AP Top 25 (ND #11)

[KPENN]

Jesus, you people who want bama don't want another title. get real, they'd crush almost anyone, us included. Wimbush would have 15 passing yards.

Well, Considering the other option in the original question is them having 0% percent at a title....

 

[wizards8507]

finish number 4 and play Bama?

That's the worst part in all of this. The committee wouldn't schedule first round rematches between Bama - Georgia or ND - Georgia so we'd 100% without a doubt get Bama while Georgia got whoever the hell.

 

[wizards8507]

4 and Bama, it'd prob take a bolt of lightning to win any of those games and might as well roll the dice on the most meaningful...

Really, a bolt of lightning? If we played Georgia tomorrow in the Rose Bowl I think we'd win by a touchdown.

 

[BobbyMac]

Jesus, you people who want bama don't want another title. get real, they'd crush almost anyone, us included. Wimbush would have 15 passing yards.

He'll have 0 yds and 0 title if he doesn't play them.

I bet there are a lot of Clemson fans that said the same thing last year about this time.

I'll take my chances. The goal is to win championships, can't win em if ya ain't in em.

 

[GoldenDomer]

 

[T Town Tommy]

LoL.... I leave for a few minutes and come back to the “We want Bama” crowd. A whole lot of football left to play before that would happen. Right now we want LSU and I am sure you guys want NC State.

 

[BobbyMac]

Really, a bolt of lightning? If we played Georgia tomorrow in the Rose Bowl I think we'd win by a touchdown.

I'd gladly partake at ND -5.5

 

[ACamp1900]

I'm much higher on ND than you are

Fixed

 

[ACamp1900]

LoL.... I leave for a few minutes and come back to the “We want Bama” crowd. A whole lot of football left to play before that would happen. Right now we want LSU and I am sure you guys want NC State.

I don't think anyone wants to play your Cadillacs with custom license plates... but with the question grey posed, we are taking a shot either way, take a shot in the playoff...

You never know.

 

[IrishLax]

I want Wisconsin not Bama. We'd embarrass the Badgers. I almost hope we miss the playoffs assuming we get them or some Big 12 trash.

 

[greyhammer90]

I want Wisconsin not Bama. We'd embarrass the Badgers.

If we don't make the playoffs the dream is always playing that division champ. A major bowl and you get to play either Iowa, Wisconsin, or Nebraska? I'll take the free recruiting buzz, thanks.

 

[zelezo vlk]

I want Wisconsin not Bama. We'd embarrass the Badgers. I almost hope we miss the playoffs assuming we get them or some Big 12 trash.

Yessssss. Fuck Sconny

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G900A using Tapatalk

 

[T-Boone]

I'd take the Alabama option. That gives us a chance - plus if we are beat you still get the experience of having measured up against the yard stick.
Elko is good at making adjustments so we would pants them with take aways the following season.

 

[phgreek]

I mean, I'd rather have the oline ND has right now to face Bama vs whatever next year will bring.

I believe skill players have a better chance of catching lightning in a bottle if the LOS is stable.

Never saw an oline catch lightning in a bottle...shrug.

 

[BGIF]

If we don't make the playoffs the dream is always playing that division champ. A major bowl and you get to play either Iowa, Wisconsin, or Nebraska? I'll take the free recruiting buzz, thanks.

... and perhaps a #2 or #3 slot in the Final Poll. Not to shabby for a team that wasn't ranked pre-season.

 

[ickythump1225]

Serious question : Would you rather finish number 5 and play against whoever gets left out between Penn State, Ohio State or Clemson

or

finish number 4 and play Bama?

As great as this year has been so far and as confident as I currently feel in the direction of ND football I don't think we are in a position to be competitive against Alabama just yet. I think going and getting housed by Bama would be such a big downer to end such a great year. I learned my lesson after 2012. I hope South Florida wins out and we play them in a NY6 bowl and house them.

 

[BGIF]

As great as this year has been so far and as confident as I currently feel in the direction of ND football I don't think we are in a position to be competitive against Alabama just yet. I think going and getting housed by Bama would be such a big downer to end such a great year. I learned my lesson after 2012. I hope South Florida wins out and we play them in a NY6 bowl and house them.

Doesn't this conflict with your signature Jack London quote. "... to live placidly and complacently is not to live at all"?


In the Parshegian through Holtz era's ND wanted the highest ranked opponent.




"It is so much easier to live placidly and complacently. Of course, to live placidly and complacently is not to live at all."-Jack London

 

[Veritate Duce Progredi]

I mean, I'd rather have the oline ND has right now to face Bama vs whatever next year will bring.

I believe skill players have a better chance of catching lightning in a bottle if the LOS is stable.

Never saw an oline catch lightning in a bottle...shrug.

This x 100. If we continue on our streak and win out and if we get into the playoffs, this is the year for confidence. Our line is our strength and it'd be our best chance to fight the heavyweights.

I don't like our chances as much with a new line. Plus, this is the most fun I've had watching ND in a long time and I want it to continue until we meet an immovable force.

Maybe it'll be NC State, Miami, Navy, Stanford, Bama or another playoff match-up.

 

[stlnd01]

The trouble with the dream of housing some glad-to-be-there division champ like Iowa in the Orange Bowl if we don't make the playoffs is that, if we make an NY6 Bowl, we'll probably get the strongest other non-playoff team around. That's what happened in 2005, 2006 and 2015. The TVs love it.

So, loser of Penn State-Ohio State, or Oklahoma, or maybe even - if they lose to Georgia - Alabama! At that point I'd just as soon be in the playoffs.

 

[IrishLion]

I want Wisconsin not Bama. We'd embarrass the Badgers. I almost hope we miss the playoffs assuming we get them or some Big 12 trash.

For real though, ND is past due for a favorable matchup in a big bowl game.

The football universe seems to be evening things back out in ND's direction, which was predictable based on every statistical model from last season. They all said "a team this decent almost never catches this many bad breaks."

So why shouldn't a big game matchup falling the way of the Irish also be in the cards?

C'mon, football karma!

 

[NDohio]

Alabama every time. We need to know where we are as a program and they are the ultimate test.

That being said, can anyone tell me how good 'Bama really is this year?

Florida State - Complete dumpster fire
Fresno State - LOL
Colorado State - LOL
Vanderbilt - LOL
Ole Miss - Struggling
Texas A&M - Coach on the hot seat
Arkansas - Coach will be fired
Tennessee - Coach will be fired

They definitely have more talent than anyone else, but I don't think anyone can say how good they really are...yet.

 

[Irish YJ]

While OL might not catch lightning in a bottle, our schedule next year is pretty supportive of giving the OL a chance to grow/strengthen. We have scUM at home to start (who we should be able to outscore), but then have 3 "should wins" before getting Stanford at home (Love should be gone and their passing game is for shit). The OL should come together by then if HH is doing his typical HH. First major contest for us should be the next week @VT. We then have 3 more "should wins" and a bye before getting FSU at home, then finish the year at USC.

I'd prefer our chances next year with an improved BW, another year of Balis, and another year under the new DC and OC schemes. All of our major skill guys should be back except Josh. Our D really only loses Morgan and Martini (which sucks), but Coney has proven himself. If we can solve for Mike, our D can be balls out.

 

[IrishLax]

Alabama every time. We need to know where we are as a program and they are the ultimate test.

That being said, can anyone tell me how good 'Bama really is this year?

Florida State - Complete dumpster fire
Fresno State - LOL
Colorado State - LOL
Vanderbilt - LOL
Ole Miss - Struggling
Texas A&M - Coach on the hot seat
Arkansas - Coach will be fired
Tennessee - Coach will be fired

They definitely have more talent than anyone else, but I don't think anyone can say how good they really are...yet.

They have literally zero quality wins and I have a suspicion that the CFP committee might try to "Iowa" them to some degree in the initial poll. If PSU wins this weekend, I expect them at best to be 3rd behind PSU and Georgia.

To be fair, Bama has also beaten the hell out of everyone they've played. But they're certainly going to struggle more than usual to get in with a loss.

 

[Fbolt]

Eventually Alabama will play Georgia though, right? SEC CG.

If not the playoffs, yes - a NY6 BG against a B10 team would be great but not IA. OSU, PSU, Michigan (haha). The team is playing confidently and I believe they'll be able to take on all comers. A TCU/OKl matchup would be fantastic as well. All teams ND can beat IMO.

 

[phgreek]

While OL might not catch lightning in a bottle, our schedule next year is pretty supportive of giving the OL a chance to grow/strengthen. We have scUM at home to start (who we should be able to outscore), but then have 3 "should wins" before getting Stanford at home (Love should be gone and their passing game is for shit). The OL should come together by then if HH is doing his typical HH. First major contest for us should be the next week @VT. We then have 3 more "should wins" and a bye before getting FSU at home, then finish the year at USC.

I'd prefer our chances next year with an improved BW, another year of Balis, and another year under the new DC and OC schemes. All of our major skill guys should be back except Josh. Our D really only loses Morgan and Martini (which sucks), but Coney has proven himself. If we can solve for Mike, our D can be balls out.

I can see your logic, ...however, I've never seen a young oline come together so much as to be able to deal with the typical Bama front. From the ND perspective, if you have a bunch of guys with south of 25 starts...i think that spells trouble...JMHO.

 

[phgreek]

This x 100. If we continue on our streak and win out and if we get into the playoffs, this is the year for confidence. Our line is our strength and it'd be our best chance to fight the heavyweights.

I don't like our chances as much with a new line. Plus, this is the most fun I've had watching ND in a long time and I want it to continue until we meet an immovable force.

Maybe it'll be NC State, Miami, Navy, Stanford, Bama or another playoff match-up.

Pretty much where I'm at...

 

[Irish#1]

Bullshit.

2016 CFP Rankings. 13-0 Alabama is #1. 10-3 Wisconsin is #8.

Let's say some fluke shit happens and Wisconsin beats Alabama in overtime in the first round of your hypothetical eight team playoff. You're really okay with 11-3 Wisconsin advancing to the semifinals over 13-1 Alabama? Head-to-head is important but it's not THAT important. Single elimination tournaments are awful. It makes that one game more important than the prior 26 games combined.

Over the course of an entire season, all of the "fluke shit" has a chance to be ironed out. Each weird bounce of the ball that costs your team is balanced out by the weird bounce of the ball that benefits your team and all of the weird bounces of the ball that hurt and benefit all of the teams. You don't get that benefit when you narrow things down to do-or-die, single-elimination games.

If a "fluke" teams upsets the #1, the question then is, was the #1 team really deserving of being number one? The ultimate goal is to have a competitive, exciting NCG. If the fluke team is hitting on all cylinders, maybe they are playing the best ball of anyone at that time. A six or eight team playoff would be ideal.

 

[gkIrish]

Really, a bolt of lightning? If we played Georgia tomorrow in the Rose Bowl I think we'd win by a touchdown.

Based on what?

 

[Irish#1]

As great as this year has been so far and as confident as I currently feel in the direction of ND football I don't think we are in a position to be competitive against Alabama just yet. I think going and getting housed by Bama would be such a big downer to end such a great year. I learned my lesson after 2012. I hope South Florida wins out and we play them in a NY6 bowl and house them.

Isn't UGA's D on par with Bama's? I can see us being competitive with Nicky and his kids.

 

[irishfan]

I want Bama. I do. They're the standard of excellence right now.

However, I want to meet them in the 'ship. If we lose again, at least we'll have won a playoff game and have nothing to lose. At the same time, we'll be facing Saban with less time to prepare his players. I believe he's the best in the country at keeping his players focused for a bowl game, so longer breaks between games favor him over most other coaches.

The worst thing about 2012 was how that loss somehow meant we didn't belong, as though some other team had performed as well as we did leading up to the game.

This. We wouldn't have won, but it would have been a WAY closer game if we played them in the 2012 NC the week after the SEC Champ game. Saban with a month to prep is just unfair.