Phil Steele's Pre-Season Top 30

[IrishLax]

As for USF, their offense was atrocious last year and they just lost a lot of key players on that side of the ball to graduation. I expect them to field a solid defense, but given (1) last year's offensive (literally and figuratively) performance, (2) the number of returning starters, and (3) the fact that they're playing us, on the road, in their first game of the season, I'm relatively confident about a win over USF.

Their offense is actually going to be much improved. They added a RB who a #1 recruit two years ago and their passing game should be miles better.

Doesn't mean that Notre Dame won't beat them (they should) but USF could easily be the BE champion and has a solid defense to go with an offense that *should* be pretty OK. Definitely the biggest trap game on our schedule with Maryland a close second.

 

[Whiskeyjack]

Their offense is actually going to be much improved. They added a RB who a #1 recruit two years ago and their passing game should be miles better.

Doesn't mean that Notre Dame won't beat them (they should) but USF could easily be the BE champion and has a solid defense to go with an offense that *should* be pretty OK. Definitely the biggest trap game on our schedule with Maryland a close second.

They're only returning 4 starters on offense in 2011. They were ranked 105th in the nation for Total Offense last year.

I suppose you could argue they were so bad last year that 7 new starters couldn't possibly do worse than 2010's, but with that many new starters for the first game of the season? I just don't see how they possibly hang enough points on our defense to win this game.

As for Darrell Scott, the kid has struggled with injuries and consistency issues his entire college career. I'm sure USF is hoping he's going to blow up there, but odds aren't good that it happens at all; especially not in the first game.

 

[Rocket89]

Apparently Steel has Notre Dame at #6.

Hold on to your hats!!!

 

[clashmore_mike]

Athalon (not sure if that's spelled correctly) also has ND at 6. They have been the most accurate prognosticating publication recently.

 

[irishfan]

21. Houston
20. Southern Miss

 

[GoldenIsThyFame]

Athalon (not sure if that's spelled correctly) also has ND at 6. They have been the most accurate prognosticating publication recently.

Athalon also has Teo as first team All-American and Floyd as second team.

 

[irishfan]

Apparently Steel has Notre Dame at #6.

Hold on to your hats!!!

Out of curiousity, where did you hear this? And 6 seems alright, Steele has some balls when he makes his picks usually.

 

[clashmore_mike]

Out of curiousity, where did you hear this? And 6 seems alright, Steele has some balls when he makes his picks usually.

I saw him tweet it a couple days ago.

 

[Sherm Sticky]

Athalon also has Teo as first team All-American and Floyd as second team.

Sounds about right.

 

[irishfan]

I saw him tweet it a couple days ago.

Thanks. I always wonder if these magazines have any impact on the voters. I've assumed this whole off-season we would be pre-season 17-20, but now I could see us being closer to 15ish.

 

[IrishLax]

They're only returning 4 starters on offense in 2011. They were ranked 105th in the nation for Total Offense last year.

I suppose you could argue they were so bad last year that 7 new starters couldn't possibly do worse than 2010's, but with that many new starters for the first game of the season? I just don't see how they possibly hang enough points on our defense to win this game.

As for Darrell Scott, the kid has struggled with injuries and consistency issues his entire college career. I'm sure USF is hoping he's going to blow up there, but odds aren't good that it happens at all; especially not in the first game.

This is exactly my argument haha.

 

[woolybug25]

Whiskey beat me to the punch on Darrell Scott. I watched him play at CU and wasnt impressed. He has been hurt a lot so far in his career, but keep in mind, he couldnt even keep the starting gig at CU. Maybe Skip will get the best of him, but I do not fear Darrell Scott.

 

[Green Goblin]

Also ... Im not scared of LSU.

Me neither.

Their Qb, Jefferson, is not that great or consistent. If they had a more capable QB, I'd be nervous, a lot of people claim their back-up Zack Mettenburger is better but that remains to be seen. I feel like our defense could hold its own against a Jefferson-led LSU offense.

LSU definitely has that SEC speed defense and if our offense hasn't clicked like our defense did last season... I don't know if we could move the ball enough to win.

The offense couldn't put our defense in the same position as it did at USC and hope to pull out a win there.

 

[irishfan]

As has been mentioned, Athlon Sports has ND #6. Like Steele, they are releasing a team a day, and today is ND.

College Football | AthlonSports

 

[ACamp1900]

And so it begins... haters are going to be out in full force... ESPN is going to jump all over it and play the flip side for ratings... ugh...

 

[Bogtrotter07]

So LSU scares you. Because of a game played a half of a decade ago? Do you think we are worse than the Weiss team? Do you think LSU is better than they were?

 

[irishfan]

19. Oklahoma State

Little surprised that they are this low. Same with Wisconsin.

 

[phork]

I don't think we'll be playing LSU in a BCS game because I think LSU will be in the championship game. They are absolutely stocked. We will be in a BCS game though.

 

[irishfan]

18. Texas

 

[rikkitikki08]

Preseason ranking are pointless, but 6 is a realistic goal in my opinion.

 

[beryirish]

Manti Te'o will be on the cover of this year's Phil Steele College Magazine!!

 

[NDinL.A.]

Manti Te'o will be on the cover of this year's Phil Steele College Magazine!!

Sweet!

Steele better not allow fans to vote for his cover anymore, or at the very least not put an ND layer there, b/c if he does there will be an ND player on the cover for the next 20 years...

 

[irishfan]

17. USC

 

[IrishLax]

Steele is doing a great job (in my humble opinion) on ranking teams on their actual talent not hype and past results. I say that assuming Auburn is nowhere in the Top 30.

 

[SB Town]

Honestly, I want us ranked as highly as possible. There's no difference to me between us being ranked #20 or #5 in the pre-season. I've already heard enough people bitch about ND always being overrated, it doesn't really matter at this point. And recruits have to look at rankings.

Anyone who has complained about Notre Dame being overranked for the past couple seasons is a complete fool.

Do people even realize we haven't even been ranked since 2006? It's obvious and I hate to say it but ever since the '06 season we weren't good enough to be ranked. The whole clausen/weis ordeal was a disaster, how could we have possibly been overranked with no ranking at all?

 

[IrishInColumbus]

Do people even realize we haven't even been ranked since 2006? It's obvious and I hate to say it but ever since the '06 season we weren't good enough to be ranked.

Notre Dame was ranked in 2009, in weeks 2, 9 and 10.

 

[irishfan]

16. Stanford

Wow, surprised by this one. Very low for them, most rankings have them around 5.

 

[ACamp1900]

any fan who thinks ND should feel good about a matchup with LSU in in serious need of Kool Aide re-hab....


not saying we couldn't beat them... but com on...

 

[johnnykillz]

16. Stanford

Wow, surprised by this one. Very low for them, most rankings have them around 5.

Yeah. It seems too high until we straight WHOOP that a$$.

 

[Sherm Sticky]

any fan who thinks ND should feel good about a matchup with LSU in in serious need of Kool Aide re-hab....


not saying we couldn't beat them... but com on...

^This