Bowl Projections 2023

[ShamrockOnHelmet]

I want to play like Texas State or somebody like that

 

[stpeteirish]

I wonder what the opt outs would look like in this matchup. LSU is not a mystery; the usual suspects will “protect their brand” even if their brand is transferring to a sun belt school.
But will the ND guys who are out the door want to get one last shot a the guy who walked out on him or will they take the usual path of not risking things on a “meaningless game”

 

[IrishSteelhead]

There is a 100% chance Daniels and Nabers sit in that game, but that might be a bad thing. The LSU guy here said they wanted Nussmeier instead. Certainly that hasn’t changed lol.


If this was a high stakes bowl I wouldn’t care if Joe Burrow was still there, Brian Kelly would fuck it up regardless, but this is his wheelhouse: collecting shit tier bowl trophies.

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[Reaper97]

I wonder what the opt outs would look like in this matchup. LSU is not a mystery; the usual suspects will “protect their brand” even if their brand is transferring to a sun belt school.
But will the ND guys who are out the door want to get one last shot a the guy who walked out on him or will they take the usual path of not risking things on a “meaningless game”

Most ND players, believe it or not, (and coaches too), like BK.
It’s the media & fans who don’t like him.
I know one player who has played for both BK & Freeman who thinks BK is a way better coach & likes him a lot.

 

[IrishSteelhead]

Most ND players, believe it or not, (and coaches too), like BK.
It’s the media & fans who don’t like him.
I know one player who has played for both BK & Freeman who thinks BK is a way better coach & likes him a lot.

I sincerely hope the guy with 30+ years coaching experience is better than the guy with less than 2.

“Veteran quarterback Rich Gannon is better than rookie quarterback Tom Brady.”

Yes, we know.


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[Irish Knuckles]

LSU vs ND would be interesting but Its honestly not the best year for all that would come from this matchup. Would be interesting though to see who would skip for LSU.

we would roll lsu w/o daniels. a lot more than would opt out too. that defense is horrible and would be even worse for a bowl game. their other qb is pretty good, but he's nothing like daniels.

 

[Lberry]

I think we'd lose easily. But whatever, it'd be fun and we're facing the poptarts or wet farta, so might as well have a big matchup.

 

[IrishSteelhead]

I think we'd lose easily. But whatever, it'd be fun and we're facing the poptarts or wet farta, so might as well have a big matchup.

The LSU players give zero effs what that game personally means to Kelly. Sure LSU might win, but there would no extra motivation for them at all.

They were promised big bowls, and are probably upset, if anything, they are once again squatting over the toilet bowl.

No player is going to battle on behalf of Brian freaking Kelly.


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[Lberry]

The LSU players give zero effs what that game personally means to Kelly. Sure LSU might win, but there would no extra motivation for them at all.

They were promised big bowls, and are probably upset, if anything, they are once again squatting over the toilet bowl.

No player is going to battle on behalf of Brian freaking Kelly.


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I know but I can't help but watch yesterday's game and think our offense is now Drew Pyne with arm hair.

 

[Giddyup]

The LSU players give zero effs what that game personally means to Kelly. Sure LSU might win, but there would no extra motivation for them at all.

They were promised big bowls, and are probably upset, if anything, they are once again squatting over the toilet bowl.

No player is going to battle on behalf of Brian freaking Kelly.


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You don’t last this long as a successful coach if your players and staff won’t fight for you.

 

[IrishSteelhead]

You don’t last this long as a successful coach if your players and staff won’t fight for you.

You are right, but I think it’s safe to say Freeman would have an easier time motivating a locker room with many faces recruited by Kelly himself than Kelly would motivating a locker room of faces who don’t even know where Notre Dame is, expected to make a CFP run this year, and are playing for a trophy named after a company that does whatever Reliaquest does.


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[stpeteirish]

Actually the reliaQuest is the old Outback bowl. New Year’s Day for years and nowhere’s near the bottom tier of bowls.
But the playoffs have turned all these games into glorified spring games.

 

[irish4ever]

Hmmm, what's your preference ...
Jan. 1 ReliaQuest Bowl w/ either ND vs L$U or ND vs. Tennessee
OR
Dec. 29 Gator Bowl w/ ND vs L$U

 

[Hammer Of The Gods]

We do not want any part of LSU. They will score at least 28/35 points and our offense is just this side of Iowa.

 

[stlnd01]

FWIW, most of our likely leavers haven’t done enough to justify skipping a game like that.

Estime probably sits. And Alt. Maybe Hart if he’s worried about injury. Maybe Hartman reads the room and sits but it’d be just as much to give the young guys a shot. That’d be it - and I'd note all those guys except Estime are captains and maybe that motivates them to play.

Meanwhile half of LSU will skip because that’s what they do. Certainly Jayden Daniels isn't playing and their offense wouldn't be the same. And our defense is actually pretty good. I'd take those odds.

 

[BleedBlueGold]

Probably need to worry about ND beating Stanford on the road before assuming ND gets into any sort of a "decent" bowl against a SEC team. Sorry, I'm just over how pathetic this team plays on the road and I'm not willing to just bake in 9-3 at this point.

 

[stlnd01]

Probably need to worry about ND beating Stanford on the road before assuming ND gets into any sort of a "decent" bowl against a SEC team. Sorry, I'm just over how pathetic this team plays on the road and I'm not willing to just bake in 9-3 at this point.

I'm not sure it matters if we go 9-3 or 8-4, we wind up in the same cluster of bowl games. Fwiw.
But yes should beat Stanford and Wake first.

 

[BleedBlueGold]

I'm not sure it matters if we go 9-3 or 8-4, we wind up in the same cluster of bowl games. Fwiw.
But yes should beat Stanford and Wake first.

Does 8-4 ND really get into a bowl against a SEC team? Idk the tie-ins etc, but I just assume we'd get paired against a team like Rutgers in a Pinstripe style bowl circa 2013.

 

[drayer54]

That Orlando game vs ISU a few years back was the most fun one for me. I'd go back there. I think it was Cheez its or some crap like that. Busch lite and folksy midwesterners in warm weather.

 

[stlnd01]

Does 8-4 ND really get into a bowl against a SEC team? Idk the tie-ins etc, but I just assume we'd get paired against a team like Rutgers in a Pinstripe style bowl circa 2013.

We were in the Gator Bowl against South Carolina last year at 8-4.

Some of it has to do with our record/appeal vs. various second-tier ACC teams. But if Florida State makes the CFP and #2 (Louisville?) goes to the Orange, we’d have as good a record as any remaining ACC team, even at 8-4.

 

[Terry Jillery]

I’m not necessarily for or against the conversation to sit Hartman. I’d likely play him at least for Wake. He’s been a good dude and was given the shaft with Parker.

However, if he plans to sit for the bowl game, that may play into my decision to mix it up with Angeli and Minchey. If he said he was determined to play in the bowl game, I’d be more apt to playing him the remaining two games.

 

[PutuporShutup]

We do not want any part of LSU. They will score at least 28/35 points and our offense is just this side of Iowa.

It would be 100% of ND fans crossing fingers that Daniels intends to skip the bowl game in prep for the draft (especially with injury vs Bama). We got a good shot vs LSU if Daniels is NOT the qb.

Also, if hartman hasn't committed to play in the bowl game or not to freeman, freeman should find out now. At minimum if he's not playing in it then you get angeli/minchey real reps next two weeks while winning.

 

[BleedBlueGold]

Why in the world would Hartman sit the bowl game voluntarily?

 

[irish4ever]

It would be 100% of ND fans crossing fingers that Daniels intends to skip the bowl game in prep for the draft (especially with injury vs Bama). We got a good shot vs LSU if Daniels is NOT the qb.

Also, if hartman hasn't committed to play in the bowl game or not to freeman, freeman should find out now. At minimum if he's not playing in it then you get angeli/minchey real reps next two weeks while winning.

I agree. At least the whole 2nd half to an Angeli/Minchey QB situation.

 

[Pops Freshenmeyer]

Why in the world would Hartman sit the bowl game voluntarily?

It's not just sitting out a game. It's skipping out on everything from Thanksgiving to New Years. He gets to go home (or wherever) and prep for the draft instead of the bowl opponent.

 

[forkbeard3777]

Trust me, Notre Dame does not want any part of LSU. Our defense just may save Parker's job ...

 

[Irish Knuckles]

It's not just sitting out a game. It's skipping out on everything from Thanksgiving to New Years. He gets to go home (or wherever) and prep for the draft instead of the bowl opponent.

hartman isn't gonna sit out a bowl game because he MIGHT get drafted in the 7th round.

 

[NDPhilly]

He's played 6 seasons. IDK how much more 1 game helps him even if he balls out. Already have a giant sample size to judge him on.

Regardless, Jaylen Daniels is way more important to LSU than Hartman is to us. Also no shot Nabers plays. Would be happy with that match up.

 

[Irish Knuckles]

Trust me, Notre Dame does not want any part of LSU. Our defense just may save Parker's job ...

we wouldn't be facing daniels, nabers, thomas, smith, wingo, speights and probably a few more. that's a bad defense that's gonna be a lot worse. daniels changes that whole offense with his elite running ability. nuss is a solid qb, but he can't carry a team the way daniels has carried lsu. lsu is actually a bad, average at best football team without daniels. lsu would be able to run the ball some and not much else. Notre Dame isn't that good on offense, but we are more than good enough to score on lsu's defense. we'd probably be missing estime, alt, hart and maybe harper and watts. that would give lsu some chance in the passing game, but lsu w/o the players i mentioned above is a bad team all-around outside of the rbs and oline. just w/o daniels alone, lsu is a .500 team this year at best.

 

[NDdomer2]

Why in the world would Hartman sit the bowl game voluntarily?

He literally has nothing to gain. 5+ years of film on him. One meaningless bowl game isn't gonna change someone's mind.