What are your honest expectations for the rest of the season?

[Irish52]

Pass defense was the killer in this game: our corners need to understand you can't stop the pass if you don't know where the ball is and also, you must be in front or side of the receiver once you get to the end zone. Standing behind him only gives you the opportunity to watch him catch it. Perhaps a litte more coaching is in order. Go Irish.

 

[ND_HAS_RISEN]

Exactly how I feel every year. I have been a fan since I was 7 years old. I'm 34 now. Nothing seems to get better besides the athletes and maybe the coaches. As far as winning? It's just not going to happen until we join a conference. We need to join a conference and schedule 3-4 cupcake teams to get primed for conference play. That's what all the other teams do.

Notre Dame football is IRRELEVANT. We are NOT better than everyone else. We need to get off our high horse and join a conference and do it NOW! Until then we will continue to go 7-5 or 6-6 with a 9-3 sprinkled in every 5 years or so. Heck, even if we do join a conference we will still probly lose 4 games per year.

Bottom line? ND football is dead people. It died after Lou Holtz left and wont't ever be back. So take off your green sunglasses and stop drinking the green kool aid because every year you are just going to be disappointed.

I am 31, and been a fan since I was 13. I didn't witness the last time ND was really relevant. I became a fan in 93' after I moved back to the US from being in Japan for 6 years with my dad (Military), and fell in love with them the first time I saw them against FSU. I have stuck with them thru everything, and I have never waivered. I have always tried to stay optimistic and every single time get screwed. I have a 6 foot ND flag hanging in my office at work that gets a constant barrage of hate every single day, whilst right in the middle of Nebraska fandemic. Every week I have to say something to defend my beloved Irish, and every week, I (as well as all ND fans) fight a battle with ZERO ammunition. What do you say to the person that fills your office up with Michigan "Go Blue" signs? How can anybody possilbly defend ND after that game? There is NOTHING to defend. Ok, so i say, "well you can't win a game with 5 T/O's but that can't happen every game, so we should be ok". Well guess what guys, that defensive statement just got decimated AGAIN last night.


EPIC FAIL!

 

[NoJusticeNoPeace]

My prediction is I'll be really excited for college basketball very soon. Loss to MSU, USC, and Stanford are guarantees, and Air Force, Navy, and Boston College are likely as well. This team blows.

 

[pkt77242]

Prediction 8-4

Best case 9-3
Worst case 6-6

 

[IrishLax]

Exactly how I feel every year. I have been a fan since I was 7 years old. I'm 34 now. Nothing seems to get better besides the athletes and maybe the coaches. As far as winning? It's just not going to happen until we join a conference. We need to join a conference and schedule 3-4 cupcake teams to get primed for conference play. That's what all the other teams do.

Notre Dame football is IRRELEVANT. We are NOT better than everyone else. We need to get off our high horse and join a conference and do it NOW! Until then we will continue to go 7-5 or 6-6 with a 9-3 sprinkled in every 5 years or so. Heck, even if we do join a conference we will still probly lose 4 games per year.

Bottom line? ND football is dead people. It died after Lou Holtz left and wont't ever be back. So take off your green sunglasses and stop drinking the green kool aid because every year you are just going to be disappointed.

This is the only part I don't agree with. If Boise State can go from nowhere to a perennial power... Notre Dame can too. USC was AWFUL before they got Pete Carroll to take the reigns. Stanford? Stanford had like 1 win before Harbaugh took over... and look what he was able to do. The right coach can build a team from nothing to awesome if he has the time to do it and is the right guy. I'm not convinced Brian Kelly is the right guy, but I'm giving him at least 5 years.

The answers is creating a schedule with 3-4 TRUE cupcakes to start the year + 4-5 teams that are mediocre/bad in every given year + 2 "good" teams + 2 actually tough teams. That's how every other team in every other conference (except certain teams in the SEC) does it.

Look at Alabama last year! BY FAR the best team in the nation top to bottom but their schedule was set up so poorly that they lost 3 games. That team had NO BUSINESS losing 3 games but they didn't have a manageable schedule. I heard Urban Meyer say on TV the three most important things to being a successful coach are: play a manageable schedule, play a manageable schedule and play a manageable schedule. We do not do that because we are too arrogant.

Right now our schedule starts off with 2 "good" teams -> 1 actually tough team -> 1 "good" team -> 2 mediocre/bad -> 1 actually tough team -> 2 mediocre/bad -> 1 "good" -> 1 mediocre/bad -> 1 actually tough. So that's 0 cupcakes, 5 mediocre/bad teams, 4 "good" teams and 3 actually tough teams. Stupid. Really, really stupid. And 2012 is going to be even worse.

 

[NDOM]

This is the only part I don't agree with. If Boise State can go from nowhere to a perennial power... Notre Dame can too. USC was AWFUL before they got Pete Carroll to take the reigns. Stanford? Stanford had like 1 win before Harbaugh took over... and look what he was able to do. The right coach can build a team from nothing to awesome if he has the time to do it and is the right guy. I'm not convinced Brian Kelly is the right guy, but I'm giving him at least 5 years.

The answers is creating a schedule with 3-4 TRUE cupcakes to start the year + 4-5 teams that are mediocre/bad in every given year + 2 "good" teams + 2 actually tough teams. That's how every other team in every other conference (except certain teams in the SEC) does it.

Look at Alabama last year! BY FAR the best team in the nation top to bottom but their schedule was set up so poorly that they lost 3 games. That team had NO BUSINESS losing 3 games but they didn't have a manageable schedule. I heard Urban Meyer say on TV the three most important things to being a successful coach are: play a manageable schedule, play a manageable schedule and play a manageable schedule. We do not do that because we are too arrogant.

Right now our schedule starts off with 2 "good" teams -> 1 actually tough team -> 1 "good" team -> 2 mediocre/bad -> 1 actually tough team -> 2 mediocre/bad -> 1 "good" -> 1 mediocre/bad -> 1 actually tough. So that's 0 cupcakes, 5 mediocre/bad teams, 4 "good" teams and 3 actually tough teams. Stupid. Really, really stupid. And 2012 is going to be even worse.

I got us at 5-7 next year.

 

[NoJusticeNoPeace]

I agree with Lax. Stop opening with Michigan and South Florida and open with Ball State and Indiana State.

 

[IrishCurse84]

Stanford, Maryland, Navy, Sparty, SC 3 losses. 7-5

 

[DuffHouse12]

lax i agree with your view of the schedule, but the reason is not arrogance. its contracts.

 

[ND_HAS_RISEN]

This is the only part I don't agree with. If Boise State can go from nowhere to a perennial power... Notre Dame can too. USC was AWFUL before they got Pete Carroll to take the reigns. Stanford? Stanford had like 1 win before Harbaugh took over... and look what he was able to do. The right coach can build a team from nothing to awesome if he has the time to do it and is the right guy. I'm not convinced Brian Kelly is the right guy, but I'm giving him at least 5 years.

The answers is creating a schedule with 3-4 TRUE cupcakes to start the year + 4-5 teams that are mediocre/bad in every given year + 2 "good" teams + 2 actually tough teams. That's how every other team in every other conference (except certain teams in the SEC) does it.

Look at Alabama last year! BY FAR the best team in the nation top to bottom but their schedule was set up so poorly that they lost 3 games. That team had NO BUSINESS losing 3 games but they didn't have a manageable schedule. I heard Urban Meyer say on TV the three most important things to being a successful coach are: play a manageable schedule, play a manageable schedule and play a manageable schedule. We do not do that because we are too arrogant.

Right now our schedule starts off with 2 "good" teams -> 1 actually tough team -> 1 "good" team -> 2 mediocre/bad -> 1 actually tough team -> 2 mediocre/bad -> 1 "good" -> 1 mediocre/bad -> 1 actually tough. So that's 0 cupcakes, 5 mediocre/bad teams, 4 "good" teams and 3 actually tough teams. Stupid. Really, really stupid. And 2012 is going to be even worse.

This is exactly why I don't understand why people are so hell bent on joining the Big 10. The conference schedule alone, along with USC or Texas or Oklahoma, etc... would be more than a good enough schedule.

I recall something that I heard from BK and Longo before the start of the season where he said "This team is built to peak in November" (It was in reference to working out, but..)WHAT?? That is not possible. Year in and year out, the 4 game gamut that ND goes through would rival even the best teams. Even the best teams in the nation could lose in the same fashion (well maybe not like last night, ND has a patent on losing like that..) in regards to turnovers and mistakes.

If this team was playing in the Big 10 this year, and was able to open up with Western Michigan and Northwestern St, then we would probably still seen the same mistakes, but still easy wins. And the win itself is the momentum! The win IS the confidence. To make mistakes like they have done and lose is the ULTIMATE slap in the face.

When I read the thread about the Texas and ND teaming up to try and join the Big 10, I was ECSTATIC! Please god, let this be TRUE!

 

[irishff1014]

At some point Kelly needs to prove a point. Bring Wood to gary for starter. He needs everyone to make sure they are replaceable. If he doesn't make some changes the recruits are going to say BYE-BYE. The play caling after we went up 14-0 was pi$$ poor.

 

[koonja]

If we lose to MSU, which they'll be heavily favored in, we could be 2-3 going into the USC game. I bet the recruits are real excited about that.

At this point I don't care about recruiting, however. The team we field is good enough to win 9/10 games. We have bigger problems than recruiting.

 

[enrico514]

Team is good enough to win most of the games left on the schedule... they just need to stop hurting themselves. Geez... wtf was up with Tommy's drop... did he think we were running the statue of liberty play ??? If I had not watched the last two games myself I would not believe the stupid mistakes we have made.

Only thing that truly has me worried is the play of Gray. I can't recall a CB ever having a worst game in my life... It's not just the TDs, the 64 yrd play is also on him.

 

[Sicko]

Bottom Line...If Notre Dame wants to be a dominating Football Program again (AND CLEARLY THEY DO), then we have to land TOP GUYS!!! I am not talking about JUST 1 EVERY YEAR, we need multiple in 1 recruiting class

Lets be HONEST, we can see the difference in a guy like Te'o, Floyd, Trevor Robinson, Cierre Wood, compared to your average 2-3 Star Recruit

Now I am not saying EVERY RECRUIT has to be a 5 Star Guy, but I am saying if we really want to get back to being a Dominating Football Program...We need MORE STARS! Because Right Now if we was to go head to head with the Best Teams from the SEC...those games wouldn't even be close and only Floyd, Wood and Te'o would look like they actually belong on the same field as those teams

but forget about Recruiting for now, as for the rest of the season, just have to stop turning the Darn Ball Over!!! AND PLEASE...Remove Riddick from Kickoff and Punt Return, he is struggling badly with that

 

[PADOMERNUT]

There are 2 things I have learned on this board....

1) For most here, the term forever applies to the next 6 months. Bc to say Notre Dame will never be good again, I just can't imagine that you all can predict what is going to happen 5, 10, 20, 50 years from now. So forever has to be months ahead, not years.

2) When can I go to Vegas with some of you. With some of the guarantees regarding games you people are throwing around, we will clean up!!

 

[BeauBenken]

I've said it before and I'll say it again.

I expect to win every single game we possibly can.

 

[Anchorman]

7-5 with possibility for 8-4 or 6-6. An injury or two puts us in range of 5-7.

 

[bert2834]

Best case 10-2.

Worst case 0-12. We don't play the cupcakes boys and girls. Every team has a chance to beat us.

If we keep having the absolute WORST LUCK, we will not win another game.

How in the hell does that ball bounce right to Denard? Seriously! WTF? Also, never seen so many underthrown balls get caught in a season, much less one damn game.

This team is really pissing me off. HOLD ON TO THE ****ING FOOTBALL!!

 

[irishff1014]

Best case 10-2.

Worst case 0-12. We don't play the cupcakes boys and girls. Every team has a chance to beat us.

If we keep having the absolute WORST LUCK, we will not win another game.

How in the hell does that ball bounce right to Denard? Seriously! WTF? Also, never seen so many underthrown balls get caught in a season, much less one damn game.

This team is really pissing me off. HOLD ON TO THE ****ING FOOTBALL!!

If Shembo doesn't jump on the pile for no reason he would have been right there to tackle Denard.

 

[koonja]

If Shembo doesn't jump on the pile for no reason he would have been right there to tackle Denard.

You honestly think Shembo would have tackled him? He hasn't made a play all year. Why start against D-Rob.

Him and Flemming (along with the entire secondary and Spond) have been a huge disappointment.

 

[Jerry]

Before the season I thought ND was a 2 loss team. Now I'm thinking they would be lucky to only lose 4 games.

 

[Irish4Life09]

One less key turnover in both games, one more key defensive stop by Gary Gray in both games and ND is UNDEFEATED and knocking on the door of the Top 10. Instead this week ND probably doesn't get any votes in the Top 25. Regardless Rees isn't the problem.

This team still has a solid shot at 11-2.

I love you BGIF, can you honestly with a straight face say you think we can rattle off 11 straight wins after what we all have witnessed the last 2 weeks? I would love to have that kind of optimism.
We have a very potent offense,and our defense is good when playing as a cohesive unit. However, the amount of penalties and turnovers is frightening.These kids have absolutely ZERO discipline and fundamentals.That is all on Kelly.
Right now I'm optimistic about being 7-5.That would be a great end to the season for me.It's almost certain we're going to lose to USC and Stanford unless something drastic happens...and then we will most likely lose to Mich.St. next week because they always give us a tough game.
That leaves us with Purdue,Pitt,Maryland,Navy,Air Force,Wake and BC.Now we always have at least one trap game,if not two....those will probably be Pitt and possibly Navy or BC.
Right now I would be ECSTATIC with 7-5.

I'm not trying to be a downer,just realistic.If we don't change things absolutely now things could get 2007 ugly.

 

[DANsanity15]

I honestly think there's a chance Next week. It's a long shot but Michigan might have been a wake up call. I'm gonna go with 8-4 7-5. I think USC and Stanford will definatly get ND, Maryland is a toss up, as is navy

 

[theclassickiller]

If we clean up the turnovers and go full throttle all game, every game, then we have the ability for 10 wins. Realistically, these kids are 18-22 years old, Kelly is still learning (I hope), and we can't stop the triple option.

W Michigan State
W @ Pitt
W @ Purdue
W Air Force
Bye
W USC
L Navy (please, please prove me wrong)
W @ Wake
W @ Maryland
W BC
L Stanford

 

[DomerInHappyValley]

My only expectation is that this team will continue to find a way to lose.
I'm watching the Red Sox again with this finding a way to lose games that they should win by 20.

 

[Irish Insanity]

All I know is we made the ESPNU fan rankings at 20. See we are still good.

ESPNU Fan Rankings
RK TEAM
1 Oklahoma
2 Alabama
3 Oregon
4 LSU
5 Florida State
6 Stanford
7 Boise State
8 Wisconsin
9 Oklahoma State
10 Texas A&M
11 Nebraska
12 South Carolina
13 Arkansas
14 TCU
15 Virginia Tech
16 Michigan State
17 Ohio State
18 Auburn
19 Mississippi State
20 Notre Dame
21 Georgia
22 Florida
23 Texas
24 Missouri
25 Penn State

 

[Grahambo]

The mistakes being made are correctable. We are beating ourselves. The past decade, when we lost, we clearly didn't have talent to hang with most teams, this year is different. Maybe this is my optimism speaking or my absolute, die hard, punch you in the mouth love for ND but there is hope. BK has us on the right track. Couldn't say that for O'Leary, Willingham, or Weis. I expected 3 losses. I say an 8 win season plus a bowl win would be a good step in the right direction.

 

[Rudy89]

lets say we win 9 or 8 games (wont happen but for the sake of this post lets say it does) what bowl options do we have? I thought we got the sun bowl last year because USC wasnt bowl eligible but I might be wrong on that. I know champs sports is an option but is that the only option?

 

[PADOMERNUT]

lets say we win 9 or 8 games (wont happen but for the sake of this post lets say it does) what bowl options do we have? I thought we got the sun bowl last year because USC wasnt bowl eligible but I might be wrong on that. I know champs sports is an option but is that the only option?

Answering that question is pointless since you are so sure we wont win that many games.

 

[NoDak_Irish]

If we win next week

Michigan State W
@ Pitt W
@ Purdue W
Air Force W
Bye
USC W
Navy W
@ Wake W
@ Maryland W
BC W
Stanford L
If we win next week which we have the talent to do, we just have to put it all together and stop coughing the ball up, we'll go on a roll possibly winning out. I think we'ed end up losing to Stanford by one score though.

If we lose next week
Michigan State L
@ Pitt L
@ Purdue W
Air Force W
Bye
USC L
Navy L
@ Wake W
@ Maryland W
BC W
Stanford L

5-7, not beating any team except for Wake Forest by double digits. We're going to be demoralized if we don't beat Michigan St. and start 0-3.
I'm still positive though, we were far and away the better team the last two weeks, if it wasn't for us turning the ball over 9 times we would be 2-0 right now sitting around 11 or 12 in the BCS standings. We've completely destroyed USF and Michigan in every stat except for turnovers.