ESPN's 2012 pre-season rankings

[NDJimmy]

People are apprehensive about DB. They may surprise. Sometimes a good DL creates a good DBs.

 

[irishtrain]

I hope someone pops off to me about Notre Dame's schedule-I may drop 'em. Dont see much success next year with that row to hoe. 7-5. 8-4 would be a really good season. BYU/Oklahoma/Stanford/southern cal/Mich/State/Miami-----mercy. Plus the beat up factor opens up the chance for upsets. If Alabama played that schedule with that difference in offenses/areas of the country/weather/rivalry atmosphere/ they'd losse 3 times. Maybe one of the toughest schedules ever attempted. Hell lets throw in the Steelers for good measure.

 

[NDJimmy]

Bring it!
Show me what you got.

 

[NDJimmy]

I looked at ND's schedule in 1989, and 1943, and 1952.
Sometimes you've got the balls to begin with. Sometimes what you're faced with makes you grow some.

 

[phork]

Man there are some Negative Nancys around here. We should be 11-0 heading in to USC.

 

[Meacon Irish]

There seems to be confusion on this board as to what constitutes negativity and pessimism. The majority of the posts in this thread are realistic. We have quite a few question marks heading into this year. We don't have a starting quarterback. And our defensive backfield is younger than I can remember in recent history.

Just because some of us aren't riding this team to the National Title on blind faith doesn't make us negative. It makes us grounded. Should we overachieve, we'll be thrilled. But should we finish around 8-4 or 7-5, we won't be over-reacting and asking for Brian Kelly's head like so many people were at the end of this last season.

 

[JeremyND07]

I am glad to hear a lot of realist this offseason! It will make the season a lot easier to bare! I agree 7-5 or 8-4. I think it would be a good season if we do not get destoried by USC and OK! How many loses put BK on the hot seat for next year? I think 6-6...

 

[phork]

There seems to be confusion on this board as to what constitutes negativity and pessimism. The majority of the posts in this thread are realistic. We have quite a few question marks heading into this year. We don't have a starting quarterback. And our defensive backfield is younger than I can remember in recent history.

Just because some of us aren't riding this team to the National Title on blind faith doesn't make us negative. It makes us grounded. Should we overachieve, we'll be thrilled. But should we finish around 8-4 or 7-5, we won't be over-reacting and asking for Brian Kelly's head like so many people were at the end of this last season.

I am glad to hear a lot of realist this offseason! It will make the season a lot easier to bare! I agree 7-5 or 8-4. I think it would be a good season if we do not get destoried by USC and OK! How many loses put BK on the hot seat for next year? I think 6-6...

My plan is working. Muahahaha.

 

[NDFan4Life]

Man there are some Negative Nancys around here. We should be 11-0 heading in to USC.

This has been asked before, but who are you and what have you done with our Phork?!?!?

 

[irishtrain]

There seems to be confusion on this board as to what constitutes negativity and pessimism. The majority of the posts in this thread are realistic. We have quite a few question marks heading into this year. We don't have a starting quarterback. And our defensive backfield is younger than I can remember in recent history.

Just because some of us aren't riding this team to the National Title on blind faith doesn't make us negative. It makes us grounded. Should we overachieve, we'll be thrilled. But should we finish around 8-4 or 7-5, we won't be over-reacting and asking for Brian Kelly's head like so many people were at the end of this last season.

Exactly-I'm not posting to compete with Skip Bayless-I'm just saying as Meacon stated that its a good coach with a very difficult schedule. In the past when Notre Dame played rough schedules THEY were the team with all the players-now is not that time. They're good (very good maybe) but this schedule is by today's standards unprecedented.

 

[Rees 4 Heisman]

This is going to be a hard season, we play some good teams. If we go 8-5 or 9-4 I will be happy as long as we look better then last year. Thats why I wasnt mad about this season, we looked better then last year.

 

[DillonHall]

What team doesn't have questions marks? We'll have strengths that we didn't have last year (better pass rush, hopefully a more consistent and exciting QB) to balance some of the weaknesses.

It's early, but I say 8-4 at worst

 

[Irish YJ]

What team doesn't have questions marks? We'll have strengths that we didn't have last year (better pass rush, hopefully a more consistent and exciting QB) to balance some of the weaknesses.

It's early, but I say 8-4 at worst

^this...

I think BK will figure out the QB situation. If he doesn't, he won't get another year. Even with Turnover Tommy, we can go 8-4. If someone steps up at QB, we should be 9-3. If CB and WR matures as well, 10-2 is attainable.

 

[NDhoosier]

Anyone who says 6-6 or 7-5 at best is a pure pessimist and needs to pop, lock, and drop it, because they are not being objective at all.

8-4 at worst, 11-1 at best... Realistically, I see it 9-3 with us playing a bad game to someone other than UO and USC.

 

[NDinFL]

Man there are some Negative Nancys around here. We should be 11-0 heading in to USC.

 

[palinurus]

9-4 with a bowl win, and I will wet my pants in joy.

 

[irishff1014]

ALot will change before the season will start so it nice to see alot of positive thoughts lets sit back and relax a little.

 

[TheRealLynch51]

11-2, with a win in a BCS bowl!! WOOHOO for optimism!!

 

[NoJusticeNoPeace]

If we can beat Michigan, USC, Oklahoma, or Stanford, I'll be thrilled. I don't see it though.

 

[Who'saWildManNow]

Call me a homer but if a viable QB steps up we can win every game on that schedule.

It's a matter of being able to sustain a winning attitude and mindset the whole time. It can be tough for a program that has been down to do that.

The onus is obviously on Kelly to have these kids knowing they will win week in and week out.

But like I said, without a capable field general all we'll hear is confident excuses and resolutions to get better and keep striving yada yada yada.

 

[ACamp1900]

just win 6 games...

 

[gkIrish]

I think someone posted this at some point a few months ago but

Pessimist: 6-6
Realist: 8-4
Optimist: 10-2
Insane: 12-0

Where do you fit?

 

[ACamp1900]

I think someone posted this at some point a few months ago but

Pessimist: 6-6
Realist: 8-4
Optimist: 10-2
Insane: 12-0

Where do you fit?

all joking aside I would be in the 8-4ish area..

 

[Kanye West]

0--12

 

[JDAtlanta]

I am going to say 7-5 at worst. There will be a general upgrade in athleticism throughout the team. Team speed will be up. After the last two years of horrible luck, bad bounces and key injuries, we are due for a reversal of those issues. I do think we will be better in 2013 than 2012.

 

[irishff1014]

0--12

Wrong Answe

 

[palinurus]

Wait 'til 2013.

 

[DillonHall]

If we can beat Michigan, USC, Oklahoma, or Stanford, I'll be thrilled. I don't see it though.

I'd be kind of disappointed if we didn't beat both Michigan and Stanford at home

 

[phgreek]

Here's the deal... our schedule could be a lot easier than anticipated but at the same time is absolutely killer in its current incarnation. Michigan should be "meh" next year unless their defense takes a big leap forward which I strongly doubt they do. Michigan State is replacing Cousins... so that's a total crapshoot in Week 3. Miami could be awesome or horrible. Stanford should be WAY worse than #13 replacing Luck... that team has no talent in the skill positions and that was masked by Luck's awesomeness and their incredible OL. Oklahoma is NEVER as good as they're supposed to be and was horrible to end this year without Broyles... Landry Jones is no better than Cousins or any other middle tier QB... and that team never has a defense.

BYU, Pitt, BC, Wake could all be very good teams... or pretty average to bad teams.

USC is the only opponent on our schedule where you can say surely "that team is better than us at every single position" except maybe DL and LB and very possibly OL.

I think 8-4 would be fantastic. I think if the breaks fall our way and all of the question marks on our opponent's teams don't pan out we could maybe go 10-2. I think 6-6 is far more probable than 10-2 though. Unless Tee Shephard is a total baller or Jalen Brown/Josh Atkinson steps up huge we're going to have serious issues stopping a couple of the teams on our schedule that like to air it out.

The weird thing is when you take the schedule a game at a time it doesn't look so bad. I think we start the year 4-0. We're going to be far more talented than the first 3 teams on our schedule and eventually the ball has to bounce our way against Michigan. And then head into an early off date... which should give us a very solid chance to beat Miami and then incredibly overrated Stanford. Then on paper we should beat BYU... so wtf? At that point we'd be 7-0? That's crazy. @OU should be a loss and then barring injuries we should be favored on paper against the next 3 teams. Makes you think 10-2 is possible. But it's probably an illusion.

Going to be a strange season... that's for sure.

I'm in that range...

I thinnk if we go 3-0, we get clipped by Miami. If we lose to anyone in the first 3 games we'll likely be in a position to play Miami better, so I figured we'd lose one of Miami or Michigan.

I still need to pick against us for USC and OKlahoma...until I see us show up in a big game, I gotta say we lose. Then we get clipped by one other team ...guessing Michigan State or Stanford.

I said 4 Ls next year would be my expectation...hoping for way better.

 

[notredomer23]

7-5 at worst 11-1 at best