USC I'll wait and see...

[ACamp1900]

I don't buy them... here's a few things to think of...

The ESPN hype will do all it can to make SC look unbeatable until they stumble against Arizona or the like, it's been the same story every year since the contract with SC was signed about four years back... now they have a cnotract with the SEC as well... you think the national feeling is SEC, SC and everyone else now... wait about a year.

The truth is SC will stumble when it is least expected, in conference play... tOSU will lose a game or two in the big ten and SC's giant win won't be that impressive... they'll play in the rose bowl and crush whoever comes out of the big ten and everyone will slurp how amazing SC is all over again... but honestly, other than Auburn that one year... where's the beef??

I understand they put up a ton of points againt non conference opponents and I know it's expected someone will say this here on IE but I am sick of ESPN and SC people bashing our schedule and saying our opponents only SOUND good, but they never are good (Mich St., Mich, Purdue, Pitt). Then they turn around and state SC plays nothing but big boys and crushes them all... let's see, I'll give them a bunch of respect for Auburn... other than that it's a bunch of teams that at best sounded good but were frauds not 'big boys' (Arkansas, Hawaii, Virigina, Idaho, and tOSU) imo all were not elite when SC beat them, with tOSU the only one even CLOSE, and let's face the truth about tOSU the past three years...very nice team that would not be in the BCS at all if they were in just about any other BCS conference, let alone the title game... smashing tOSU proves only one thing these days... you are better than the best team in the big ten... and that doesn't say very much right now...

They'll smash three of the following five UCLA, Ari. St., Ari, Cal, Oregon... and lose to one of them... I'll say it right now... SC is and has been a really good team that is seriously over hyped every year

here's hoping Mizzou and UGA go unbeaten so Mike Garrett and his best friends forever over in Bristol can't claim another fraud title after kicking and screaming like the spoiled children they are... b/c if they do get the title we'll hear nothing but "greatest team ever" all over again... fucking gag me







end rant.

 

[realitycheck]

Using your same criteria, Charlie Weis has never beaten any team worth a damn in his tenure at ND

Do you think ND would beat Ohio St if they played this year?

 

[ACamp1900]

Using your same criteria, Charlie Weis has never beaten any team worth a damn in his tenure at ND

Do you think ND would beat Ohio St if they played this year?

I agree... except UM his first year... and no I don't think we would... but answer this... wtf does CW and what ND would do against tOSU have to do with SC hype???

I was simply comparring our schedule to theirs and what people say about our schedule vs. theirs... that is valid...

what we would or wouldn't do against a team we don't play has nothing to do with it... in fact WE have nothing to do with it b/c we are no where near top ten discussion material... doesn't mean it can't be said here

 

[realitycheck]

That Michigan team his first year finished unranked. So let me get this straight. An Arkansas team that makes the SEC championship game isn't worth a damn, but a Michigan team that finishes 7-5 is a great win? How does that work?

 

[coachjohnson]

I see what your saying, they are overhyped every YEAR. It really gets on my last nerve too. The Pac-10 is also weak like that of the Big 10, but they seem to steam roll most of the opponents in the Pac-10, but shouldn't they? ALWAYS OVERHYPED!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! SC IS GARBAGE.

 

[SoCalDomer]

but answer this... wtf does CW and what ND would do against tOSU have to do with SC hype???

since i doubt realitycheck will come back to actually answer that...

logically it has nothing to do with the other. it's a common fallcy. rather than take your argument to task, it redirects the attention away from the argument.

it's used in politics, pro-sports, everything under the sun. it's the symptom of an uneducated populace.

i believe USC is very good. but it is difficult to determine just how good they are, considering all the hype surrounding them. just like the SEC is the toughest conf to play in because they have the most ranked teams to start the season. well, why are they ranked? because they're the SEC, that's the toughest conf. this carousel makes me dizzy.

Tenn looses to an amped up UCLA who is outscored 59-0 thetwo weeks later by a non-BCS school. S.Carolina loses to Vanderbilt.

the hype machine has been overly kind to ND at times too, like 2006 when we were ranked in the top-5 to start the season. had they actually looked at the roster, they probably would have realized the team didn't have enough talent/playmakers to hang with the best teams in the country. were we top-10, probably. but not top-5.

 

[mick2]

i think we could hang with osu, seriously...not trying to be a mornic homer but with that predictable play calling by the sweatervest, yea i could see us playing them tough. i think mich might give them trouble.

back to the discussion at hand sc is a very good, stocked with talent team, totally overhyped and i think thats why they lose those games to shitty teams, they walk around like their shit don't stink and stanford comes up and nipps em in the ass. screw sc.

also on a side note - i did not know you could actually type explitive on this site. good to know nonetheless.

and i agree with socal on the hype machine working just as well for the irish at times, which is good and bad.

 

[LOVEMYIRISH]

I sent this to a friend earlier this evening Acamp...I am in agreement with you.

Everyone is talking up USC…but I am beginning to have my doubts. I thought this was tOSU’s year…but in their last 2 games they have really struggled.

USC hammered Virgina. Sounds good on the surface of things…but then you look at UVA:
8/30 No. 3 USC
0-1 (0-0) L 52-7

9/06 Richmond
1-1 (0-0) W 16-0

9/13 @ Connecticut
1-2 (0-0) L 45-10


16-0 over Richmond??? 13 points in the 4th quarter??? Who the hell is Richmond?
1 2 3 4 T
RICH (1-1)
0 0 0 0 0
UVA (1-1)
3 0 0 13 16

UVA got NUKED by Connecticut almost as bad as they did by USC!!!

So, I think USC is fairly untested as yet. I could be wrong about tOSU, but I don’t think so in this case.

Another interesting thing is that USC players indicated how predictable tOSU was. A few of them noted that tOSU does the same thing in all its games over the last 3 years and that their success came from watching tOSU play big teams. One of them hinted that’s wy tOSU got hammered in its bowl games. Whether that is true or not is hard to tell…but I thought it was an interesting statement to make.

I think USC will run the table though, they have a very easy schedule overall. No one in the Pac-10 looks good and we are their only other OOC game…and while I hope to see improvement throughout the year, I would be shocked (at this point) to see us knock off USC.

 

[2-4]

USC is the true #1 this year and i can't wait for a stumble or ANYTHING to give me more hopes for when ND goes to L.A.

 

[SteveM]

Cogent Ric Flair Assessment of USC

Cogent Ric Flair Assessment of USC

USC is the true #1 this year and i can't wait for a stumble or ANYTHING to give me more hopes for when ND goes to L.A.

"USC stumble or Anything" Hah!!

You wanna BE the Man, you gotta BEAT the Man!!! Wooooooo!!!!!!!!!!!!"

Let 'em be undefeated coming in.

Then let 'em COME GET SOME!!!!

SteveM

P.S. Wooooooooo!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

[SoCalDomer]

I started thinking about this a little more.

This may not be popular to say, but in USC's defense, they can't control whether the other team shows up in "a big game."

For the most part, USC has done what it was supposed to do with the exception of a few games in years past. For example in 06, they got upset by UCLA. In 2007, they got big time upset by Stanford.

They have won games against Virginia, OSU, Arkansas, Illionis, etc. in bowls or as non-conf matchups. At the end of the game, it was apparent the other team didn't match up well.

But i think that is where the hype of that game comes in; it is the idiots in sports media who make it out to be a match-up of the century, when maybe a closer look would have revealed it wasn't.

either way, assuming USC wins out and goes to the NC game, hopefully we'll see a match-up between two equally matched teams.... and they both show up.

 

[fitz_bu47]

Exactly SoCal, those idiots just want ratings, I knew that USC would pound those guys. I think everyone who had seen both teams, and thought about it knew it, but gotta have those ratings so lets call it "The Collision in the Coliseum." F'n joke.

 

[NDinL.A.]

We all had seen the Ohio St-USC game before. It's called OSU vs/ Florida, and OSU vs. LSU. 2 teams with much more offensive firepower and many more athletes vs. OSU's awful offense and not-enough-athletes. Saturday's game was an easy, easy game to call.

As for the USC Gangsters, can't stand them myself, but call a spade a spade. They're the best team in the country, and this year, they deserve the hype. They're loaded w/ NFL'ers at practically every single damn position. It pisses me off, but it's true. They've lost when they lose focus, but that happens to everybody (see: SDSU). I don't see that happening this year. And Carroll, like him or not, was born for the college game. They have it going on over there, and they can recruit thugs, STUD ATHLETES, that ND wouldn't even let in the city of South Bend, much less the campus. That hurts ND.

Mick2, i feel your optimism, and I hope we can hang with them. But we're playing at the Coliseum, where, when focused, they don't lose. No check that, they don't let opponents come within 30 points it seems. And here's the difference between the 2 programs: Right now, USC can play an OK game against us and win. ND has to play a near perfect game against SC to win. It can change, and we're improving, but right now and probably at least next year, that's the way it is, unfortunately...

 

[SteveM]

Two and Oh Yet Drowning in Woe!

Two and Oh Yet Drowning in Woe!

We all had seen the Ohio St-USC game before. It's called OSU vs/ Florida, and OSU vs. LSU. 2 teams with much more offensive firepower and many more athletes vs. OSU's awful offense and not-enough-athletes. Saturday's game was an easy, easy game to call.


Mick2, i feel your optimism, and I hope we can hang with them. But we're playing at the Coliseum, where, when focused, they don't lose. No check that, they don't let opponents come within 30 points it seems. And here's the difference between the 2 programs: Right now, USC can play an OK game against us and win. ND has to play a near perfect game against SC to win. It can change, and we're improving, but right now and probably at least next year, that's the way it is, unfortunately...

I feel like the Little Dutch Boy running from thread to thread trying to insert fingers of "site appropriate" optimism about competing against USC. But I'm running out of digits.

Man, why don't we just have Jack Swarbrick email USC and ask them what he wants the final score to be and have Charlie mail it in?

Sheesh...

SteveM

 

[Bubba]

But we're playing at the Coliseum, where, when focused, they don't lose. No check that, they don't let opponents come within 30 points it seems.

Stanford 24 - USC 23 @ the Coliseum, Oct 6th, 2007. They slip just like everybody else does. However, I do believe they are the team to beat right now. If they lose before they play us, I hope it is to ASU. Other than that, I hope they win 'em all so it looks good when we beat them!!

 

[JeremyND07]

I have no idea how you can watch USC this year and not think they are by far the best team in the country. Their defense is unreal!!!! I appreciate the optimism but we are not even close to USC's level yet...next year maybe..

 

[mick2]

here is how i see it. prepare for some football cliche's

usc is damn good football team.

we are a program hungry to regain respect.

now if the game were played on paper we would obviously give the crystal to sc right now.

but its not...

the patriots looked unstoppable and were beat by the giants.

sc a few years ago looked unstoppable but were beat by texas.

past irish teams would watch sc during warmups and just lay down, because they look so damn intimidating.

but this irish squad is young, brash, cocky, and probably a little naive. but i compare it to a kid not being afraid of a bully anymore, and once that bully gets hit in the mouth by the kid he's been messing with, he'll realize he's not the big bad tough guy he thought he was.

the media makes this team out to be invincible just like they did with the pat's, but no ones invincible.

any day, any time, any where, any team can be beat. no matter how good.

 

[NDinL.A.]

I feel like the Little Dutch Boy running from thread to thread trying to insert fingers of "site appropriate" optimism about competing against USC. But I'm running out of digits.

Man, why don't we just have Jack Swarbrick email USC and ask them what he wants the final score to be and have Charlie mail it in?

Sheesh...

SteveM

I'm not saying don't be optimistic, I'm just trying to be real:

USC 38-ND 0
ND 21-SDSU13
USC 56 UVA 7
ND 3-9 record
USC 35 - THEE Ohio St. University 3

Don't kill the messenger! Stay positive! That's fine. We need more fans like you. But the thread was about USC dominance or perceived dominance. I HATE SC, I hate the fact that their fans are mostly either pompous a**holes or gangsters jumping on the bandwagon. But I try to watch football with a critical, subjective eye, and when I see them play I see the top ranked team in the nation, bar none. That's all. ND might beat them, stranger things have happened and it also depends on our progress as well as injuries, etc. And crazy things happen in rivalries, damn it! (I hope!!!)

As for the Stanford comment, if you read my post I specifically said "when focused" USC doesn't lose at home. They lost focus, and they got beaten. They rarely overlook ND. Just remember what they did to Quinn and company the last time they were there.

I'm sorry I sound like a Debbie Downer, and I can't believe I'm praising USC. I'm just saying that truthfully, they're pretty damn good.

Let's concentrate on beating MSU, and in the future we'll discuss our upset of USC...

 

[SteveM]

First - Kill All The Lawyers: W. Shakespeare

First - Kill All The Lawyers: W. Shakespeare

I'm not saying don't be optimistic, I'm just trying to be real:

USC 38-ND 0
ND 21-SDSU13
USC 56 UVA 7
ND 3-9 record
USC 35 - THEE Ohio St. University 3

But I try to watch football with a critical, subjective eye, and when I see them play I see the top ranked team in the nation, bar none. That's all. ND might beat them, stranger things have happened and it also depends on our progress as well as injuries, etc. And crazy things happen in rivalries, damn it! (I hope!!!)

NDinLA sits behind phork in Torts.

SteveM

 

[Bubba]

NDinLA sits behind phork in Torts.

SteveM

SteveM,
I know you're just cracking yourself up, but I'm actually starting to think you're funny. BTW, are you in politics?

 

[notredomer23]

just so you guys know reality check is a USC fan who has been banned from GH

 

[SteveM]

The Diver - Ace Detective or Psychiatrist to the Abnormal Stars

The Diver - Ace Detective or Psychiatrist to the Abnormal Stars

SteveM,
I know you're just cracking yourself up, but I'm actually starting to think you're funny. BTW, are you in politics?

Dive,

You incredible, perceptive lug! You figured me out!

SteveM

P.S. Nah, I'm not in politics. I don't have the stomach to hate myself.

P.P.S. I'd ship you a beer or something but I don't know how these emotional token gizmos work.

 

[GO IRISH!!!]

NDinL.A. - great post as usual. As you pointed out SC is a very, very good team (as much as it pains me to say that about them) and it will be a tall order for anyone to beat them this year.

With that being said, I do think they will lose this year. I hope and pray it will be to us, but I really think they will lose to someone. Everyone always talks about how loose Carroll's teams are and how they joke around all the time and horse around at practice and in pregame. But that is a double edged sword. A loose team can turn into an unfocused team in a blink of an eye. They have been caught in the past by teams they did not expect and it will happen again this year.

The Pac 10 is really up and down this year and I think it will be easy to think you are going to roll over a team only to have them put it all together and beat you.

Their next four games - OSU, Oregon, ASU, WSU - will really test them. They can't look past OSU to Oregon and by the time they head to Pullman, they might be dinged up a bit.

They might not lose one of those four, but they will lose at least one game this year.

 

[ACamp1900]

first off this might sound funny on an irish site... but this was never meant to be a USC vs. ND 'let's break down the chances" type thread...

the hype machine has helped us too... never did or would dispute that...

so ND compared to SC still has nothing to do with this topic.... we good??

Sc is overhyped, they'll get beat by one or even two teams they shouldn't...

and sorry Arkansas was average at best that year... You could say us beating Michigan the way we did is what lead to them having the type of year they did... just as they way they beat us a year later lead to the year we had in the secondary... but that can't be proven either way... bottom line is this... other than Auburn some five or so years back they still have yet to beat ANY team that really makes me say "Wow, they did THAT!?"

 

[SteveM]

Post Happy Hour Askew and Agog

Post Happy Hour Askew and Agog

first off this might sound funny on an irish site... but this was never meant to be a USC vs. ND 'let's break down the chances" type thread...

the hype machine has helped us too... never did or would dispute that...

so ND compared to SC still has nothing to do with this topic.... we good??

Sc is overhyped, they'll get beat by one or even two teams they shouldn't...

and sorry Arkansas was average at best that year... You could say us beating Michigan the way we did is what lead to them having the type of year they did... just as they way they beat us a year later lead to the year we had in the secondary... but that can't be proven either way... bottom line is this... other than Auburn some five or so years back they still have yet to beat ANY team that really makes me say "Wow, they did THAT!?"

ACamp,

I'm sure there is a ton of insight embedded in your note. But after a couple of martinis, following the ethereal meanderings of your multi-ellipsis circumlocutions leaves me befogged.

SteveM

P.S. I'll be at it again in the morning after some cakes and eggs have removed some cobwebs.

 

[daytonirish]

Way to early to worry about usc. As far as the hype, yeah folks tend to go overboard every year abouth them and how great they are. But until someone beats them then they will get all the hype. The so called experts talk about recruiting rankings not meaning anything yet they then turn around and talk about how stacked with talent usc is. How do they know what kind of talent they have on the bench unless they believe the recruiting rankings. That is what they are basing their opinions on.

 

[SteveM]

Ruminations Over Vittles

Ruminations Over Vittles

ACamp,

I'm sure there is a ton of insight embedded in your note. But after a couple of martinis, following the ethereal meanderings of your multi-ellipsis circumlocutions leaves me befogged.

SteveM

P.S. I'll be at it again in the morning after some cakes and eggs have removed some cobwebs.

ACamp,

Burp... OK where was I?

Oh, yeah. USC just beats everybody they play. And recruiting wise, Pete Carroll has set in motion the same kind of perpetual motion machine that the eternal basketball powerhouses have.

Regarding Arkansas, whenever a team has a Darren McFadden, the volatility of the final score is always high. Because if he breaks a couple on the front end of a game, momentum turns and the opposing team may change it's defensive set.

Those are "perfect" play type events that a McFadden can exploit. But there's a component of luck too. So if they don't happen, then Arkansas looks average and gets beat.

So I agree with posters here that USC can get beat. In fact the statistical odds are that they will. (How many teams end up undefeated at the end of the year?) But it probably won't be in a grind it out game. It'll be by team that has a special guy who turns it on and changes the complexion of the game early. What teams on USC's schedule have at least one of those guys?

SteveM

P.S. Pass me the syrup...

 

[NDinL.A.]

NDinLA sits behind phork in Torts.

SteveM

If i sit behind Phork, then you sit right next to GD93!

 

[ACamp1900]

Well sucks this became a we can beat them no we can't topic...

I honestly don't think we stand much of a chance on a regular day but we'll see

as far as USC bascially the constant slurping drives me nuts... a lot of teams get hype, us included... but since ESPN and SC starting rolling it's been flagrant... I guess that's my point... nice how it took me three says to get to that huh??? lol

case in point... a few games have indeed been called game of the century... but none that were not a 1 vs. 2 until ESPN called in one promo this the tOSU game the game of the century... truth is it was a 1 v 5 and everyone in the solar system knew tOSU was gonna get smashed... more b/c of tOSU than USC... yet ESPN had the never to use that verbage... complete garbage... no doubt in my mind if that had been tOSU vs. any other team in the country... they never use such titles... any time SC plays any top 15 team the game is way overdone... then b/c of such they then get a TON of extra credit if they win, regardless of the actual opponent

whatever, probation looms sooner than later

 

[jonesman]

Some of you guys need to be checked for drug use. We are NOT in the same class as USC. Sorry, but I am being a realist. They may very well lose to some team this year they have no reason to get beat by, but it will not be the IRISH. They do not overlook us, they will be as geeked for us as they were for OSU. No sneaking into LA being the Irish. We will take our beatdown and move on. USC is SOOOOO loaded at every position. They have some incredible talent just waiting to play. The intelligent ND fan will be really happy with 8-4 or 9-3. I still believe this team will have a few losses. I do not want us going 10-2 or 11-1 and getting back into a BCS game this year against the likes of LSU, Oklahoma, Georgia, USC. We will take another beatdown and end the year on two bad losses. I want a bowl where we win and gain momentum for 2009. Two beatdown losses to end the year will just give all the talking heads fodder for the offseason.