2010 Record

[NDsuperfan09]

6-8 wins is my prediction.

Two things. First those underestimating Utah are in for a real surprise. This is a team who has won 2 BCS bowl games in the past 6 seasons and has won something like 7-8 bowl games in a row. Utah is a pretty big-time college football program and has certainly been better than us the past 10 years or so. Plus Whittingham is one of the best young coaches in the country. I'm not saying we are guaranteed to lose this game, but Utah is going to be a tough game.

Secondly all those underestimating Kiffin are going to be in for a shock. Remember when USC had Leinart, Bush & White and were one of the better offenses college football has seen in a long time? Kiffin was very instrumental in making that group work. His dad is the best defensive mind in all of football and he has Ed Orgeron back who was the DL coach the last time SC was playing for titles. He is an arrogant prick who writes some big checks, but anyone who thinks he will "fail" is ignorant. SC has a bunch of untapped talent on offense and defense just like us and they have a damn good coaching staff as well, they are going to be a damn good football team this year. I don't know if we will beat them this year. Personally I think our next best shot is in 2012 after Barkley leaves and hopefully the Older Kiffin is gone.


I think 6-8 wins is what the barometer for Kelly is this year. If he can get that and win a bowl game he will certainly have this thing headed in the right direction. I think we should beat Purdue, but the telling story of how our season will go is how we fare against the Michigan schools. If we can sweep those two I think we could win 8-10 games. If we split I'll stick with 6-8 wins. If we get swept then I think we are in for a long year.

All I ask of Kelly is this. Win 6-8 games, win a bowl game and set this team up for a run at a BCS game in 2011. If he can do this in his first two years I think he is going to be here for a long time. Just my two cents, though.

 

[wakeuptheechoes]

What's with all the 7-5, 8-4 predictions? You guys are snake-bit by the past few seasons. I think Kelly brings a whole new life to ND. I say he has the talent, will and smarts to win all of them, but will probably win at least 10.

I have yet to predict, but I think the ones that are predicting are considering the Faust to Holtz transition. ND had two issues then, talent and attitude. That is the difference between the CW to Kelly transition, but Kelly doesn't have to rebuild the talent pool as what seemed to be missing last year was the attitude. Particularly on defense.

This mindset may even be caused by the fact that Holtz finished his 1st year 5-6,
Ty Willingham finished his 1st year 10-3, and CW finished his 1st year 9-3, and 2nd year 10-3. For both Willingham and Weiss, after 1 year the ND Nation thought we were back only to be disappointed afterwards, actually more than just disappointed, down right embarrased. They are probably also considering that usually teams that are resurgent in their programs take the expected 3 years. Some may even be fearful of a 10-2 season this year only to fall to 7-5 next season. I personally, would like to see at least 8-4 or 9-3. But I want to see improvement. Remember, Saban didn't win a NC his first year at Alabama or LSU. But he did start making his teams better and each won that coveted NC and both teams are still able to compete for a NC because of him.

I do not know which games we win or lose, There are few guarantees. I say few, because I can guarantee I will be pulling for ND standing, pacing and nervous in front of my big screen. I start out in the Lazy Boy, but that only last about 2 minutes. I can't watch a ND game sitting down. My wife probably never will understand it.

 

[cincy gold]

i think this team has a good chance to be very good. i am not worried at all about this team getting to know a new system. i live and cincinnati and kellys 1st game was the bowl game uc was in after mark dantonio left for mich st. they have a completely different style of football especially on offense. uc looked great on offense that day and it continued after that. brian kelly can win 8 games a year strictly on his coaching ability. with the talent he has and is going to get for the coming years, there is no doubt in my mind he will win championships. he got uc to go undefeated last year with around 9 new defensive starters and qb changes. tony pike was a 5th string qb 2 yrs ago and bk got him into the nfl. expect GREAT things for the coming years. i am not a big fan of predicting a record but i know they will have the best coach and most prepared team on the field all year. usc will be tough but bk will own kiffin for a long time. assuming he is there very long

 

[DirtySecret]

80-4

 

[DaLastFarleyite]

get your facts right brotha... I predicted 6-6. And it's the past 15 seasons that have me snake bit... not the past few... lol


no, in all seriousness, everyone can say what they want, but I'm sick of these ten win plus win predictions every single year... it never changes... then we all wonder why Notre Dame fans are laughed at nationally for being completely unrealistic... when the hell was the last time we won ten games regularly????... is there ANY reason other than BK's supposed coaching ability to expect anything better than last year??? THe D front seven will be better, but the O line still looks like swiss cheese and if Danye gets hurt forget it, and even that is assuming Danye wil be agood QB... we don't know. The Secondary looks very troubling... who the hell are our safties??? I expect a repeat of the past two seasons, move the ball on both sides of the ball... really, my logic is this... we ARE Notre Dame! We are THE University of College Football in America... but we certainly have not proved much of anything over the past 15 years with the exception of 02, 05 and 06.... and all three of those years have exactly ONE big win (FSU 02) and exactly ZERO bowl wins or even good bowl showings....

so again, what in the hell are any of us basing 10 wins plus on??????.... anything can happen with any big time program like Notre Dame... but to EXPECT a ten winish season is a complete pipe dream. But I guess that's typical of our fan base these days....

Yeah, I'm pretty much in your camp on this. However, my prediction is 8-4. How is it based? Well, if you look at the last two years, ND's record entering November has been decent. Then the team falls apart. Why is that? I believe it has to do with the lack of strength and stamina of the players. CW didn't work them hard enough. They had the talent, and it showed through the early part of the schedule, but then they tired and lost a lot of the later games on the schedule in the fourth quarter. Examples, UConn and Stanford last year.

I believe that Kelly has recognized this and structured his practices to increase the players stamina as well as develop the second line players to take more snaps and keep the first line players more rested. Given the relatively same level of talent, I think this would translate into two more wins than last year. More than that gets us back to that overly optimistic view that has been continually espoused over the past 15 years.

 

[NDinL.A.]

That's a stretch.

The 2002 Irish offense was anemic. If it wasn't for Courtney Watson, Vontez Duff, Shane Walton, Gerome Sapp, and Glenn Earl causing 10,000,000 turnovers, they would've been a 6 or 7 win team. Arnaz Battle had to have had 60-70% of the yards in the passing game. There were games where Holiday threw exclusively (literally) to him because nobody else could get open.

On that note, Kelly has a much better team overall than Willingham or Weis inherited. An apparently great quarterback, a senior running back with loads of experience, a superstar wide receiver, the best tight end in the country and ten returning starters on defense.

I'm talking about wins and losses. He started out 8-0 and had the Irish all the way up to #3. The players really believed that they were going to be playing for a NC. Then came (I believe) the Boston College game and that was all she wrote.

You're right, that offense was beyond awful. That team won on defense and smoke and mirrors. While I while elated that ND was back in prominence, I never bought that Tyrone hype because if the way we were playing. I bit on Boob Davies, and I bit on CW, but I was quickly disengaged with Ty b/c of the west coast offense and the product on the field.

But getting us to #3 in the nation after 8 weeks - I'd say he was very successful his first year.

 

[NDinL.A.]

i honestly feel we are just as talented as any team we will play this year (yes, even USC) so i will not surprised with a 10 win season or even going undefeated if a few calls go our way... the more talented team should win the game, correct?

I wish I predicted 8-4 like you did last year; I was foolish enough to predict 10-2 last year and a BCS game LOL (but hey, we were 6-2 going into the Navy game! That game still pisses me off). I was off by 4 games - ouch.

Anyways, sorry, but ND is not as talented as SC. Not only in star rankings but in player development. In 2 very important categories, ND is below them - the offensive line and the defensive line. As much as I love EJ and KLM, SC has some beasts on the d-line. We have them beat at TE and WR (although RoJo is going to have a huge year for them), but our RBs haven't produced, and their QB has a whole year ahead of Crist and Crist is coming off an injury (but I do love Crist).

Both teams have issues in the secondary, esp at safety as both teams will be playing new players, so that's a wash. We have the best linebacker, but both units struggled last year. Overall, put a gun to my head and I take their roster on pure talent. But we have the far better coach, and we have very good talent and believe it or not, better depth than SC (that what several years of getting only 17-20 players per class will get you - that's what Poodle did for several years) so hopefully that will get us over the top this year when we play them...

 

[Riddickulous]

Anyways, sorry, but ND is not as talented as SC. Not only in star rankings but in player development. In 2 very important categories, ND is below them - the offensive line and the defensive line. As much as I love EJ and KLM, SC has some beasts on the d-line. We have them beat at TE and WR (although RoJo is going to have a huge year for them), but our RBs haven't produced, and their QB has a whole year ahead of Crist and Crist is coming off an injury (but I do love Crist).

The potential of SoCal's future offense is horrifying. Barkley, Baxter, Prater, Woods, Ambles? Can you say AAAAHHHHH!!! But they do have Lame Kitten coaching.

 

[irish1958]

I haven't felt this good about a coach since Lou. However, I think ND was 5-6 that year.
At last we have a college coach who is trying to instill in the players a will to win AT NOTRE DAME, and not just make a trash team in the Pros.
In the above circumstances, I feel 10 and 2 is doable. He better get cracking, as I am not getting any younger.
GO IRISH!!!

 

[NeuteredDoomer]

ND will be competitive this year because irish1958 is not getting any younger.

 

[dshans]

He better get cracking, as I am not getting any younger.
GO IRISH!!!

A 10 and 2 season would spin the clock back a turn or two for this aging Irishster, that's for sure. It would put a lyric lilt in my rants and raves, and a jaunty jig in my kick-ass happy dance.

An undefeated season, capped by a National Championship, would send me to meet me Ma and me Da in heaven with a shyte eating grin as wide as the Shannon River.

 

[Riddickulous]

Although I would be satisfied with 7 or 8 wins (as predicted), 10 wins is entirely possible given the talent of our players, the strength of our schedule, the number of returning starters on defense, and our coach.

For 10 wins, the offense will have to be semi-competent (that means consistent and able to score when they near the endzone) and the defense will have to know what the hell they're doing.

I believe we're two to three years from "elite status. That means that A) The defense is good and B) The offensive line isn't getting absolutely manhandled when facing good defensive lines and can open up the running game.

Last year's USC game is the prime example. Go and take a look at the offensive line play in that game, it's embarassing. There are literally plays where Clausen has one or two seconds before Everson Griffen is bearing down on him. As in many of our comebacks, they played prevent defense once they got the lead to keep Jimmy from going long to Golden, and that's when we got going. And the defense was on an entirely different level of suckitude in that game.

If Michael Floyd and Kyle Rudolph elect to remain at Notre Dame, then we may have a shot at a BCS bowl or even the national title game in 2011. If not, look out for 2012 with Crist, Wood, Evans, Jones, and Koyack leading the way offensively, and Manti Te'o leading the defense as a senior.

 

[rocket31]

Anyways, sorry, but ND is not as talented as SC. Not only in star rankings but in player development. In 2 very important categories, ND is below them - the offensive line and the defensive line. As much as I love EJ and KLM, SC has some beasts on the d-line. We have them beat at TE and WR (although RoJo is going to have a huge year for them), but our RBs haven't produced, and their QB has a whole year ahead of Crist and Crist is coming off an injury (but I do love Crist).

Both teams have issues in the secondary, esp at safety as both teams will be playing new players, so that's a wash. We have the best linebacker, but both units struggled last year. Overall, put a gun to my head and I take their roster on pure talent. But we have the far better coach, and we have very good talent and believe it or not, better depth than SC (that what several years of getting only 17-20 players per class will get you - that's what Poodle did for several years) so hopefully that will get us over the top this year when we play them...

oh, i agree about the defensive line. however, isnt USC rebuilding part of their o-line as well?

your points are well taken in other areas. id personally would take our TE, RBs, WRs, and even QB but i can see arguments from both sides.

 

[TDHeysus]

is there ANY reason other than BK's supposed coaching ability to expect anything better than last year??? THe D front seven will be better, but the O line still looks like swiss cheese and if Danye gets hurt forget it, and even that is assuming Danye wil be agood QB... we don't know. The Secondary looks very troubling... who the hell are our safties??? ...

could not agree more....

this is hard to see with all the BK ball washing going on. I've been quiet on it so far, chose not to respond....but its rampant. every quote from BK seems to get a response as if it was the greatest thing any coach has ever said anywhere.....

Crist is an unproven QB coming off a major injury, and he is also learning an enitre new system. I think there is a curve, a steep curve there for Crist to overcome.

 

[ryno 24]

wow your signature is true tdheysus but we have a winner as a coach and talent i am a knowledgeable optimist i know when we are usually going to win and lose but i like to think that we could be good

 

[ACamp1900]

we have a winner as a coach and talent i am a knowledgeable optimist i know when we are usually going to win and lose but i like to think that we could be good

cool,... in all honesty though this quote, basically word for word, could be applied to the average feeling of ND fans during the Davie era, the Ty era and the CW era... just saying...

at this point I need to see it first before I jump on the BCS bus again...

Notre Dame fan for life, but to me 'fan' does not mean having to put on blinders and fool yourself into unrealistic expectations... that's just where I am right now.

 

[Seamus]

I think you guys are both under and over estimating some of our schedule this year. If we lose to MSU again, at home.......? They do not have Javon Ringer and the lost their best receiver if I'm not mistaken.
Utah is good. Pitt is good but I've never consider Wanstadt much of a coach, Stanford has a good QB and Harbaugh is so off his rocker it is hard to coach against him. USuckC, not impressed. We were missing some key players for that game last year, got completely out coached (which won't happen with Kiffin) and still had every chance to win! I'm calling this one now, ND by 2 TD's over the Kiffin era Condoms.
9 and 3 regular season with some tough losses.
Bowl Win in a BCS game as the underdog!

 

[Riddickulous]

I think you guys are both under and over estimating some of our schedule this year. If we lose to MSU again, at home.......? They do not have Javon Ringer and the lost their best receiver if I'm not mistaken.
Utah is good. Pitt is good but I've never consider Wanstadt much of a coach, Stanford has a good QB and Harbaugh is so off his rocker it is hard to coach against him. USuckC, not impressed. We were missing some key players for that game last year, got completely out coached (which won't happen with Kiffin) and still had every chance to win! I'm calling this one now, ND by 2 TD's over the Kiffin era Condoms.
9 and 3 regular season with some tough losses.
Bowl Win in a BCS game as the underdog!

MSU always plays tough. Their QB is supposedly very good and they have a corps of talented young running backs. Wide receivers BJ Cunningham and Mark Dell are very good.

USC is loaded everywhere. Lane may be nothing special, but his staff is very good and he recruits like a hoss.

 

[Seamus]

Intentionality is the fiest step to Making it Happen!

Intentionality is the fiest step to Making it Happen!

cool,... in all honesty though this quote, basically word for word, could be applied to the average feeling of ND fans during the Davie era, the Ty era and the CW era... just saying...

at this point I need to see it first before I jump on the BCS bus again...

Notre Dame fan for life, but to me 'fan' does not mean having to put on blinders and fool yourself into unrealistic expectations... that's just where I am right now.

OK. I get that sentiment. It is realistic. I too have had my fill of being: overly optimistic, optimistic, cautiously optimistic......etc, ad infinitum!!
But let's let look at this in another way. From the players perspective. As "Diehards" we should believe what they believe. I've already thrown out a prediction, but I will now retract it. I will reserve any prediction until I start hearing every player in every interview giving the Tiger Woods response: I am here to win, and I believe that everytime I walk onto the course (field) I am going to win. If I didn't believe it I wouldn't be here.
When Woods says it, he believes it, and that outward expression of his inner intentionality is the first step. So when I start reading or hearing interviews in the month or so leading up to the opener, that echo that sentiment, and it is said with conviction? Then I will feel more comfortable giving a real prediction.

By the way. I'm new here. Nice site!

GO IRISH!!!!!!!!

 

[Seamus]

MSU always plays tough. Their QB is supposedly very good and they have a corps of talented young running backs. Wide receivers BJ Cunningham and Mark Dell are very good.

USC is loaded everywhere. Lane may be nothing special, but his staff is very good and he recruits like a hoss.

Well, for being loaded everywhere, USuckC sure did look silly against more than a couple of Pac 10 teams, and almost lost to a depleated and under developed and under motivated ND!
I haven't followed MSU closely, but I know they haven't pulled in the talent ND has in recuiting the past 3 or 4 years, and have to believe that with superior talent, Kelly can beat D'Antonio.
Like I just said in the last post. I will put my two cents in on this in August. Gotta hear what the players are saying first. If they don't believe, truly believe, then I won't either.

 

[ACamp1900]

nothing they say in August is gonna make anyone think they dont believe though... and of course they will... very few teams go out there thinking, "Man we're gonna get ours pushed in every game."

They'll buy in... but so will Purdue and Michigan and MSU...

 

[goldenisthytate1]

2010 season predictions?

2010 season predictions?

What do you think our record will be this year I am saying 8-4 with losses to Michigan BC Pitt and USC.

 

[NDOM]

7-5 MAYBE 8-4. I have a SICK feeling Crist is gonna reinjure that ACL. I dont know why but I am gonna piss my pants everytime he is hit in a game. Anyway.

 

[goldenisthytate1]

hahaha me too

 

[GEORGIA DOMER]

9-5 we find a way to win bowl game i really dont care who we play

 

[NDinL.A.]

What do you think our record will be this year I am saying 8-4 with losses to Michigan BC Pitt and USC.

There was already a thread on this, so it's been merged with it...

 

[Riddickulous]

9-5 we find a way to win bowl game i really dont care who we play

That's impossible. We can only play 13 games, including a bowl. Only exception is if we went to Hawai'i during the regular season, in which case the visiting team gets another game in the regular season.

 

[Lou Holtz]

8-4 with a match up against FSU, GT or Va Tech in the Gator Bowl

 

[GreatGolson]

All games with * indicates a game which i wouldn't bet more than 100$ on if you know what i mean
Purdue-W
Mich- SWEET WIN
MSU*- W
BC-W
Pitt-L (pitt wins the big east)
W-Mich W
Navy*- W (but my opinion may change after i see both teams play)
Tulsa-W (to much upset talk about this one, its Nevada all over again)
Utah*-W (this will be BK's biggest win if he can pull this one off)
Army-W
USC-L (heart says win, mind says loss, even after the shakeup too much talent at SC)
Bowl Game, Gator Bowl vs FSU-W (irish finish season in top 15-10) Hype for BCS begins in 2011

 

[GoingGreen]

I'll say we go 8-4, losses to Michigan State, Pittsburgh, USC, and BC/Utah/Someone we should beat.

I think we have a chance to go undefeated at home.