the 4th quarter and eeked out a win very late or in OT. So let's give them a .500 split there... they're a 5 loss team. Are they better this year than last year? Maybe on offense... probably not on defense... will be interesting to see. But with the exception of Oregon, those are some really bad teams to be fighting to the end with. for comparison's sake, ND had 3 close wins: Pitt, Stanford, Purdue. And we get murdered for it (as well as a loss to the best CFB team in the championship game) in these pre-season polls. That is logically quite inconsistent by the pollsters.

IMO, they will lose at least 3 games this year (year = including bowl) if not 4 or 5. Mark that down. I don't think they're noticeably better than Oregon, USC, Notre Dame, UCLA so that should be at least 2 losses against those teams + a loss somewhere over the other 8 games on their schedule + potential trip ups in PAC12 championship game or bowl. So #2 in the country? Sorry, not buying that at all. Probably somewhere in the mid 20s would be more appropriate.

 

[phork]

Tell us how you really feel. Don't hold back now...

 

[ACamp1900]

I tend to agree with LAX about Stanford, I fail to see where they upgraded significantly from last year... I also feel somewhat similar about ND… yeah, I said it.

 

[arrowryan]

I tend to agree with LAX about Stanford, I fail to see where they upgraded significantly from last year... I also feel somewhat similar about ND… yeah, I said it.

Put the green shades on and you will see what the rest of us are seeing.

Seriously though, I think we are upgrading at safety with a more athletic body to replace Motta, I think Day is better than Kap, the running back position is very deep, bring back two 1st round picks on the d-line we return almost all of the o-line, and return almost all of the receivers that are worth talking about. I also think this incoming class is far more athletic than previous years freshman classes.

Replacing Manti will obviously be tough but the coaches love what they see in Grace so there is no reason for to be skeptical of him

 

[ACamp1900]

Put the green shades on and you will see what the rest of us are seeing.

Seriously though, I think we are upgrading at safety with a more athletic body to replace Motta, I think Day is better than Kap, the running back position is very deep, bring back two 1st round picks on the d-line we return almost all of the o-line, and return almost all of the receivers that are worth talking about. I also think this incoming class is far more athletic than previous years freshman classes.

Replacing Manti will obviously be tough but the coaches love what they see in Grace so there is no reason for to be skeptical of him

Hope you are right... I'll believe the safety situation, one way or the other, when I see it. I have concerns about slot and depth behind TJ and DD if one goes down... hopefully a TE will step up somewhere... and I'll be interested to see what happened with the guard position... and I want to see EG progress to where we all want him to be...

AND, above all... the schedule is not advantageous to year in year out success... for any program. Time will tell.

… of course, I am a pessimistic a hole generally speaking anyway.

 

[Riddickulous]

Seriously though, I think we are upgrading at safety with a more athletic body to replace Motta

We'll see. It will be difficult to replace Motta's experience and leadership.

I think Day is better than Kap

I think Sheldon will ultimately be better than Kap (he's already more explosive), but I question whether he will be as effective against the run as the old man was.

the running back position is very deep

On paper. We have a lot of talent in the backfield, but none of it is proven talent. Atkinson is a one trick pony. McDaniel is a scrappy little guy, but I don't see him ever being a major contributor in this offense. Mahone, Bryant, and Folston are all unproven.

bring back two 1st round picks on the d-line

Yes, this certainly helps.

I also think this incoming class is far more athletic than previous years freshman classes.

Yes, but how many of them are going to be contributing this year?

Replacing Manti will obviously be tough but the coaches love what they see in Grace so there is no reason for to be skeptical of him

I think Grace will be a baller, but remember that is the same staff that said Gary Gray looked like an All-American, Darius Fleming would be a household name, and that Dayne Crist was "ready to play championship football".



I hate to play devil's advocate here, but this is a good opportunity to generate some discussion.

 

[arrowryan]

We'll see. It will be difficult to replace Motta's experience and leadership.



I think Sheldon will ultimately be better than Kap (he's already more explosive), but I question whether he will be as effective against the run as the old man was.



On paper. We have a lot of talent in the backfield, but none of it is proven talent. Atkinson is a one trick pony. McDaniel is a scrappy little guy, but I don't see him ever being a major contributor in this offense. Mahone, Bryant, and Folston are all unproven.



Yes, this certainly helps.



Yes, but how many of them are going to be contributing this year?



I think Grace will be a baller, but remember that is the same staff that said Gary Gray looked like an All-American, Darius Fleming would be a household name, and that Dayne Crist was "ready to play championship football".



I hate to play devil's advocate here, but this is a good opportunity to generate some discussion.

I agree about the running backs being unproven. But everyone is unproven at some point. I like how Carlisle, Bryant, and Folston can all bring something a little different to the table. I like to think of Carlisle as a poor man's DeAnthony Thomas, Bryant has the body of a pro-style offense type running back and the guy is built like a younger Adrian Peterson, and I think Folston will be molded into Riddick 2.0.

About the freshman who will contribute. That's a question only the coaches can answer. I'm hoping to see 10-12 freshman get some PT (bot special teams). It's almost a guarantee that a freshman wide receiver will play this year considering that the slot position is wide open. Greg Bryant, Jaylon Smith, Max Redfield, and Tarean Folston will no doubt get some playing time IMO. I wouldn't mind seeing Cole Luke and Devin Butler take a RS

 

[ACamp1900]

One has to assume SOMEONE steps into the running back position and produces what is needed... too much depth there for at least one of the backs to not seperate themselves/produce. One would think anyway.

 

[irishog77]

McDaniel is a scrappy little guy, but I don't see him ever being a major contributor in this offense.

I hear he's a gym rat to boot.

 

[greyhammer90]

I hear he's a gym rat to boot.

A sparkplug!

 

[TCramer]

Pre-Season Polls....... :banghead2

 

[drayer54]

Oregon, OSU, & the other OSU don't belong that high. Sadly, OSU in the Big 10 could walk into a BCS bid with there schedule.

 

[no.1IrishFan]

Oregon, OSU, & the other OSU don't belong that high. Sadly, OSU in the Big 10 could walk into a BCS bid with there schedule.

When I look at the schedule tOSU has this year I want to puke. If they don't make a championship game appearance, or at least a BCS bowl, this season was a complete bust.

 

[Buster Bluth]

People forget that they could've lost about 5 or 6 games last year. For every ounce of "luck" people want to point to for ND; Stanford had 10x that. Their most recent showing? Struggling mightily with a 6 loss Big Ten team. Let me say that again... struggling mightily with a 6 loss team from the worst conference in the country.

Wisconsin lost six games yes. But four of them were by three points each, and three were in overtime. All of their losses were within one possession. Not a bad team, in my opinion, just on the other side of the luck spectrum this season (I feel the same way about Michigan State). The "worst conference in the country" must be a joke, considering their superiority when compared to the Big East of even the ACC.

Hogan is laughably over-hyped for a quite mediocre to bad body of work. I post his game splits in another thread months ago, but if you go look at them they suck. Suck BAD. Yet people are tabbing him as a consensus top 10 QB.

I don't know anyone whose opinion I value pegging him as a top ten quarterback. But anytime you jump in mid-season and complete ~72% of your passes for 9 TDs and 3 INTs, it's not going to look bad. I'm curious what splits you're using.

This was his first season, and he jumped in during conference play--not during "tune up" games. If Kelly had a guy jump in and and beat Oregon State, Oregon, UCLA (twice), and Wisconsin...we'd be pretty pumped. He's only going to get better in his second season starting, with all of spring/fall to prep him.

Stanford could've quite easily lost to San Jose State, USC, Arizona, Oregon State, Oregon, and Wisconsin. Those are all games where they were very tight, tied, or trailing in the 4th quarter and eeked out a win very late or in OT. So let's give them a .500 split there... they're a 5 loss team.

How is that different than Notre Dame's Purdue, Michigan, Stanford, BYU, or Pittsburgh? I'd argue Oklahoma was very tight too. I don't agree with your comparison to Notre Dame.

Are they better this year than last year? Maybe on offense... probably not on defense... will be interesting to see.

Well they do return nine starters on defense, including Trent Murphy (All-American OLB), Ed Reynolds (All-American FS), Ben Gardner (All-Pac-12, 7.5 sacks), Henry Anderson (All-Pac-12, Lott Award Nominee), and Shayne Skov. I don't know how you return 9/11 and get worse.

Their OL is terrific, Yankey and Danser are terrific LT and RG. They return 4/5 from a very good unit (three were All-Pac-12), and that incredible 2012 OL class is coming up behind them. The OL advantage alone, in a conference that isn't known for its DL, makes them a conference championship contender.

They only return 7/11 on offense, but anytime you keep your quarterback and 4/5 OL you're going to be fine.

 

[IrishJayhawk]

A sparkplug!

Plays the game the right way...

 

[ulukinatme]

I think Grace will be a baller, but remember that is the same staff that said Gary Gray looked like an All-American, Darius Fleming would be a household name, and that Dayne Crist was "ready to play championship football".



I hate to play devil's advocate here, but this is a good opportunity to generate some discussion.

I think Grace will be fine, you're right, he's a baller. I was a little worried what would happen with Te'o gone, but I think Jarrett played pretty well in the Blue Gold game from what I saw. Theres a lot of experience at LB too, they'll help coach him up.

 

[chicago51]

With what has happened to Golson I think ND just dropped 7 spots in the next unofficial poll.

 

[drayer54]

With what has happened to Golson I think ND just dropped 7 spots in the next unofficial poll.

I just had a similar discussion about where this puts ND. I'd like to say it doesn't matter, but perception is reality (bowl assignments) and I think this drops us to somewhere in the 15-18 range.

 

[Jimmy3Putt]

Next season appears to be lost, but it could shape out close to 2012 if things fall into place.

A young athletic QB backed up with a great defense and a veteran o-line. Tommy in his familiar closer role.

It's not 12-0, but it's not 8-5 either.

 

[notredomer23]

Next season appears to be lost, but it could shape out close to 2012 if things fall into place.

A young athletic QB backed up with a great defense and a veteran o-line. Tommy in his familiar closer role.

It's not 12-0, but it's not 8-5 either.

Lost in what sense? Are they going to the national championship? No, definitely not. Can they still make it to a BCS bowl? Definitely. This team went 8-5 under Tommy with a much worse defense, a worse offensive line, but better running backs. Tommy has obviously improved since then, and I still don't see why a 9-3 at worse season is considered lost.

 

[Jimmy3Putt]

Lost in what sense? Are they going to the national championship? No, definitely not. Can they still make it to a BCS bowl? Definitely. This team went 8-5 under Tommy with a much worse defense, a worse offensive line, but better running backs. Tommy has obviously improved since then, and I still don't see why a 9-3 at worse season is considered lost.

Lost because I was hoping they took the next step, or at the least, repeated their success.
Can that still happen?
Yes, but our chances took a BIG hit.

 

[chicago51]

Lost because I was hoping they took the next step, or at the least, repeated their success.
Can that still happen?
Yes, but our chances took a BIG hit.

Yes it can still happen but there will be a lot of 13 to 6, 17 to 13 types of wins.

Remember guys we still have Zach Martin!

 

[ACamp1900]

Man, looking at the schedule... If we get to Air Force with only one loss we would all have to do backflips out of pure joy... I think having a losing record going into Air Force isnow as real a possibility as only having one loss.