Couple of Things...

[Whiskeyjack]

I didn't prove anything. Those teams should have been beat down badly, not 3 wins by 11 points.

Pitt, BC, and Wake Forest aren't bad teams. Final F/+ rankings were 47, 66, and 69, respectively (out of 120 in the FBS).

Scheduling is a big part of our problem. The worst teams on our schedule are usually average in the FBS, which means if we come out flat, we're in for a fight.

 

[irishfanjho15]

Pitt, BC, and Wake Forest aren't bad teams. Final F/+ rankings were 47, 66, and 69, respectively.

Scheduling is a big part of our problem. The worst teams on our schedule are usually average in the FBS, which means if we come out flat, we're in for a fight.

Yeah. ^ This doesn't matter to phork.

 

[TheTurningPoint]

Pitt beat usf
Wake beat fsu

You arent going to win every game by 30. I'll sure as hell take a 1 point ugly win where the team has to come together and gut it out, instead of ugly loss aka Syracuse/Uconn/usf...

I definitely get your point of hey ND should beat these guys easy. I would 110% agree, but BC/ND is BC/ND. Wake is a road game at night and Wake is playing NOTRE DAME at night so yea they were probably a little hyped up. Pitt...I mean it was one of those games where nothing went right, yet we won and that what good teams do. Rees got exposed that game, yet each game our defense came through. When was the last time you could say Notre Dame's defense came through??

 

[phork]

Yeah. ^ This doesn't matter to phork.

The ACC was terrible this year and BC lost to UCF and Duke, 2 perennial power houses. I apologize if my pre-season optimism (I predicted 10-2 and the BCS) is clouding my post-season reality.

 

[irishfanjho15]

The ACC was terrible this year and BC lost to UCF and Duke, 2 perennial power houses. I apologize if my pre-season optimism (I predicted 10-2 and the BCS) is clouding my post-season reality.

I was just saying that it wouldn't matter what he said about it in response to you.

 

[Grahambo]

I saw a post yesterday from my phone about how to purchase the little team icons. I can not find the post nor how to buy those icons. Would somebody be awesome enough to tell me how to do this?

 

[TheTurningPoint]

haha I hear you man. But thats exactly what ND Nation needs to get rid of! Yes, they haven't proved things here and there, but its been going up. Weis won his first 2 years. Ill take some lumps early for a different ending. Kelly is fixing what needed to be fixed with Ty and Weis. He will get there.

 

[irishff1014]

Pitt, BC, and Wake Forest aren't bad teams. Final F/+ rankings were 47, 66, and 69, respectively (out of 120 in the FBS).

Scheduling is a big part of our problem. The worst teams on our schedule are usually average in the FBS, which means if we come out flat, we're in for a fight.

You are right you can't blow out every team the thing that made me mad was our offesnive couldn't get out of its own way or make adjustments.

 

[Rocky2820]

Pitt beat usf
Wake beat fsu

You arent going to win every game by 30. I'll sure as hell take a 1 point ugly win where the team has to come together and gut it out, instead of ugly loss aka Syracuse/Uconn/usf...

I definitely get your point of hey ND should beat these guys easy. I would 110% agree, but BC/ND is BC/ND. Wake is a road game at night and Wake is playing NOTRE DAME at night so yea they were probably a little hyped up. Pitt...I mean it was one of those games where nothing went right, yet we won and that what good teams do. Rees got exposed that game, yet each game our defense came through. When was the last time you could say Notre Dame's defense came through??

We get every team's best shot every single week. There isn't a team on our schedule that doesn't circle the ND game in the preseason. That should not be underestimated. It's tough for our guys to be hyped up every single week without ever experiencing a lull. This also contributes to some of these "closer than expected" games. But the point remains that ND, more than at any other time in recent memory, is finding ways (aside from turnovers) to win these games.

 

[TheTurningPoint]

As much as winning ugly and winning close games that shouldnt be close pains me to say, it is a huge step. You can't underestimate that confidence it is building!

 

[Whiskeyjack]

The ACC was terrible this year and BC lost to UCF and Duke, 2 perennial power houses.

Those F/+ rankings I posted are opponent-adjusted. So even in light of the ACC's weakness, all three of teams were no worse than average.

You are right you can't blow out every team the thing that made me mad was our offesnive couldn't get out of its own way or make adjustments.

I chalk up the offensive struggles against Wake Forest and BC to a number of things: (1) Cave's injury; (2) opposing defenses learning how to disrupt Rees; and (3) Gray's injury (against BC at least).

 

[ACamp1900]

This program is not close to winning a title period, despite how many here like to tell themselves otherwise. This program is also not nearly as bad as haters and some here state it is. This is an above average, good program, that sure does feel snake bit at times, but is certainly not great by any stretch... That's what I see... To the " we are a player away from the 85 bears" crowd, I am a pessimist, to the haters, I'm at times delusional...

Damned if you do.

 

[NDinFL]

This program is not close to winning a title period, despite how many here like to tell themselves otherwise. This program is also not nearly as bad as haters and some here state it is. This is an above average, good program, that sure does feel snake bit at times, but is certainly not great by any stretch... That's what I see... To the " we are a player away from the 85 bears" crowd, I am a pessimist, to the haters, I'm at times delusional...

Damned if you do.

Cautiously optimistic... And there isn't a damn thing wrong with it

 

[DomerInHappyValley]

I've watched this team snatch defeat from the jaws of victory to many times over the past few years to be anything but cautious.
The mentality may be changing but it's hard to win week in and week out in CFB.
And it sure seems like every team we played this year had a horseshoe stuck squarely up their rear.
The only question I have.
What's the problem with prayer pics?

 

[tankjeep]

nice post TP. i like the direction we are headed. alabama showed that a strong defense wins championships even if you have an average offense.

our defense is going to be stout. and it will take us very far. our offense will be above average once we establish a qb that can do more than just manage the game.

go irish!!!!

 

[Dizzyphil]

nice post TP. i like the direction we are headed. alabama showed that a strong defense wins championships even if you have an average offense.

our defense is going to be stout. and it will take us very far. our offense will be above average once we establish a qb that can do more than just manage the game.

go irish!!!!

I have always liked Bear Bryant's statement that offense wins games and defense wins championships. But, we turned the ball over 29 times this year. That needs attention as well.

Diz

 

[Kak7304]

nice post TP. i like the direction we are headed. alabama showed that a strong defense wins championships even if you have an average offense.

our defense is going to be stout. and it will take us very far. our offense will be above average once we establish a qb that can do more than just manage the game.

go irish!!!!

And LSU showed that you can't win solely with defense.