ESPN Notre Dame Season Preview

[goldenisthytate1]

6-6 I think is a little bias. But then again, we did lose our two best players to the draft and we're completely changing our offensive gameplan. Heres the Link: Notre Dame Season Preview

 

[GreatGolson]

Well he said they COULD got 9-3, so ill take it as an OK preview

 

[GDomer09]

6-6 I think is a little bias. But then again, we did lose our two best players to the draft and we're completely changing our offensive gameplan. Heres the Link: Notre Dame Season Preview

He's saying we could go 4-2 the first 6 games on our way to a (9) win season. He also said a realistic guess would be 3-3 the first 6 games, which would put us at 7-5 not 6-6. I don't agree with the so called realistic prediction. With the talent & the schedule I don't see us losing any more than 4 games. 8-4 is realistic IMO.

 

[tonyroberts4life]

The success of the team does rest on the defense's shoulders, and I think this defense may surprise some people. The linebackers seem to be very physical and athletic, and as long as the defensive line can put some pressure on opposing quarterbacks and help out the secondary, they could get along o.k. A little bias here, but I see a 9 win season.

 

[no.1IrishFan]

I have to say that out of all of the analysts at ESPN Herby is by far my favorite. He gives an honest evaluation of what he thinks without bias. I've even heard him talk down his Buckeyes before for the way they were playing. 9-3, 8-4 is fine with me.

 

[Irish Man3]

Say Ive had a little to much kool-aid or say whatever else you'd like but I see 10-2. Im sorry and I know its partially due to me being a fan but I can see it. I think we have the depth and certainly the talent. We lost so many close games last year due to lack of preparation and discipline, and I just dont think BK will let us step onto the field and be outcoached.

 

[ACamp1900]

8-4 is BY FAR the most realistic prediction anyone could make for this team... easy.

but you could say the same thing last year... AND the year before.


Face it guys, until ND proves something on the field our credit rating is bailout quality.

 

[KPENN]

Pretty fair assessment I think. I like Herby he's one of the best analysts espn's got IMO.

 

[eNDzone]

I don't see where he came up with 6-6. If Herby thinks we are going to go 3-3 in the first half of the season,then that means we will go 3-3 in the last half. Does that mean ND is going to lose to Navy again? Even the doom and gloomers can't think we won't improve enough by then.
Closer to what Irish Man3 said.

 

[KPENN]

I don't know where you guys get the 6-6 talk. What I got from it was we'll go 3-3 in our first 6 possibly 4-2 with a shot to win 9, but probably 8-4

 

[mgriff]

Really, what anyone says at this point can come true. We have the talent in place to shock the world and win 10 or 11. We also have played down to competition in recent years, so we have the ability to go 6-6 or 7-5. We also have a new coach who many believe will turn the program around, so a solid eight or nine win season is also a possibility, given Kelly's success at turning programs around. All of those above scenarios are possible, and the pessimists usually pick 6-6, the optimists usually go 10-2, and the largest demographic seems to be the 8-4, 9-3 crowd. This is across all of college football. No single area is lacking for supporters though, and that simply goes to show how much of an enigma ND is going to be this year. Six more days!

 

[IrishGiant]

I didn't think it was such a bad preview. He gives us props for having one of the toughest early schedules in college, and said we could go 4-2 in those games, and may end up with 9 wins. I'd like to win em all, but after last year I'll take a 9 win season. Imagine the excitement if we start off 6-0?

 

[phgreek]

I think everyone sees the potential...but like many of us...they want to see some results so everyone is hedging some...it'll be better than 6 wins I think

 

[Bambino Lino]

Are the first 6 games really as hard as Herby is making them out to be? I think Pittsburgh will be the only game where we're looked at as the surefire underdog. I think we match up really well against our three Big Ten opponents. I know 3-3 is a strong possibility, but I think 4-2 is more likely, and 5-1 is certainly not out of reach.

 

[JMF]

While I thought Herby's preview was spot on for the most part, I'll go more the 8-4 route as opposed to the 6-6. Our first 6 are going to be hell... a lot of genuine rivalries, but a lot of those same teams (i.e. Michigan) are going through just as much problems/changes/transitions as the Irish can be labled with. Out of the first 6, at least 4-2 start would be beautiful.

 

[RDU Irish]

7-5 would be a disappointing season in my book. 8-4 is my baseline for an OK season given our schedule. We would need to be bitten hard by the injury bug or have some teams really play the lights out to make 7-5 palatable for me.

6-6 is an irrationally negative stance IMO. 8-4 seems like a rational prediction to me with a much better chance of winning two or three more than that versus losing two or three more.

 

[Old Man Mike]

I watched that thing and I don't believe Herbstreit believes that 6-6 is likely either. His response to Musberger was to Brent's question that forced him towards coming down from his initial more optimistic assessment. Herbstreit may not guess 9-3 but he doesn't believe 6-6 either. His 4-2 start leads him naturally to 8 wins or so. {What I believe this also is an example of, since all the pre-field-testing gabble of whether we're any good or not is mainly fun BS, is that a quite large number of media people, and folks in general, still have some good wishes for Notre Dame. If we live up to what they'd like us to be---gentlemanly and manly at the same time---I think that we'll always have admirers of who we are and what we stand for}.

 

[tankjeep]

i like herbie and i think he does a good job of assessing what's in front of him. like people have already pointed out, 6-6 is way too negative and i don't see it happening. 8-4 is probably the more realistic view given the circumstances of a new coach with a system that this school hasn't seen and a defense that struggled the year before.

as for me.....i'm drinking (nope i'm bonging) the kool-aid. i see us with nine wins. i like what i keep reading/hearing about kelly and his ability to make the most of the talent he has at his disposal. and he's got talent here at ND.

go IRISH!!!!

 

[IrishSLC]

I think it's a pretty good honest analysis. I'm hoping for 8-4. Would be disappointed with 6-6, be perfectly O.K. with 7-5, and out of my mind excited and optimistic for the future with 9+ wins!

I just don't want to over expect and be let down.. I regularly hear that ND has underachieved the last few years with the talent and poor defense in games. (As a fan I view it this way too)..but Non-ND fans see that as who they are - a .500 team that get hyped and it's hard to argue with that..

They need to do it on the field and earn respect. Can't wait to watch them start earning it this Saturday!

 

[IrishLax]

Realistically, we could finish as bad as 5-7 if we lost to UM, MSU, Pitt, BC, Stanford, USC and Utah. I don't see any possible way that we would lose to Purdue, Tulsa, Western Mich, Army or Navy. So assuming those five wins, and using made-up odds for the remaining 7 games. Using probability on my personal made-up odds for the 7 contested games we should win at least (2/3) of Utah, MSU, and Mich and (1/2) of Pitt, BC, Stanford and (1/3) of USC. So that's 5 + 2 + 1.5 + .33 = 8.83 wins. Basically, 8-4 is passable for me, 9-3 is good but not great.

7 wins is bad, 10 wins exceeds my expectations.