Notre Dame never plays anyone

[goldandblue]

Blah Blah Blah... Bullshit....

USF ranked 18th
Michigan ranked 22nd
Michigan State ranked 26th. (was of course 15 last week before we opened a can on them)

Someone help me, is there another school that has played 3 top 25 teams at this point???

I know this weeks standings don't really mean **** at the end of the day but how the hell do people keep saying we have such a cupcake schedule?

as of this week
Stanford #5
USF #18
Michigan #22
USC #23
Michigan State #26

Is this a cupcake schedule???

 

[NDPhilly]

USF and Michigan are in the top 25 because of us. Both aren't top 25 worthy especially USF.

 

[North Buffalo Irish]

To be honest, USF and Michigan are probably only ranked because they beat us. Anyway, the problem with our schedule isn't that it is overwhelmingly difficult. It's simply that, in any given year, there is practically never a "week off" or an easy three-game stretch to start the season.

We may not play multiple top-10 teams every year, but the sheer consistency of our opponents is what makes Notre Dame schedules difficult. Hell, we're about to play Pitt, Purdue and Air Force... and that's supposedly the EASY part of the schedule! Not that any of those are exceedingly difficult games, but you won't see many AQ teams schedule three opponents like that in their non-conference play.

 

[goldandblue]

Agreed but they are still there...

 

[EifertPower]

While I agree that we play a very good schedule always, is the reason Michigan and South Florida ranked because they are good teams or because they beat us and we were ranked high to start the season?

I truly hope I'm wrong because if South Florida does well in the Big East and Michigan does well in the Big 10 it really helps us out, but in my opinion had Gary Gray played that Denard Robinson pass properly with 23 seconds left that went for 60 yards, we beat Michigan, and Michigan doesn't get any receiving votes for the Top 25. Had we beaten South Florida on a last second field goal they'd be getting absolutely no honorable mention votes right now.

What this tells me though is that despite how many articles are written that we are irrelevant and not any good, we are extremely relevant and we still are perceived as a good team throughout the nation.

 

[BurningRiver]

the only teams we really can't touch in terms of schedule toughness is the SEC. they play an absolutely grueling conference schedule. but i'll put our schedule against any B1G, Pac-12, ACC, Big East, B12, etc. schedule any day of the week

 

[D-BOE34]

My DM is a huge Mich fan .. peep the schedule they play. If they get a bounce or a call their way they could go 12-0. Its sick. We have a way tougher schedule than most. Any point in the year. PERIOD!

IM ON HARP NOW BTW...

 

[Rhode Irish]

I think USF has a fairly good chance to win the Big East and finish with 10 wins, which would mean they'd finish the year ranked higher than they are now. Michigan, on the other hand, is simply not a good team and will not finish the year anywhere near the top-25. I have respect for USF, even though we certainly should not have lost that game. The Michigan game just makes me sick. Notre Dame hasn't lost to that poor of a team since Syracuse (and no, I have not forgot about Tulsa last year).

 

[anarin]

I think USF has a fairly good chance to win the Big East and finish with 10 wins, which would mean they'd finish the year ranked higher than they are now. Michigan, on the other hand, is simply not a good team and will not finish the year anywhere near the top-25. I have respect for USF, even though we certainly should not have lost that game. The Michigan game just makes me sick. Notre Dame hasn't lost to that poor of a team since Syracuse (and no, I have not forgot about Tulsa last year).

If WVU wasn't playing in their conference.

 

[PJWhitfield]

I.U. would be a fun way to start the season.

 

[McMeanass]

If WVU wasn't playing in their conference.

I know of at least one mainstream college football writer who picked USF to win the Big East before they even beat Notre Dame.

They got into the Top 25 because they beat us. They're going to stay there because they're actually a pretty damn good football team.

Michigan of course is another story.

Regardless, the Irish traditionally play one of the toughest schedules in the nation. Somebody correct me if I'm wrong here, but I remember reading that there are only a couple schools (I believe USC is one of the others) that have never scheduled a 1AA/FCS opponent. We're one of them.

 

[irish1958]

The "brutal SEC" schedule consists of at most two or three tough games and a bunch of DIV II and cup cakes.
If ND had that type of schedule we would be, in our worst year, 9&3.

 

[irish4ever]

Wait until next year, ugh .... @MSU, scUM, the Canes, Standford, BYU, @ Oklahoma, Pitt, @ BC, @ USC. That's going to be brutal!

 

[IrishLax]

USF was second only to WVU in odds to win the Big East at the start of the year. WVU's offense is impressive, their defense is not. Going to be interesting.

 

[Aerosmith777]

To be honest, USF and Michigan are probably only ranked because they beat us. Anyway, the problem with our schedule isn't that it is overwhelmingly difficult. It's simply that, in any given year, there is practically never a "week off" or an easy three-game stretch to start the season.

We may not play multiple top-10 teams every year, but the sheer consistency of our opponents is what makes Notre Dame schedules difficult. Hell, we're about to play Pitt, Purdue and Air Force... and that's supposedly the EASY part of the schedule! Not that any of those are exceedingly difficult games, but you won't see many AQ teams schedule three opponents like that in their non-conference play.

This is what I"ve been saying for years. It's not that ND plays a top team every week, it's just that they never play a complete crap team, like a Div 1AAAAAA or something like that, like so many of the conference teams do. That's what makes their schedule so grueling. Conference fans can never seem to grasp that.

 

[ARALOU]

Ask South Carolina how much they enjoyed playing the "cupcake" known as Navy. You can also ask Ohio State that same question.

 

[GO IRISH!!!]

While I am very proud about how ND does not schedule cup cakes, it might be nice to once in a while start the season with Podunk U or South Houston Institute of Technology just so we can have a lighter game to start the season. It is hard to have all 12 regular season games be nail biting, ulcer inducing slug fests.

Just once I would love to see a nice 63-7 week one ND romp!

 

[cowme]

Wait until next year, ugh .... @MSU, scUM, the Canes, Standford, BYU, @ Oklahoma, Pitt, @ BC, @ USC. That's going to be brutal!

Stanford - Luck - Harbaugh = meh

 

[Green Goblin]

Wait until next year, ugh .... @MSU, scUM, the Canes, Standford, BYU, @ Oklahoma, Pitt, @ BC, @ USC. That's going to be brutal!

USC will be weaker theoretically speaking anyway.

Unless they find a super QB behind Barkley, they'll have a new QB, feeling the effects of the sanctions and another year of regression under Kitten.

Seriously, that guy is a TERRIBLE coach.

 

[McMeanass]

The "brutal SEC" schedule consists of at most two or three tough games and a bunch of DIV II and cup cakes.
If ND had that type of schedule we would be, in our worst year, 9&3.

I don't know if I'm comfortable saying we'd be 9-3 in our worst year but I agree with the sentiment anyway. The 'brutal SEC' argument is ridiculously overblown by virtue of the National Championship run. Props to LSU for scheduling a tough slate, but go up and down the rest of the SEC and there's not much to impress.

Florida hasn't left the state of Florida to play a non-conference game in about 250 years. Seriously FAU, UAB, and a win against visiting Tennessee and we're supposed to believe this is a good team? Oh, and they have freaking Furman on the backend. Color me impressed.

Alabama sandwiched a declining Penn State with traditional powerhouses Kent State and North Texas.

Auburn had Utah State and now Florida Atlantic in it's non-conference slate (kudos for Clemson I guess?).

Georgia took a risk with Boise State but also has Coastal Carolina (a win they're celebrating by the way) and New Mexico State on the schedule.

Arkansas opened with Missouri State, New Mexico and Troy, oh my!

Kentucky had W. Kentucky, Central Michigan and Lousiville (at home...which they lost) and they have Jacksonville State after their off week.

Ole Miss took some risks with BYU and Fresno State (a respectable program at worst) but still had/has SIU and La Tech.

MSU (Dan Mullens doesn't have a win against an SEC West team outside of Ole Miss) got a stiff test from Memphis and has La Tech, Tennessee Martin and UAB still remaining.

South Carolina took a couple chances with Navy and ECU and has Clemson on the backend. Citadel is the only real patsy.

Tennessee built all that "Tyler Bray is Great!!" hype on Montana and a down Cincinnati in their house and still has Buffalo and Middle Tennessee on the slate.

Vandy has Army, Elon (who?) and Connecticut OOC. Not terrible I guess?

I live right in the heart of SEC country (Ozark, AL) and my sports radio options are Finebaum, Finebaum and more Finebaum so I'm perpetually inundated with the junk about the SEC being so tough. It's really a tired argument.

Vandy is traditionally terrible. Ole Miss is traditionally terrible. Kentucky is traditionally terrible. Just about any average to good team in the country could go 3-0 against that slate. Add three BS OOC games and you're racking up 6 wins easy.

Mississippi State hasn't been relevant in some time, didn't win a game they weren't supposed to last year, and might warrant the award for "Most Undeserving Preaseason Ranking in History." (okay...Georgia has a case too) Sure the Irish opened 0-2, but they put a hell of a product on the field and had some ridiculously unpredictable things go against them in those games. MSU did nothing to inspire the preaseaon hype they garnered, outside of being in the same conference as the last National Champ.

Auburn, outside of a pretty ridiculous run on the back of arguably the best college football player I've ever seen hasn't been much more than a good, occasionally great, team.

Arkansas is much the same. They became 'nationally relevant' when a big kid from Michigan transferred down south and started chucking the football around. They come back to earth on Saturday.

Tennessee has been pretty *** since the twilight of Philip Fulmer's run.

It's not so terribly different than any other conference really. They're extremely top heavy in LSU and Alabama largely on the strengths of their defenses (Jarrett Lee and AJ McCaron aren't scaring anyone) which are undoubtedly very good. South Carolina is pretty good and Florida has a chance to be good. And yet they traditionally dominate the top 25 because they play such a "brutal" conference schedule.

Look at them OOC (outside of the 2 or 3 best teams) and you get a pretty clear picture of how good the SEC really is. Boise State pasting Georgia tells me just about everything I need to know. LSU put it on Oregon, no doubt, but they're actually really good.

There are some truly elite teams in the SEC. Of that there is no question. But why does it need to go farther than that?

 

[ARALOU]

I too, live in SEC country. They have some of the best programs in the country without a doubt. I remember a few years back they always cried that they get no shot at a NC because they beat up on each other blah...blah...blah. It was sort of true I guess, but now they are pretty much granted a shot even it a team has 2 losses. I personally think this year Oklahoma can play with any of them maybe even FSU. I would also think Wisconsin could hang too. The Irish are maybe a year or two away from being able to compete with the upper 3 or 4 SEC teams. You never know though, that's why the games are played.

 

[k1ssme1m1r1sh]

Personally, I'd rather see ND's schedule stay the same, gives me something to trash talk when Michigan plays the Akron school of Wreath making and goes 4-0 to start the season then crashes and burns their last 6 games in a row.

 

[ARALOU]

A friend of mine (Bama fan) was quacking about his team the other night and I said something about the "cupcakes" on their schedule. He said "yeah PSU is pretty much a cupcake and we even had a cupcake bowl game last year, MSU." I had to laugh and agree a little. Bama is stacked like Oklahoma.