Official 2011 Prediction Thread

[GoldenIsThyFame]

While I completely agree with that sentiment, there should be one thread, period. While this may have the official tag right now, there were several before, and there will be several after. Nothing worse than seeing 100 prediction threads before the season, it eats up unnecessary space on the website. Cluttering up the server with similar threads benefits no one. So while I absolutely hate all of these prediction threads, I certainly agree there needs to be one for extended discussion. Where I get upset is seeing the never ending supply of them on the front page.

So are you saying I should hold off on putting up the 2017 prediciton thread?

 

[mgriff]

Right now, it looks like this is the only prediction thread on the first few pages.

And then it will fall, and we will have another one, and another one, and another one. It's a vicious cycle.

In any event, I'll stop talking about it so you can get back on topic. When another one pops up, I'll be in there to vent my frustration.

9-3.

 

[IrishSteelhead]

And then it will fall, and we will have another one, and another one, and another one. It's a vicious cycle.

In any event, I'll stop talking about it so you can get back on topic. When another one pops up, I'll be in there to vent my frustration.

9-3.

Haha. I've been around a very short time, so you would know much better than me what's coming.

 

[JughedJones]

I'm a delusional homer as well, and proud of it.

11-2

 

[BGIF]

I'm a delusional homer as well, and proud of it.

11-2

Pessimist!

 

[NDinFL]

Pessimist!

lol

without getting into too much detail...

I feel that Brian Kelly KNOWS that it is very important to win the rivalry games, (UM, U$C) and he will try to focus on getting those victories. I also have a sneaking suspicion that we might drop one to a school that we shouldn't, like a Tulsa. I agree with most people on this board that you could look up and down the schedule and say that most of these games are certainly winnable, if not all of them.
Having said that, I think a 9-10 win season (including a bowl win) and a win over the rivals would be considered a very succesful season for us.

 

[gmnysdad]

I honestly see 10-2 then a huge bowl victory with Hendrix as the QB. Setting the stage for the off-season talk about everything that returns for ND's NC run in 2012. I definantly see a loss to a team we should destroy, but scUM gets destroyed.

 

[NDinFL]

I don't feel comfortable using the phrase, "ND's national title run" until I can see some consistancy and progress....
It's not that I don't sip the Green Kool-aid, it's just well....cautious optimisim.

 

[k1ssme1m1r1sh]

My predicition is 11-1, a possible loss to Stanford...I think we'll get into the Fiesta Bowl. Then in 2012 I think we may be looking at a possible National Champinship contention...DREAM BIG! ha. But in all seriousness, I'm looking at our 2011 schedule and I'm thinking we'll be ok, and as long as we kick the CRAP out of scUM I don't care if we go 1-11!!!

 

[IrishSteelhead]

I don't feel comfortable using the phrase, "ND's national title run" until I can see some consistancy and progress....
It's not that I don't sip the Green Kool-aid, it's just well....cautious optimisim.

Especially with what's on the table for 2012.

 

[irishtrain]

My prediction- in the words of Clubber Lang- PAIN.

 

[InKellyITrust]

ESPN preview of ND Spring practice

Notre Dame spring preview - College Football Nation Blog - ESPN

 

[mick2]

i would venture to guess that our toughest games will likely be against msu, stan, and usc.

second tier toughies. navy, usf, air force, bc, pitt, mich.

third tier. purdue, wake forest, maryland.

i do not like opening with usf, that game scares me.

having msu and usc at home will help tremendously, but these will be extremely tough games. stanford is away but i just don't see them being the same team they were this year with out harbaugh.

as always getting over the initial 5 or 6 games is the key. i think we can get to the bye week at 6-0 or (more realistically) 5-1. sc will be that hinge game that could determine a special season or a mediocre one.

the chance for a special season hasn't been this close in a long time, but i will always take a wait and see approach, usually when us ND fans get too high, things have a way of knocking us down a peg.

 

[irishtrain]

I'm staying away from numbers unless you guys shame me into having some $#@@! and predicting. But I will say I feel the train coming and cannot wait to see the body change and mental change that is about to take place with these players. Just 4 weeks from end of season to the Sun Bowl and a few of those guys were hard to recognize without their numbers. It wasnt a phoney steroid type look but more like each position had guys looking prototype for that specific job. Match that with dont blink toughness and----- well----- is that a train I hear coming?

 

[Irish Man3]

Cam Roberson wasn't mentioned in the runningback battle and I expect him to make some noise. I dont think he'll be the starter over Wood but I do think he'll beat out Jonas for the number two spot.

 

[Riddickulous]

Cam Roberson wasn't mentioned in the runningback battle and I expect him to make some noise. I dont think he'll be the starter over Wood but I do think he'll beat out Jonas for the number two spot.

No running back will accomplish squat, says the board jinx.

 

[Old Man Mike]

Reminder to the august Board: a certain member is "i did souR luck". Rearrange letters to find the answer to the amazing mystery of his postings. Certain things are beyond sense.

 

[IrishBlood81]

My prediction- in the words of Clubber Lang- PAIN.

Pain for us or them?

 

[Who'saWildManNow]

USF - If we disrupt B.J Daniels we win this game no problem. Stop the run and this game is a blowout.

MICHIGAN - New coaches, new offense and a seriously thin secondary. DL is the strength, so get rid of the ball early and often and let Aaron Lynch sniff Denard's jersey before the game. Sick em Beast!

MICHIGAN STATE - Lost Mark Dell and three on the OL on offense (plus more). Lost Greg Jones and Eric Gordon, the teams leading tacklers respectively on defense. Even still, MSU has a solid pass/run combo in Cousins and Baker. This spartan team is not to be taken lightly but their player losses outweigh ours by too much and we win by a few TDs this year.

PITTSBURGH - Dion Lewis and Jon Baldwin are gone. Tulsa offense is here. Keep the mistakes to a minimum and ND will pull away quarter by quarter.

PURDUE - 2-10 in the BigTen in 2010.. hmm. Marve and Bolden couldn't beat our defense last year and will have no chance this year. Big win.

AIR FORCE - 8 returning defensive and 6 returning offensive starters. Good returning numbers but are those returnees good enough to beat ND? No. The Irish can and will run all over the Falcon defense, forcing more tacklers in the box and well.. we all know how that will end.

USC - Let the new winning tradition continue! This game will be close again mainly because Barkley, barring injury, will be starting. The only weaknesses I see for USC are the OL and maybe LB's. They have RBs and WRs for days.. including (Woods and Prater) recruits we were dying for. I used to fear Carroll and the Trojans but Kiffin appears weak to me and I think the Irish are out for blood at this point. We have taken the giant down. ND goes into this game more confident then ever.

NAVY - This game makes me nauseous. I was at the Meadowlands last year watching the whole debacle(until I got smashed). Crist couldn't complete a pass and apparently no one wanted to cover Navy's FB. It was amazingly frustrating to watch. Ricky Dobbs is finally gone and Diaco seemed to figure out a plan for the option against Army. ND needs to come out and punch the midshipmen in the mouth and take this game early. Navy WILL be a prepared, tough team.

WAKE FOREST - Shaky QB and a very weak OL. Think Jimmy Clausen 3-9.. The Irish DL should feast on this offense. 108th in total offense and 101st in total defense last year. Also a new D-Coordinator this year... blah blah blah ND wins big.

MARYLAND - Similar to ND, the Terps finished 8-4 and blasted ECU 50-21 in the Military Bowl. In 2010 they beat the teams they should've and lost to 4 quality teams. They return 7 startes on the O and D each. Randy Edsall, the coach who beat us at UCONN is now leading the Terps. Sorry, I know you need no reminder but this will be a TOUGH, late season game.

BC - QB battle between Rettig and Shinskie with plenty of returning Wrs and TEs. But, the BC offense was plain bad last year ranking 109th. Montel Harris returns in the backfield and will be running into a much bigger, more athletic ND line. We won 31-13 last year and I'd expect a similar outcome this year.

STANFORD - Jim Harbaugh gone, Andrew Luck back. David Shaw, the previous OC coordinator, now as the HC, will not be changing much of the Harbaugh toughness mindset that Stanford has done so well under. Luck is the best QB in the nation and will be NDs toughest test defensively. The only bright spot is that Luck loses three of his OL starters from last year that gave up a measly 5 sacks. BK will have to get the boys ready to execute to perfection in this one as we were man-handled by the Cardinal last year.

All in all I see the potential for ND to win every game on their schedule. I also see a 10 win season with losses to Maryland and Stanford. Go Irish!

 

[aubeirish]

How can Dion Lewis declare for the draft? He only played 2 seasons. Does it have to do with age?

 

[GoldenIsThyFame]

How can Dion Lewis declare for the draft? He only played 2 seasons. Does it have to do with age?

Lewis was a redshirt sophomore.

 

[Riddickulous]

How can Dion Lewis declare for the draft? He only played 2 seasons. Does it have to do with age?

He went to a prep school before he went to Pitt...I believe.

I still hold to my prediction: 9-3, we'll split the Michigan teams and lose to Stanford and some team (BC, perhaps) that will be better than expected.

 

[DillonHall]

Edit:

 

[aubeirish]

I know for a fact he has been on campus only two years... So prep school does count for redshirt. I did not know that.

 

[hockeychief24]

no dion lewis left he is getting drafted

 

[GoldenIsThyFame]

This season could obviously go so many ways we could very easily be 8-4 and also very easily be 11-1.

I refrain from making any predictions until the end of the season.

 

[Rocket89]

Whoa, whoa, whoa! We're gonna beat Michigan State by 21+ points?!?!?

...but lose to Maryland?

I'd like to call it right now that Maryland is underrated, but is being called so underrated that they are now overrated for being underrated.

For the next 5 months we'll hear about how sneaky good the Terps are, how we'd "better be careful" with that game....and I bet we win relatively easily.

 

[Who'saWildManNow]

Whoa, whoa, whoa! We're gonna beat Michigan State by 21+ points?!?!?

...but lose to Maryland?

I'd like to call it right now that Maryland is underrated, but is being called so underrated that they are now overrated for being underrated.

For the next 5 months we'll hear about how sneaky good the Terps are, how we'd "better be careful" with that game....and I bet we win relatively easily.

Whoa I didn't say we re def gonna lose to Maryland.. I said we have the potential to win every game but I can see a two loss season to Stanford and Maryland. I think we will beat em but it wouldn't be a huge upset if we didn't

 

[Bogtrotter07]

Quote:
I predict that nobody will remember anybody's predictions [much to the predictors' relief] except for a few folks who randomly got something right [since they will remind us]. As the country saying goes: "Even a blind pig can find the hole in the fence".

Having said that I hereby don my porcine blindfold and say 10-2 regular season plus a bowl win, but a tough time-of-it. As to the losses, two of MSU, USC [ugg], USNA, MD, Stanford. Most likely: MSU because we're not quite rolling yet, or USNA because their coach has been saving all their tricks for us like he did this year and we're coming off busting up USC.

On second thought: 13-0 and green kool-aid for everyone.

Cool!

Yours Truly,

Blind Pig
(because they are going to be undefeated!)

I will update my prediction from mid-February:

A) Defense - Best in America! Our guys will play defense second to no-one in college football.

B) Offense - Smashmouth overconditioned zealots. The will strike quick or grind it out. This Notre Dame offense will have more looks than J-Lo's hair!

C) Record - Undefeated bay-bee! (NO BALLS, NO GLORY!)

 

[loomis41973]

WINS...


Lots



of



WINS!!!



On the backs of our defense.