Notre Dame and Alabama Negotiating a Home-and-Home Series

[greyhammer90]

I really struggle with the "scale back on the schedule proponents."

What is the value in sliding into a championship by backing down from a challenge?

Do you think that ND should fill up every spot that isn't pre-filled with a traditional rival with the best possible team available?

 

[greyhammer90]

And the arguement that Saban will retire....

So do you really think Bama wont bring in Sabans hand picked successor or a serious player in the coaching game? You can bet the mortgage it wouldnt be someone like Brian flippin Kelly. University of Alabama has exactly one thing that makes it relevant as a university, its football program. Take that away and it all goes to crap. No way they will let it shrink back to middle of the SEC pack.

Which means they will kick the living crap out of ND any day of the week. ND will never recruit like them and never do the things that Bama does to win.

So do you realize how many schools this could be said about throughout the country at various times? Including Notre Dame?

The level of success that Bama is currently having is immense, but there is nothing to suggest that they are immune. Tons of schools throughout history were considered "sure thing" places that hired "sure thing" coaches with their cupboards pre-stocked with "sure thing" athletes that turned into mediocre results.

It takes a special coach with a special school with a special administrative culture with special timing to breed a championship dynasty. If it was something you could just will/spend/inherit your way into then Texas or Michigan would've done it already. Even if Saban leaves and Bama gets the next best thing, guess what? The next best thing ain't Saban, and it probably ain't close to Saban. What happens when that coach has a 9 win season? How do recruits react? How do boosters react? Does that coach feel pressure? All of these compound, and often its the immense success of the previous regime that helps the future one fall apart.

It's not impossible that Bama will continue this run for another eight or ten years, but its extremely unlikely given the history of the sport.

 

[Wingman Ray]

I really struggle with the "scale back on the schedule proponents."

What is the value in sliding into a championship by backing down from a challenge?

The Tide has created for themselves an easy row to hoe, but they have also shown that they have been a very good football team.

Whether they come by it legitimately or not is another issue.

The bottom line is that true champions answer the call at all times, against any and all competition.

Guess you havent been watching ND football in quite a while because nothing I see screams true champion on the football field at least.

 

[MNIrishman]

I really struggle with the "scale back on the schedule proponents."

What is the value in sliding into a championship by backing down from a challenge?

The Tide has created for themselves an easy row to hoe, but they have also shown that they have been a very good football team.

Whether they come by it legitimately or not is another issue.

The bottom line is that true champions answer the call at all times, against any and all competition.

I'd rather have won an untrue BCS national championship that was secured against Kansas State than have wound up as an embarrassing skidmark on the field against Alabama.

 

[Bishop2b5]

So do you realize how many schools this could be said about throughout the country at various times? Including Notre Dame?

The level of success that Bama is currently having is immense, but there is nothing to suggest that they are immune. Tons of schools throughout history were considered "sure thing" places that hired "sure thing" coaches with their cupboards pre-stocked with "sure thing" athletes that turned into mediocre results.

It takes a special coach with a special school with a special administrative culture with special timing to breed a championship dynasty. If it was something you could just will/spend/inherit your way into then Texas or Michigan would've done it already. Even if Saban leaves and Bama gets the next best thing, guess what? The next best thing ain't Saban, and it probably ain't close to Saban. What happens when that coach has a 9 win season? How do recruits react? How do boosters react? Does that coach feel pressure? All of these compound, and often its the immense success of the previous regime that helps the future one fall apart.

It's not impossible that Bama will continue this run for another eight or ten years, but its extremely unlikely given the history of the sport.

Agree 100%. As a Bama fan, I can assure you that the more realistic of us know all this. We know this is an unprecedented run that's a confluence of several things that led to a perfect storm. We also know it won't last forever. We had our 25 years of wandering in the wilderness, being mediocre and being the dumpster fire of CFB and are just enjoying it while it lasts. Nobody stays king forever for exactly the reasons you pointed out. We might get Dabo after Saban retires and the train keep rolling, but it rarely works that way in CFB.

 

[Ndaccountant]

And the arguement that Saban will retire....

So do you really think Bama wont bring in Sabans hand picked successor or a serious player in the coaching game? You can bet the mortgage it wouldnt be someone like Brian flippin Kelly. University of Alabama has exactly one thing that makes it relevant as a university, its football program. Take that away and it all goes to crap. No way they will let it shrink back to middle of the SEC pack.

Which means they will kick the living crap out of ND any day of the week. ND will never recruit like them and never do the things that Bama does to win.

This is a no win situation.

Just like what Pete Carroll did, right? Or Butch Davis? Or Loyd Carr? Or Mack Brown? Or any other coach that won at a high level and blue blood?

Don't be so fatalistic, it's unbecoming.

 

[dshans]

Do you think that ND should fill up every spot that isn't pre-filled with a traditional rival with the best possible team available?

No. Geographic diversity can be helpful as well as help some programs with an Irish "bump."

To advocate purposely avoiding matchups against known powerful opponents for the sake of maintaining a particular winning percentage is cowardice.

 

[gkIrish]

If this comment was meant to be a jab at ND, you get all the reps. Lol.

Of course it was!

 

[AllGoldEverything]

I'm actually kind of excited for this. Notre Dame is on the upswing as of right now. In 4-5 years, if we have a situation where Alabama, the king of college football, is coming to Notre Dame stadium prime to be upset...I say hell yes. Would be HUGE on so many levels.

Have to beat the best to be the best.

 

[stlnd01]

Do you think that ND should fill up every spot that isn't pre-filled with a traditional rival with the best possible team available?

No. But we've had/will have early-season home and homes with Texas, Georgia, Michigan and A&M. How is this so different?

 

[irishtrain]

Make them come in November.

They ll never do that again but in reality this would be good for Notre Dame-beautiful measuring stick to see how it is to pay the pros=I see nothing bad here except I bet you we go there when its smoking and they play us when its early and hot-Bama is the scheduling advantage kings. Wish it was while Saban was there.

 

[irishtrain]

Just like what Pete Carroll did, right? Or Butch Davis? Or Loyd Carr? Or Mack Brown? Or any other coach that won at a high level and blue blood?

Don't be so fatalistic, it's unbecoming.

Of course they wont recruit like Bama and do what they do to win-that's why its a beautiful game against them-pros vs college guys. Absolutely nothing to lose.

 

[irishtrain]

Agree 100%. As a Bama fan, I can assure you that the more realistic of us know all this. We know this is an unprecedented run that's a confluence of several things that led to a perfect storm. We also know it won't last forever. We had our 25 years of wandering in the wilderness, being mediocre and being the dumpster fire of CFB and are just enjoying it while it lasts. Nobody stays king forever for exactly the reasons you pointed out. We might get Dabo after Saban retires and the train keep rolling, but it rarely works that way in CFB.

As long as the administration gives any coach the ability to run the program with COMPLETE co operation like this guy has they should win-at Alabama the hero is the administration not the coach. This guy would not win like this at Notre Dame for these very reasons.

 

[koonja]

Bama might not be in a league of their own when Saban leaves, but I’d bet the house they don’t revert to the 1990’s Bama and just become another good SEC team. They’ll have the best facilities, the best tradition for any recruit who’s alive at that time; they’ll spend the most on any new head coach. And that coach will come in knowing the administration has his back.

 

[Green Mountains]

WTH I'm down with it. Beating them would be like winning a Natty

HELL NO. Winning the Natty is like winning the Natty. While ND hasn't done it in a while, that still what its about (especially if ND stays independent). But ND is supposed to compete for National Championships, not settle for moral victories.

For ND scheduling a game like this adds to the "Let's Make it an Eight Team Playoff" dialogue. Maybe that's Jacks motivation....knowing that the push for a bigger playoff may continue gaining steam.

For Bama, it must be getting a little push back from the committee about the two patsies schedules every year. Maybe there is dialogue about not counting those games when looking at the playoff field? I don't know Bama's motivation otherwise.