Dec 29 | College Football Playoff Semifinal | Clemson

[Jimmy3Putt]

It was a good season but all season I still thought we were overrated. We barely beat Ball State, Vanderbilt, Pittsburgh and Usc.

We absolutely did NOT belong in the playoff. I knew we would get blasted.

I can tell you one thing for sure.....we will NEVER EVER EVER EVER EVER EVER EVER be considered an elite team until we allow our academics to be lowered and we all know that just won't happen. Get over it people. And I guarantee Notre Dame will NEVER EVER EVER EVER EVER EVER EVER win another National Championship in our lifetime. It's almost been 32 years since the last one, what makes you believe we are on the brink.

We will always be a 8 to 10 win team with an occasional 11 or 12 win season. But we will ALWAYS get blasted against the big boys.

Ok, you can go back in your cave now.

 

[IrishFanJMercy]

Here is the bottom line there are only two legimate teams in college football that’s Alabama and Clemson, there are three teams that I would consider very good those are Georgia and Ohio State and Oklahoma.

Notre Dame is in the category of almost being very good and I don’t think they’ll ever be up there with bama or Clemson. After watching lasts nights games here are my thoughts
1. If you take away the second quarter our defense played a damn good game I still don’t think ND wins because of the lack of offense.
2. If book can’t hit the deep ball next year then ND needs to find someone who can.
3. Our playing calling in this game was atrocious, 3rd and long and we run up the gut. We moved the ball on a few drives but the only really throwing play I saw all day was a lob to Boykin like 3 times. I’m sorry but that isn’t gonna cut it.
3. Like I mentioned above why do freshman play for teams like bama and Clemson but yet our fastest WR’s (keys, lenzy, young) were all riding pine all year. ND needs to get speed on the field to compete with these teams enough with these 6’5 slow WR who 30% of the time drop passes right to them.
4. I honestly thought our DL was better than theirs last night so it gives me up that our DL can be elite with what’s coming back next year.
5. Books decision making in this game cost us points. Idk how many times he could have ran for 4-5 yards but instead stayed in the pocket and took a sack for a loss of 4/5 happened like 3-4 times.
6. May be best to move Gilman to LB next year with what we are losing and play some of the young guns (Allen, Griffith, and the freshman stud from Georgia coming in) love Gilman but his lack of speed hurt us last night at times when he got stuck covering someone.

 

[pumpdog20]

It was a good season but all season I still thought we were overrated. We barely beat Ball State, Vanderbilt, Pittsburgh and Usc.

We absolutely did NOT belong in the playoff. I knew we would get blasted.

I can tell you one thing for sure.....we will NEVER EVER EVER EVER EVER EVER EVER be considered an elite team until we allow our academics to be lowered and we all know that just won't happen. Get over it people. And I guarantee Notre Dame will NEVER EVER EVER EVER EVER EVER EVER win another National Championship in our lifetime. It's almost been 32 years since the last one, what makes you believe we are on the brink.

We will always be a 8 to 10 win team with an occasional 11 or 12 win season. But we will ALWAYS get blasted against the big boys.

Cool story. I wish you would have just told us how the game was going to go before it started since you know everything.

 

[EvilleIrish]

Here is the bottom line there are only two legimate teams in college football that’s Alabama and Clemson, there are three teams that I would consider very good those are Georgia and Ohio State and Oklahoma.

Notre Dame is in the category of almost being very good and I don’t think they’ll ever be up there with bama or Clemson. After watching lasts nights games here are my thoughts
1. If you take away the second quarter our defense played a damn good game I still don’t think ND wins because of the lack of offense.
2. If book can’t hit the deep ball next year then ND needs to find someone who can.
3. Our playing calling in this game was atrocious, 3rd and long and we run up the gut. We moved the ball on a few drives but the only really throwing play I saw all day was a lob to Boykin like 3 times. I’m sorry but that isn’t gonna cut it.
3. Like I mentioned above why do freshman play for teams like bama and Clemson but yet our fastest WR’s (keys, lenzy, young) were all riding pine all year. ND needs to get speed on the field to compete with these teams enough with these 6’5 slow WR who 30% of the time drop passes right to them.
4. I honestly thought our DL was better than theirs last night so it gives me up that our DL can be elite with what’s coming back next year.
5. Books decision making in this game cost us points. Idk how many times he could have ran for 4-5 yards but instead stayed in the pocket and took a sack for a loss of 4/5 happened like 3-4 times.
6. May be best to move Gilman to LB next year with what we are losing and play some of the young guns (Allen, Griffith, and the freshman stud from Georgia coming in) love Gilman but his lack of speed hurt us last night at times when he got stuck covering someone.

Gilman graded out as one of the best safeties in the country this year.

 

[IrishFanJMercy]

Gilman was good but at times looked slow yesterday

 

[irishtrain]

I agree. It’s disappointing because that wasn’t the best ND football could do. Fumble by book with zero effort to recover it. Dropped passes that would have moved the chains or gave us 3 and shorts. The offensive game plan. I personally didn’t see but did Lenzy play? We heard this talk of speed so if you are going to running your mouth than put him in the game. Yes some of it has to do with themnhaving 6-8 five star players. We just have to understand we ain’t getting in that battle.

Of course we wont be in that battle for players----- this season was spectacular and I am very proud----- while watching the game I switched to the coaches corner and Paul Johnsons comments on the question 'is this good for college football' was so correct and to the point that heads should spin-no one else has the %$##@ to make that comment-good on him.

 

[Bluto]

Of course we wont be in that battle for players----- this season was spectacular and I am very proud----- while watching the game I switched to the coaches corner and Paul Johnsons comments on the question 'is this good for college football' was so correct and to the point that heads should spin-no one else has the %$##@ to make that comment-good on him.

What did Paul Johnson say?

 

[InKellyWeTrust]

I honestly dont feel like we were outplayed at the line of scrimmage which is why a loss like this is eveeven more painful. Clemson's defense is clearly great but we did not do ourselves any favors with playcalling or QB play. Both were atrocious.

 

[ResLife Hero]

I'm less down on yesterday than a lot of you. That wasn't 2012, not even close.
We had a bad quarter defensively when our best safety was injured and our best corner was out against one of the best passing attacks in the country. Otherwise, we showed the D Line and LBs were ready to play at that level even with some rotating of the lineup.
Our offensive line was disappointing in light of how well it played last year, and the best D Line in college football was able to get pressure. Expected. Also should be expected that the O Line gets better next year since we played without Bars most of the year so essentially 4/5s are coming back.

I know it sucks to lose, and the pundits got their claws out quickly, but this feels much more like something you build off of as opposed to the disaster of 2012. 30-3, 23-3 without the craziest TD catch of the year and the already discussed disruption Love coming out presented. Add some pieces, get some guys to come back for their senior year and hope for some better luck next time.

ND should never be favored in these games, but I didn't come away from last night thinking "there's no way the team in white could ever beat the team in orange". Plus, with our schedule next year, it's not like anyone is going to be bringing this up as a counterargument should we go 12-0 again.

Also, imagine of Phil or Pyne can give us even a small dose of the offensive spark the QBs at Oklahoma have given the past couple years.

 

[nd_fan]

Story of our lives.

 

[Circa]

What kind of changes? NCAA changes or ND changes?

NCAA and then possibly ND would have decisions to make.

 

[ickythump1225]

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">That first game ratings collapse stunned me because Notre Dame was playing and Irish are supposedly a big national ratings draw. Plus, game wasn’t a blow out for most of first half.</p>— Clay Travis (@ClayTravis) <a href="https://twitter.com/ClayTravis/status/1079500100408352769?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 30, 2018</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

 

[nd_fan]

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">That first game ratings collapse stunned me because Notre Dame was playing and Irish are supposedly a big national ratings draw. Plus, game wasn’t a blow out for most of first half.</p>— Clay Travis (@ClayTravis) <a href="https://twitter.com/ClayTravis/status/1079500100408352769?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 30, 2018</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

Other than ND fans, most fans had predicted that ND would get blown out by Clemson. ND did not disappoint the haters at all.

People already had a good idea of the outcome before the games was even played so I am not surprised that many fans were not to excited to feel the need to watch the game. Harsh but that's truth.

 

[Circa]

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">That first game ratings collapse stunned me because Notre Dame was playing and Irish are supposedly a big national ratings draw. Plus, game wasn’t a blow out for most of first half.</p>— Clay Travis (@ClayTravis) <a href="https://twitter.com/ClayTravis/status/1079500100408352769?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 30, 2018</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

You and your A in the favorites column. I know It says Atlanta but I think you're a closeted Alabama fan.
For this Clay guy whom already has a ratings report... Less then 24 hours after the game Is played seems full of....
<iframe src="https://giphy.com/embed/UcCxM3n4i07gA" width="480" height="480" frameBorder="0" class="giphy-embed" allowFullScreen></iframe><p><a href="https://giphy.com/gifs/the-simpsons-treehouse-of-horror-iii-UcCxM3n4i07gA">via GIPHY</a></p>

 

[Pops Freshenmeyer]

Ratings and attendance are down across college football. It’s not considered a big issue (yet) because revenues are fine since teams have only gotten better at squeezing their most loyal fans as well as basic cable subscribers with no interest in the games they are required to pay for.

 

[Sherm Sticky]

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">That first game ratings collapse stunned me because Notre Dame was playing and Irish are supposedly a big national ratings draw. Plus, game wasn’t a blow out for most of first half.</p>— Clay Travis (@ClayTravis) <a href="https://twitter.com/ClayTravis/status/1079500100408352769?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 30, 2018</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

I think the major reason is the games were played on Saturday December 29th and people are out doing other activities. instead of January 1st when most people stay home and relax because they are hung over lol.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[spoonidentity]

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">That first game ratings collapse stunned me because Notre Dame was playing and Irish are supposedly a big national ratings draw. Plus, game wasn’t a blow out for most of first half.</p>— Clay Travis (@ClayTravis) <a href="https://twitter.com/ClayTravis/status/1079500100408352769?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 30, 2018</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

This is deceptive and slightly misleading. The ratings were 10.3 share for Cotton Bowl and 10.4 rating for Orange Bowl. That means that an equal percentage of TVs were watching the game. It being a Saturday meant that people were doing stuff during the day and when more people were watching TV overall the percentage of viewers remained the same.

This is NOT a reflection of Notre Dame but rather of the CFP scheduling as a whole. Last year the game involved the Rose Bowl and thus was played on New Year's Day and more people were at home to watch. Previous years had similar viewership ratings to this year (2018).

 

[Irishize]

I just want to know what Paul Johnson supposedly said.

 

[irishtrain]

Other than ND fans, most fans had predicted that ND would get blown out by Clemson. ND did not disappoint the haters at all.

People already had a good idea of the outcome before the games was even played so I am not surprised that many fans were not to excited to feel the need to watch the game. Harsh but that's truth.

Here in lies the problem with ratings and college football in general-I could have told you the 6/7 teams that would make up the 4 slots this year ( Notre Dame was the surprise ) and more than likely I would have chosen ala/Clemson-its not that hard and these are the teams that sell out with a win at all cost culture of football-they also need the $$$$$ look up the endowments and read between the lines. In my opinion its an NCAA issue from here on out and that will never happen. This team this year was perfect in all they did-play, education, preparation, and still it was not enough-they lost to the better semi pro team.

 

[irishtrain]

I just want to know what Paul Johnson supposedly said.

In so many words which I will not try to quote he inclined that it was not good for college football to have 2/3 teams so far in front of the more than 100 other schools-he stated $$$$ spent and culture-- the question was asked by Herm Edwards both men are quality coaches and people concerned about the game.

 

[irishtrain]

Pick a professional team where ethics are not an immediate issue and they win championships. Where the money is paid in full and no questions about developing complete student athletes are asked. Where the premium is placed solely on winning at the sport being played. Then be proud that you have one make-a-wish team you support, that is likely never going field the best physical/athletic talent and depth as the top elite teams, that tries to uphold old principles that we once valued as a society. We know what Notre Dame is about from a complete perspective, and if you’re not with that, then you can bounce. Don’t let the door hit you on the way out.

This post should be posted somewhere for all to see -thank you- next to the play like a Champion sign

 

[Irishize]

In so many words which I will not try to quote he inclined that it was not good for college football to have 2/3 teams so far in front of the more than 100 other schools-he stated $$$$ spent and culture-- the question was asked by Herm Edwards both men are quality coaches and people concerned about the game.

Thanks! Yes all 3 of those teams are far ahead of most of the nation when it comes to money invested into their respective programs. I posted a link that details the amount spent on coaches’ salaries on the Coaching Carousel thread. Mind you, it’s heavily subsidized by taxpayer dollars. NIck Saban is the highest paid state employee in the nation. Hard to argue he’s not worth every cent but it also shows how out of whack the system is.

 

[Irish YJ]

I'm going to hold off posting any detail until I have an uninterrupted sober re-watch lol.. but the whole game i hated O game plan, and was disappointed in the OL. Those were my two biggies. I think we held them enough to win had our O possessed the ball more and actually scored....

more next weekend after i sit down and watch at least the first half again..

 

[Bishop2b5]

Thanks! Yes all 3 of those teams are far ahead of most of the nation when it comes to money invested into their respective programs. I posted a link that details the amount spent on coaches’ salaries on the Coaching Carousel thread. Mind you, it’s heavily subsidized by taxpayer dollars. NIck Saban is the highest paid state employee in the nation. Hard to argue he’s not worth every cent but it also shows how out of whack the system is.

It's not subsidized to any large degree by taxpayers dollars. The vast majority of the football program and coaches salaries are self funded. Football foots most of the bill for the rest of the athletic department and puts millions back into the school and it's academic programs.

 

[Irishize]

So now that SEC sycophants like Tony Barnhart (Georgia homer) are acting like it the world is imploding b/c ND got in ahead of UGA, who is going to shut these bitches up? ND had nothing to do w/ UGA choking vs an LSU team that couldn’t score in a women’s prison w/ a fistful of pardons (unless u count TDs in OT from the 25 yd line). Then they hang on to their “close loss” to Bama like it’s their binkey. Look UGA is a talented team. Their HC cost them both losses IMO as Smart allowed Chaney to give up on run game in LSU blowout & then the ill-fated fake punt call vs Bama. That’s on those Gumps...don’t be pissed at ND b/c the Irish took care of business.

And yes, UGA fans will stack up the excuses for getting smoked by LSU as high as the cheap seats in Death Valley. Anywhere from “the defense just got tired in the 4th quarter” to “we had to go on the road to Death Valley to play a top 10 team”. Here’s the thing...if you are truly one of the 4 best...you shouldn’t rely on a mulligan after u step on your own pecker vs an inferior team.

Now the truth that will likely hurt next season: The ND @ UGA game is going to be billed as the game Georgia can prove to the world that they were wrongly left out of the CFP in favor of ND . I know that sounds silly, but I guarantee you the media & the Georgia coaches/players will play that card. Sadly, they will be the better team next year (similar to Clemson this year) & it’ll probably be ugly.


Sorry...just had to get that rant over with.

 

[Irishize]

It's not subsidized to any large degree by taxpayers dollars. The vast majority of the football program and coaches salaries are self funded. Football foots most of the bill for the rest of the athletic department and puts millions back into the school and it's academic programs.

Don’t shoot the messenger. Take that up w/ the guy at Forbes magazine who researched the article. The link is in the coaching thread.

EDIT: here’s the link. https://www.forbes.com/sites/adaman...sidize-alabama-clemson-oklahoma/#26ce6bf075ae

 

[Sea Turtle]

Pick a professional team where ethics are not an immediate issue and they win championships. Where the money is paid in full and no questions about developing complete student athletes are asked. Where the premium is placed solely on winning at the sport being played. Then be proud that you have one make-a-wish team you support, that is likely never going field the best physical/athletic talent and depth as the top elite teams, that tries to uphold old principles that we once valued as a society. We know what Notre Dame is about from a complete perspective, and if you’re not with that, then you can bounce. Don’t let the door hit you on the way out.

Thanks but this isn't Boy Scout Den/Troop State Competition or Golf. And the 1988 team sure as hell weren't Glee club members either.

And don't act like Notre Dane doesn't whore it's football program around the entire country making every penny possible even going so far as to force them into playing in the Pinstripe bowl in freezing New York right after the team had just voted to play in a warm weather climate. Just to make a damn dime.

And bringing in three investigative teams using forensic computer technology usually reserved for MURDER cases to catch a few players getting help from a chick writing papers and then destroying their lives. A bit fucking over the top don't you think?

You know, maybe youre on to something. Maybe ND should just leave football to blue collar men who may actually get their hands dirty once in awhile and just join the Ivy League since they are just too prissy for College Football now.

 

[Bluto]

Don’t shoot the messenger. Take that up w/ the guy at Forbes magazine who researched the article. The link is in the coaching thread.

EDIT: here’s the link. https://www.forbes.com/sites/adaman...sidize-alabama-clemson-oklahoma/#26ce6bf075ae

The most disgusting thing for me is that these fuckers after being paid millions are eligible for public service pensions. That’s fucked up.

 

[Bluto]

Thanks but this isn't Boy Scout Den/Troop State Competition or Golf. And the 1988 team sure as hell weren't Glee club members either.

And don't act like Notre Dane doesn't whore it's football program around the entire country making every penny possible even going so far as to force them into playing in the Pinstripe bowl in freezing New York right after the team had just voted to play in a warm weather climate. Just to make a damn dime.

And bringing in three investigative teams using forensic computer technology usually reserved for MURDER cases to catch a few players getting help from a chick writing papers and then destroying their lives. A bit fucking over the top don't you think?

You know, maybe youre on to something. Maybe ND should just leave football to blue collar men who may actually get their hands dirty in the future in work and just join the other fucking metrosexuals in the Ivy League. Preppy boy oversized coats and all.

This is some super enlightening stuff! Thanks Sea Turtle!

 

[Sea Turtle]

This is some super enlightening stuff! Thanks Sea Turtle!

You're welcome. Glad you enjoyed it Bluto.

You know what I loved about the 88 team? They had guys on the team that wanted to do one thing, 'rip the heads off of quarterbacks'. And coaches who wanted to 'butt them in the face and knock them in the dirt.'

I remember ND football being about that. Those are the 'principles' and 'values' that I want us to uphold. The rest is for Hallmark cards.