Phil Steele

[irishfan]

Has ND ranked #7 for this season.

 

[jason_h537]

18 in the Sporting News. ESPN is 17.

 

[IrishAddiction]

Is the Phil Steele college football preview out yet or is it just on his website or something?

 

[irishfan]

Doesn't come out until June 7 or 9 I think but there are some copies out and the info leaked.

Football Fever | The Herd's Word - Colin Cowherd Radio Personality

 

[phork]

Bleh. Thats all nice and everything. Let'em earn the ranking imo.

 

[BGIF]

RECAP

Steele #7
ESPN #17
TSN #18
Lindy's #37

 

[Ultimate Penn St. Hater]

Bleh. Thats all nice and everything. Let'em earn the ranking imo.

Every team should have to earn their ranking. Thats why I hate pre-season rankings so much.

 

[PADOMERNUT]

Every team should have to earn their ranking. Thats why I hate pre-season rankings so much.

Phil Steele has to earn a living so he can come out with pre-season rankings all he wants.

 

[NDOM]

Hey, I still say we are a pretty pathetic team unless they prove me wrong otherwise. We still arent really going to know how good this team is because we have by far the easiest schedual in the history of Notre Dame football. Anyway I think and hope this team does great this year. Charlie doesnt win at least 10 games he needs to be fired. Hell, I say he should at least win 11 but my standards are higher than Notre Dame.

 

[The Polish Irishman]

I would not say this is the easiest schedule in the history of ND until the games are played.

 

[mick2]

lindys predicts fiesta bowl vs oklahoma

 

[Sureal]

Why... Why... WHY???!!!!

For the love of all that's good... I predict nothing for fear of getting my expectations crushed yet again.

 

[phork]

NDOM I can't rep you for that, I need to spread it around a bit more I guess... But Hell yes on your reply.

 

[mick2]

id rather win 10 games with an easy schedule than lose 10 with a difficult one. our schedule may not be what were usually used to seeing but still there is not one FCS school on it.

 

[mick2]

Why... Why... WHY???!!!!

For the love of all that's good... I predict nothing for fear of getting my expectations crushed yet again.

Lou predicts ND and florida in the NC!!!!!

Crazy thing is i could see it happening!!!!

 

[PADOMERNUT]

Lou predicts ND and florida in the NC!!!!!

Crazy thing is i could see it happening!!!!

I actually said this to a friend of mine a few weeks ago. And keep in mind I am thinking best case scenario. So phork and NDOM dont jump down my throat because I am not predicting this, just saying it is a possibility....

If we can beat USC, we have a real chance to run the table. We shouldnt be underdogs to anyone else. If we go 12-0, we will be in the title game, hands down. Florida is going to be a monster again this year.

So there you have an ND and Florida national championship game. I would say Florida would beat us pretty handily, not because they have THAT much more talent, but because our schedule will not properly prepare us to face the Gators.

Again I am not predicting this to happen. My own personal opinion is we'll win between 9 and 11 games depending on how some teams shake out this year.

But like mick said, its not that crazy to think it could happen.

 

[mick2]

I actually said this to a friend of mine a few weeks ago. And keep in mind I am thinking best case scenario. So phork and NDOM dont jump down my throat because I am not predicting this, just saying it is a possibility....

If we can beat USC, we have a real chance to run the table. We shouldnt be underdogs to anyone else. If we go 12-0, we will be in the title game, hands down. Florida is going to be a monster again this year.

So there you have an ND and Florida national championship game. I would say Florida would beat us pretty handily, not because they have THAT much more talent, but because our schedule will not properly prepare us to face the Gators.

Again I am not predicting this to happen. My own personal opinion is we'll win between 9 and 11 games depending on how some teams shake out this year.

But like mick said, its not that crazy to think it could happen.

yep but we have to get to usc unscathed first, the michigan game always makes me a little nervous,and one game above all the others really sticks out as a trap game and thats washington. plus the bc game the week after usc and pitt and connecticut could be toughies

 

[NeuteredDoomer]

My puppies gonna be lil dogs next year. Let's see what happens. We can either go "o-fer", be "average", or win a few...

They still my pups though.

 

[BGIF]

I would not say this is the easiest schedule in the history of ND until the games are played.

And your right, many times over - regardless of the outcome of the games.

Unlike UF, Bama, and many other teams today, ND doesn't schedule games with Div AA schools. Hasn't played that caliber of program since the 1930's. And for anyone who bothers to look rather than shoot from the hip you'll find Rockne sure liked to schedule the likes of Kalamazoo, DePauw, Drake, Wabash, Lombard, Valpo, and Coe.

ND fans like Ara .836% winning record as a measure of ND's football greatness but if you look at his scheduling it looks like ND's - this year. In '64 when Ara turned around a program from 2-7 to 9-1 losing a National Championship with a minute 23 left in the season, ND did not play a single ranked team including the Trojans.

Contrast it to ND's worst season ever in 1963 the year before Ara when ND was 2-7 and would have been 2-8 had not the Iowa game been cancelled due to JFK's death. Interim Coach Hugh Devore not only inherited the mess Joe Kuharich left he had to face 5 teams ranked in the top 8. Not in the Top 25 but in the Top 8. He went 1-4 losing to Wisconsin, Navy, PIT, and MSU while beating the 7th ranked Trojans.

In '65 7-2-1 Ara faced 3 Top 25 teams going 1-1-1
In '66 9-0-1 Ara faced 4 Top 25 teams going 3-0-1.
In '67 8-2-0 Ara faced 2 Top 25 teams going 0-2.
In '68 7-2-1 Ara faced 3 Top 25 teams going 1-1-1.
In '69 8-2-1 Ara faced faced 3 Top 25 going 1-1-1. (Lost to #1 UTX in Cotton Bowl)
In '70 10-1 Ara faced 2 Top 25 teams going 2-0. (Beat #1 UTX in Cotton Bowl)
In '71 8-2 Ara faced 1 Top 25 team going 0-1 losing to #14 LSU 28-8. (No Bowl)
In '72 8-3 Ara faced 1 Top 25 team going 0-1. Losing to unranked Missouri, losing to #1 USC 45-23. (Then got trounced by #9 NU 40-6 in the Orange Bowl.)
In '73 11-0 Ara faced 2 Top 25 teams going 2-0. (and beat #1 Alabama in the Sugar Bowl)
In '74 10-12 Ara faced 2 Top 25 teams going 1-1. Losing to unranked Purdue beating #17 PIT and losing to #6 USC 55-24 after taking a 24-0 lead. Yeah 55 unanswered points (Beat #2 Alabama in the Orange Bowl)

In 11 seasons with a 95-17-4 and .836 winning percentage, Ara's teams faced 24 ranked opponents in scheduled games going 11-9-4 and 5 ranked teams in Bowl Games going 3-2.

24 opponents in 11 is 2.18/year. Hardly the epic string of opponents Leahy faced in '43 beating 5 teams ranked in the Top 8 and losing only to a semi-Pro team in the last 33 seconds of the season. And Great Lakes had 2 former ND players on their team. Playing 2.18 Top 25 opponents/year doesn't look like a Holtz schedule but most ND then through the years most schedules didn't look like the Holtz years. And when Holtz ran out of Vinny Cerrato recruited players his record nose dived to 6-5-1 in '94 when incidently ND only face 3 ranked opponents in the regular season and started the Bowl Streak with a trouncing to #4 Colorado. Lou than closed out his career with 9-3 and 8-3 seasons facing 4 and 3 ranked teams respectively.

9-3 and 8-3, funny thing Weis said, "9-3 wasn't good enough".

The 2009 is weaker than schedules in the Glory Years and just as good as schedules in the Glory Years. ND's schedule were stacked with powerhouses every year and some years the power programs scheduled had down years, USC, UM, et al.

"Worst schedule in ND history" indicates a lack of familiarity with ND history. It's a comment worthy of an ESPN announcer.

 

[NDOM]

I actually said this to a friend of mine a few weeks ago. And keep in mind I am thinking best case scenario. So phork and NDOM dont jump down my throat because I am not predicting this, just saying it is a possibility....

If we can beat USC, we have a real chance to run the table. We shouldnt be underdogs to anyone else. If we go 12-0, we will be in the title game, hands down. Florida is going to be a monster again this year.

So there you have an ND and Florida national championship game. I would say Florida would beat us pretty handily, not because they have THAT much more talent, but because our schedule will not properly prepare us to face the Gators.

Again I am not predicting this to happen. My own personal opinion is we'll win between 9 and 11 games depending on how some teams shake out this year.

But like mick said, its not that crazy to think it could happen.

I can agree with that.

 

[BGIF]

Phil's Top 10:

1. Florida
2. Texas
3. USC
4. Oklahoma
5. Penn State
6. Ole Miss
7. Notre Dame
8. Alabama
9. Cal
10. Ohio State

 

[NeuteredDoomer]

And your right, many times over - regardless of the outcome of the games....

Unlike UF, Bama, and many other teams today, ND doesn't schedule games with Div AA schools. Hasn't played that caliber of program since the 1930's.

Holy hell (I edited the rest of the quote...) You know your stuff. Goodness. I hope you are on the ND side of the story. Have we watched you on TV?

 

[BGIF]

... Have we watched you on TV?

I've been on a few times but you're more likely to have seen me in a post office.

 

[JeremyND07]

Preseason mags rank ND a lot higher then they deserve to sell more copies! These ranking mean very little. Steele is notirous for putting ND on the cover to sell magazines to the ND faithful!

 

[BGIF]

Preseason mags rank ND a lot higher then they deserve to sell more copies! These ranking mean very little. Steele is notirous for putting ND on the cover to sell magazines to the ND faithful!

For the past few years most mags have ranked ND in the 30's, 40's and into the 70's. Lindy's which is a Southeastern publication always had ND listed with the SEC and ACC teams (much to the chagrin of their fans). ND used to get a full page writeup. Doesn't anymore.

As I recall Steele had a reputation for having a high correlation between Preseason Rankings and the Final Polls. Are you mixing Lemming and Steele?

 

[KAPLAN]

Preseason mags rank ND a lot higher then they deserve to sell more copies! These ranking mean very little. Steele is notirous for putting ND on the cover to sell magazines to the ND faithful!

Steele has around 12 different covers, depending on where you live. He also picks teams based on where he thinks they will finish not a "preseason" ranking. Year after year he has been the most accurate by far. I would much rather be ranked #7 than #37. It shows that a non biased party has faith in our team.

 

[BGIF]

Steele has around 12 different covers, depending on where you live. He also picks teams based on where he thinks they will finish not a "preseason" ranking. Year after year he has been the most accurate by far. I would much rather be ranked #7 than #37. It shows that a non biased party has faith in our team.

Good points, particularly that he picks teams where he thinks they will finish.

A slight nit with your last sentence. Rather than "faith based" Steele's ranking was based on an older, more veteran returning team. He documents that ND returns something like 95% (I'm not quoting) of last year's Total Offense, a very large % of Total OL Starts from last year, and most of the tackles made last year by the defense while many of ND's opponents return significantly lower Total Offense, OL Starts, and Tackles resulting in a "softer" schedule. For instance MSU lost Ringer, UCon their bell cow RB, BC - QB & LB, USC - QB & LB corps, etc

My belief that we can run the table is faith based, perhaps miraculously so.

 

[KAPLAN]

I think we "can" run the table. I have not been able to say this for the past two years. I did not say we "will" run the table but a young USC team must come to South Bend to play our very experienced team. As long as we beat Mich St, Michigan, and BC I will be very happy. I expect us to win 10 games.

 

[BGIF]

I think we "can" run the table. I have not been able to say this for the past two years. I did not say we "will" run the table but a young USC team must come to South Bend to play our very experienced team. As long as we beat Mich St, Michigan, and BC I will be very happy. I expect us to win 10 games.

We're on the same page.

There are teams on the schedule that could beat ND. ND could beat them all. USC is the most vulnerable they've been in years going into an ND game.

Takin' care of business.

 

[Riddickulous]

Preseason mags rank ND a lot higher then they deserve to sell more copies! These ranking mean very little. Steele is notirous for putting ND on the cover to sell magazines to the ND faithful!

I've seen this excuse before, and I'll say exactly what another Irish fan said.

If that was the case, shouldn't Notre Dame be ranked in the Top 10 every year in those preseason polls?