Rumours About Game 13 Next Year

[phillyirish]

Wow......... Talk about the greatest schedule in the history of college football. Playing probably 2 teams in the top 5 (Southern Cal, and Oklahoma), not to mention 3 teams hovering around the top 10 area (Michigan, Michigan St, and Standford). Add in a couple of traditional powers, one who will be a quality team in BYU, and one full of athleticism, Miami. Then you start and end the season 7,000 miles apart, Dublin from Hawaii.

It says something when the easiest stretch of the season is Pitt, @BC, then Wake Forest.

Date Opponent
09/01 vs. Navy (Dublin, Ireland)
09/08 Purdue
09/15 at Michigan State
09/22 Michigan
BYE
10/06 vs. Miami (Soldier Field)
10/13 Stanford
10/20 BYU
10/27 at Oklahoma
11/03 Pittsburgh
11/10 at Boston College
11/17 Wake Forest
11/24 at USC
TBD at Hawaii*

*Not officially set

 

[Whiskeyjack]

I love it. BK and Swarbrick understand that they have to actively market Notre Dame to stay on top of recruiting these days.

With our schedule next year, we're very unlikely to make the BCS anyways, so this is a great way to ensure that 2012 is successful on at least one front (publicity, opening pipelines in HI, etc.) if our record disappoints.

If the game conflicts with finals, I'm sure tests can be rescheduled. Exciting for the players.

 

[Buster Bluth]

I love it. BK and Swarbrick understand that they have to actively market Notre Dame to stay on top of recruiting these days.

With our schedule next year, we're very unlikely to make the BCS anyways, so this is a great way to ensure that 2012 is successful on at least one front (publicity, opening pipelines in HI, etc.) if our record disappoints.

If the game conflicts with finals, I'm sure tests can be rescheduled. Exciting for the players.

This is the way I see it too.

 

[Rhode Irish]

@Oklahoma and @Southern Cal are tough games. The rest of them are pretty winnable (to various degrees, obviously). People are making way too much of this 2012 schedule. I've seen people on this board talking about 5 or 6 wins. With 13 games plus a bowl, I could easily see double digit wins. In fact, that is a realistic goal, IMO.

 

[stlnd01]

It's been awhile (I graduated in '01), but if I recall, finals start at least two weeks after students get back from Thanksgiving. The team might miss their dorm Christmas formals. But they'd be back well before finals. Plus they'd have a couple of long plane rides to work on those term papers.
As for the game, why not?

 

[irishog77]

I like it. For years, the Big 10 screwed up and played their final games 2 weeks before conference championship weekend. 2 weeks of out of sight, out of mind. USC started playing UCLA that same weekend as the conference championships, getting a national audience for a game they usually dominated. People began equating that victory with an SEC, Big XII, etc. conference champion's victory. The moral of the story is that voters (and fans) aren't always objective, deep discerners of information. They're influenced by what is recent, popular, and easy. ND getting a win in the same week as conference championships in a probably undivided nationally televised game (kickoff probably 9-10CST on ESPN or ESPN2) is a good thing for ND. It gives them pub and buzz going into the bowls.

 

[NDPhilly]

Maybe Kelly wants to add a automatic win next year to keep himself off the hotseat. Think about it. End the season 8-4 or would you rather it be 9-4.

 

[Buster Bluth]

I like it. For years, the Big 10 screwed up and played their final games 2 weeks before conference championship weekend. 2 weeks of out of sight, out of mind. USC started playing UCLA that same weekend as the conference championships, getting a national audience for a game they usually dominated. People began equating that victory with an SEC, Big XII, etc. conference champion's victory. The moral of the story is that voters (and fans) aren't always objective, deep discerners of information. They're influenced by what is recent, popular, and easy. ND getting a win in the same week as conference championships in a probably undivided nationally televised game (kickoff probably 9-10CST on ESPN or ESPN2) is a good thing for ND. It gives them pub and buzz going into the bowls.

Also true. reps.

 

[NoJusticeNoPeace]

Incredibly awesome. From Dublin to Honolulu.

 

[Buster Bluth]

Maybe Kelly wants to add a automatic win next year to keep himself off the hotseat. Think about it. End the season 8-4 or would you rather it be 9-4.

Yeah I'm going to go ahead and say that that is <1% of the motivation. Now, more wins and experience definitely plays a role but Kelly's job security does not depend on one game. Swarbrick saw a ton of improvement in the play of the Irish this season, and just gave him an extension. The only people who think Kelly should be on the hotseat are fools and should stick to their couches, watching NFL games, and bitching about those coaches.

 

[NDPhilly]

Yeah I'm going to go ahead and say that that is <1% of the motivation. Now, more wins and experience definitely plays a role but Kelly's job security does not depend on one game. Swarbrick saw a ton of improvement in the play of the Irish this season, and just gave him an extension. The only people who think Kelly should be on the hotseat are fools and should stick to their couches, watching NFL games, and bitching about those coaches.

I'd say that's a pretty smart move by Kelly. I was going to predict 8-4 for next year which immediately changes to 9-4 with a possibility of going 10-4? Good stuff.

 

[NDinL.A.]

I know kids are kids....and I don't mean this to be insulting whatsoever, really...but I would hope that Notre Dame players are perhaps more studious than the typical D1 football team.

Sorry Buster, but these guys are still in college, they still love to have a good time, and they are still young men with raging hormones. My wife went to Ft. Lauderdale with some football players when she was at ND and those boys knew how to have a good time. And while I would say our players are much more studious than the average D1 football player, they still party like most 20 year-olds do.

 

[Irish YJ]

Good for the kids, good for us (1 more game), and good for recruiting.... looking for the next Teo baby! And hopefully a tune up for a bowl game.... And God forbid we lose to USC, could take the sting out a little bit before bowl time...

 

[BGIF]

Yeah trips to Hawai'i are just grueling.

/sarcasm

As long as it's not during finals week, I really don't see the problem with it. It's not like being on a jet has more distractions for studying than campus.

I gather you've never been to Hawaii? Much less as a 18-21 year old.

Well ND has 3 times, twice escaping by the skin of their teeth.

In '91 Holtz took a 9-3 team to Hawaii. ND had only lost to #3 UM, #13 UTN (Hentrich got injured then ND had no place kicking game, and to #8 PSU. ND was a heavy favorite but jet lag, sun and surf, bikinis (ya don't see many in South Bend in late November resulted in a 48-42 shootout win and a drop in the polls. Holtz said he never wanted to go back to Hawaii in season - FOOTBALL season.

6 years later Davie took his first team to Hawaii to close out the season. ND was unranked but favored. The week before the game Davie said ND had learned a lesson on the first trip to Hawaii and would stay focused on football, luaus, surf lessons and the like were cancelled - "ALL BALL!" The scoring was lower but ND escaped with a one point win 23-22 scoring as time was running out. The media claimed the team was "too tight" with no fun on what should be a fun trip.

In '08 Weis after two whippings in bowls blended the fun and football for a 4 TD blowout win to eke out a winning 7-6 season.


Solid points about a late season win helping in the poll's to offset some of the conference championship games bump and that next year's tough lineup makes a BCS bowl dubious. A trip to the 50th state can be a plus for the players, homecoming for Manti and Toma, and another game on TV for recruiting.

But no matter how much better students ND may have or the better preparation they get for academics at ND, a trip to Hawaii is exhaustive, lots of distractions, and - a trap game. Keep in mind for teams that play Hawaii in conference it's a routine trip 5 hour flight. ND's coming a lot further and for the vast majority of the players this will be their first trip to paradise.

 

[GBdomer]

If we are actually playing this game i wouldnt mind spending Christmas in Hawaii.

 

[BGIF]

If we are actually playing this game i wouldnt mind spending Christmas in Hawaii.

Mele kalikimaka!

Figure on $pending 3 to 4 weeks to catch both.

 

[GBdomer]

Mele kalikimaka!

Figure on $pending 3 to 4 weeks to catch both.

BGIF beers on me.

 

[BGIF]

BGIF beers on me.

Sounds good but I'm working on the Guinness part of the season in the auld sod. Mrs BGIF is thinking East (possibly because I haven't mentioned Honolulu.)

 

[Riddickulous]

So next year we could have trips to:

Dublin - 7,242 mile round trip
Los Angeles - 3,642 mile round trip
Hawai'i - 8,650 mile round trip

Not to mention trips to Norman and Boston.

Poor players are going to be utterly exhausted by season's end. Not sure I would like this decision.

 

[BobD]

So next year we could have trips to:

Dublin - 7,242 mile round trip
Los Angeles - 3,642 mile round trip
Hawai'i - 8,650 mile round trip

Not to mention trips to Norman and Boston.

Poor players are going to be utterly exhausted by season's end. Not sure I would like this decision.

I think if it's planned properly the team will be fine. They're Fighting Irish, not a bunch of nancys and they get to sleep on the plane, they don't have to fly it.grin:

 

[rocket31]

So next year we could have trips to:

Dublin - 7,242 mile round trip
Los Angeles - 3,642 mile round trip
Hawai'i - 8,650 mile round trip

Not to mention trips to Norman and Boston.

Poor players are going to be utterly exhausted by season's end. Not sure I would like this decision.

yeah riding on those first class chartered flights must be terrible; oh the horror! how will they ever find time to sleep...

 

[irishog77]

So next year we could have trips to:

Dublin - 7,242 mile round trip
Los Angeles - 3,642 mile round trip
Hawai'i - 8,650 mile round trip

Not to mention trips to Norman and Boston.

Poor players are going to be utterly exhausted by season's end. Not sure I would like this decision.

If they're a bunch of pusses, then yeah- they will be.

 

[TerryTate]

Tired?

This is a recruiting tool. Come play for ND and go on vacation to Dublin, California, and Hawaii.

Pretty appealing.

The players will love it.

 

[Veer option]

Hypothetically, if this schedule comes to fruition wouldn't it make sense for the team to either stay on the west coast or go straight from LA to Hawaii after the U$C game?

 

[irishog77]

Hypothetically, if this schedule comes to fruition wouldn't it make sense for the team to either stay on the west coast or go straight from LA to Hawaii after the U$C game?

May want to check with George Costanza on this. After all, I think he's the travel secretary.

 

[Veer option]

Here are a couple reasons off the top of my head

Get the team adjusted to the time difference

Get the partying and distractions out of their systems

Take the long flights out of the equation.

Give Manti a chance to show the guys around

Give the coaches a chance to do their recruiting

Have the boys do some charity work will help further expand NDs image.

With the digital age, classes can be attended over the internet. Homework and classwork via PDF and emails.

 

[BobD]

Here are a couple reasons off the top of my head

Get the team adjusted to the time difference

Get the partying and distractions out of their systems

Take the long flights out of the equation.

Give Manti a chance to show the guys around

Give the coaches a chance to do their recruiting

Have the boys do some charity work will help further expand NDs image.

With the digital age, classes can be attended over the internet. Homework and classwork via PDF and emails.

and we could get quality time to recruit some Hula dancers with nice coconuts for the ND cheerleading squad also!

 

[ShamrockOnHelmet]

Haven't seen this thrown out yet;

Could be they think this year isn't going to go well. Trying to schedule Hawaii at the end to serve as a defacto "bowl" game.

 

[Whiskeyjack]

Could be they think this year isn't going to go well. Trying to schedule Hawaii at the end to serve as a defacto "bowl" game.

I refuse to believe Kelly and Swarbrick think 5-7 or worse is a serious possibility for next year.

 

[HawaiianIrish]

JESUS JOSEPH AND MARY THANK YOU!!!!!

If the Irish come to Hawaii you all will be invited to my tailgate party!!!!

Cheeeeeeeeeeee Huuuuuuuuuuuuu

GO IRISH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!