Official 2011 Prediction Thread

[IrishLax]

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

Disagree. Probably going to be a scary game for at least a half. Wouldn't be shocked if USF won. They have a pretty athletic defense.

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!

The biggest wildcard game. Wouldn't be shocked if we lost by 21 or won by 21.

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.

Agreed. Should absolutely kill this team if we're healthy and Floyd is playing.

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.

Can't believe there is a team that plans to put their season on Suniseri's arm. Unless they show marked improvement from unknowns at all of their offensive skill positions this could be a big win.

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.

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.

Slightly scary because of their unique offense but I don't think their defense can stop Floyd and Cierre.

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.

I can see both teams coming into this game with one loss or undefeated. Game hinges on how much USC's defense improves. Should be a tight one... I'm predicting win with Floyd, loss without.

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.

This is going to be an utter blowout.

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.

Win.

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.

Key game. Going to say we win a close one.

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.

Very, very close game but the Irish pull it out setting up...

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.

Andrew Luck beats Notre Dame on a last second drive spoiling our national title chances... we end up playing SEC #2 (Bama or LSU) in a bowl game and get destroyed.

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!

My heart tells me we could actually go 11-1 or 12-0... my brain tells me we are likely a 9 win team... maybe 10... because Stanford and USC are very tough games and there are a bunch of other trap games on the schedule besides those.

 

[Old Man Mike]

If we are good enough to get to a bowl as big as "vs.Alabama or LSU", then that will mean to me that the offense has smoothed out and we're not making turnovers and moving the ball efficiently. If so, we will beat a #2 SEC team. [ex that would mean that we swept everyone but, say, Stanford].

If we are NOT good enough to get to that high a bowl, then we still have some problems systemically, and will have a tough game with whatever team we draw, even though they be lesser than an LSU. [think us with a good season but three losses --- Stanford, and two of MSU, USC, USNA, MD.]

 

[charlyp123]

13-0. Notre Dame wins its 12th National Championship in the 2012 calendar year. (2011 season)

 

[NeuteredDoomer]

...I guess I really screwed the pooch...

I predict tommy, having already screwed a pooch, will move on to sheep and goats.

 

[GainesvilleIrish]

Guys, we do this every year. Let's take the predictions down, I think an 8 win season is about right. 9+ would be a very solid season to me.

Without a set QB, our star WR still in question, proven RB, it could be a lot worse season. As much as I'm hoping for a 13-0 NC season, let's be honest-we are a few years and a bunch of playmaker away from this.

 

[IrishLax]

Guys, we do this every year. Let's take the predictions down, I think an 8 win season is about right. 9+ would be a very solid season to me.

Without a set QB, our star WR still in question, proven RB, it could be a lot worse season. As much as I'm hoping for a 13-0 NC season, let's be honest-we are a few years and a bunch of playmaker away from this.

Because predictions are fun!

I don't buy any of those concerns but Floyd. He is a make or break player... he run blocks so much better than anyone else we can put out there and also catches the ball so much better. He completely changes our offense and his value above replacement is immeasurable.

Cierre is proven. No QB? Sure, but I actually feel comfortable with the two we've got. Tommy Rees limits our offense but we know he can get the job done. Much more legitimate concerns would be depth in the secondary and the drop off at ILB without Brian Smith.

Ask yourself, would anyone have predicted Auburn to go 14-0 in the SEC with a very average defense/WRs, a fresh and untested RB and new/completely unproven QB? Of course not... but it happened. Going from #17 to #1 isn't THAT far fetched. Probable? No, of course not. Possible? Yes and fun to make ridiculous predictions about to kill the offseason downtime.

 

[Who'saWildManNow]

I'll tell you one thing.. If they come out of the gate and lose to USF I'm going to projectile vomit the 10 Bud Lights I put down during the game.

jcold9 - I somewhat agree that the prediction ritual before every season can be annoying but it will never stop. But, with this coaching staff in place and the influx of talent, one of these years our bold predictions will be right!

 

[GainesvilleIrish]

Yeah, no one could have predicted Auburn, but for every Auburn there are way for teams that had super high expectations going in and failed (Florida and Texas come to mind right away).

Of course people are going to predict games and seasons and I'm not gonna stop anyone, but I'm saying people predicting an undefeated season or one loss season are most likely gonna be disappointed come January 2012. I hope I'm wrong, but I see the whole picture.

 

[IrishLax]

Yeah, no one could have predicted Auburn, but for every Auburn there are way for teams that had super high expectations going in and failed (Florida and Texas come to mind right away).

Of course people are going to predict games and seasons and I'm not gonna stop anyone, but I'm saying people predicting an undefeated season or one loss season are most likely gonna be disappointed come January 2012. I hope I'm wrong, but I see the whole picture.

All very true. As I said, my head says 9 wins... maybe 10 depending on how much time Floyd misses. But we have to kill the time some way!!

Try it... forget records for a sec, make a bold prediction about a player/event this year. It'll be fun to look back on later.

 

[WhoDeyIrish]

If we don't get to 9 wins I'd say it will be a massive disappointment. I'd say if we don't make a BCS game this season it would be a disappointment. I predicted this when Kelly came in that we would be in the BCS title game this year playing Oklahoma. So I'll stick with that.

 

[IrishMoore1]

I'm going to set the bar the same as I do every year:

9-10 wins with a BCS bowl appearance. The team has the capability to be a very good team. But always falls short of its potential. This year will be a good litmus test of where Kelly will take the program.

 

[Old Man Mike]

Nice thing about Green Kool-aid is that it's cheap, and if you're in the right mood it tastes great. The deep and mysterious philosopher Snoopy wisely said: "Happiness is the best policy".

 

[tommyIRISH23]

All very true. As I said, my head says 9 wins... maybe 10 depending on how much time Floyd misses. But we have to kill the time some way!!

Try it... forget records for a sec, make a bold prediction about a player/event this year. It'll be fun to look back on later.

D$ comes out of nowhere and becomes a legit weapon. That is my bold prediction.

 

[ND_HAS_RISEN]

Predictions.....

Alright, here it goes...

USF is a scary game right out of the gates, even if they arent that good. This is the ND syndrome that NO OTHER TEAM in the nation has to deal with. ND opening with the gamut that they have each and every year is why the first 3-4 games of the year are so important.

If BK has the guys ready from jump street, and we go 3-0, then this season could easily be a 10-11 win season, but if it takes a game or two to have the gears turning, then this season could easily be a 8-9 win season.

Scariest games on the schedule from hardest to easiest:

Stanford - Hardest 1A (but, playing the last game of the reg. season only bodes well for what we saw at the end of the year last year) They probably wont be as good as last year, but Andrew Luck is BY FAR the best QB in the nation, regardless of who surrounds him.

USC- Even with Lame Kiffen, this team has NFL caliber players, and Barkley is really good. 1B Even without Barkley, they could have, and frankly SHOULD have won that game last year with RoJo's drop...

Michigan- I don't care two S H I T S if Hoke can or can't coach. Until we turn the series back into our favor, this will ALWAYS be a hard *** game.

USF- If this game was in week 3 or more, this would be a lock win IMO, but because it’s the first, it’s scary. Guys get out of position/ don’t understand the coverage completely, etc... and this could very easily be a loss. If BK has them clicking to even half of what they ended last year, this is a WIN.

Mich. St.- This one is really a tie with Navy IMO. But the way they lost last year will be drilled into them all week long, and I think they FINISH the game this year.

Navy- Gosh, really?!?!?!?! They won't be able to do jack with that FB with Nix and Teo up the middle, so as long as our outside doesn't get their knee's blown out from all the illegal chop blocks, then I think we pay back in a BIG WAY!!

Maryland- In all fairness, Maryland should really be ahead of Mich. St. and Navy, but I just feel so much better about the latter half of the year with BK as the coach. As critical as I was when it felt like he was losing the team last year early on, he turned the tide so well, that you cannot question his ability to actually "coach" throughout the year, and get BETTER.

Wake, AF, Pitt, Purdue, and BC- These should be locks IMO. Not necessarily blow outs, but we SHOULD win comfortably.


Officially I will say 10-2 with a BCS bid, and really depending on who we play for the 11th win or 3rd loss.

 

[CurtisCandy]

I won't bother with an official prediction, because I am a confirmed Kool-Aid drinker by the gallons every year.

However, I haven't been THIS excited about a season's beginning in a long time! - I keep going back to the U$C game and how lights out the defense played. Down season or not, the dirtbags from Southern Cal are still always loaded with talent, and they could only manage one touchdown, and that took them 4 downs to squeak it over the goal line from the two!

There is certainly no reason to believe the defense won't be substantially better than last year's, and that makes me a very happy boy!

Our defense is going to F some people up this year!

 

[IrishLax]

D$ comes out of nowhere and becomes a legit weapon. That is my bold prediction.

Bold indeed! Maybe even bold enough to drink Guinness.

 

[I.R.I.S.H. GL]

I think 9-3 with a new yrs day bowl win would be a perfect steppng stone to bigger things.

 

[IrishSteelhead]

I think 9-3 with a new yrs day bowl win would be a perfect steppng stone to bigger things.

+1 Someone who gets it!!!!!

 

[DSquick16]

i figure stanford will be the most difficult game for us to win.

What I'd really like to see is us stamp our foot on scUM. With our stellar DL hopefully we can contain/disrupt robinson enough to shut down their offense.

Prediction: 14+ victory over scUM

 

[Riddickulous]

I won't bother with an official prediction, because I am a confirmed Kool-Aid drinker by the gallons every year.

However, I haven't been THIS excited about a season's beginning in a long time! - I keep going back to the U$C game and how lights out the defense played. Down season or not, the dirtbags from Southern Cal are still always loaded with talent, and they could only manage one touchdown, and that took them 4 downs to squeak it over the goal line from the two!

There is certainly no reason to believe the defense won't be substantially better than last year's, and that makes me a very happy boy!

Our defense is going to F some people up this year!

IMO, our defense will be good (Top 30?), but far from the elite wrecking crew that many are predicting. We're a good 3-4 years away from even having a potential Alabama caliber defense.

 

[IrishSteelhead]

IMO, our defense will be good (Top 30?), but far from the elite wrecking crew that many are predicting. We're a good 3-4 years away from even having a potential Alabama caliber defense.

You shouldn't cloud people's judgment with facts like that, it cripples morale.

 

[Old Man Mike]

The Jinx may be correct, but if Tuitt is what I suspect, and Nix is what he seems, and Lynch is just an awareness or two from being able to be turned loose, then that front alone makes us very close to elite. With Manti and folks like Spond and Shembo still around, and with folks like Counsell ready to blow us away with speed, the second tier is close to great and is devastating when paired with the front. So, after this year it's how good will our corners be? [the safeties can be "just solid" with that front seven]. Along come Shepard and Darby, to join Brown, Atkinson, and Hardy. ... Folks I don't think that the daydreams are without substance.

 

[IrishSteelhead]

The Jinx may be correct, but if Tuitt is what I suspect, and Nix is what he seems, and Lynch is just an awareness or two from being able to be turned loose, then that front alone makes us very close to elite. With Manti and folks like Spond and Shembo still around, and with folks like Counsell ready to blow us away with speed, the second tier is close to great and is devastating when paired with the front. So, after this year it's how good will our corners be? [the safeties can be "just solid" with that front seven]. Along come Shepard and Darby, to join Brown, Atkinson, and Hardy. ... Folks I don't think that the daydreams are without substance.

I don't see Manti sticking around if he has another big year. He'd be a top ten pick.

 

[D-BOE34]

I am going to say 10-2.

My only losses .... Stanford and (please don't boot me from IE) USC

I feel like 3 very important things we got from last year was...

1. Our defense got the confidence and is more comfortable in the system to fly around now.
2. Our QB play along with the playbook can open up more "soundly" I say. Crist and Rees are both capable of running a better offense with the confidence paired with a year under the belt.
3. Our coaches now have a strong grasp on player personnel and how to manage the game appropriately.


These reasons, I think we win the games we are suppose to. No more Navy or Tulsa type games. I think Luck & Co. are just going to be a tad bit much for us to handle. Which to me is ok because I think they are at a level we are trying to get to. ELITE! As for USC, I am still leaning on the side of USC having our number. This all will depend on Barkley being healthy. As much as hate USC and Kitten, I think the athletes they have will end up making a play this year that they couldn't last year to win it. Whether it be a last minute pass that isn't dropped for a TD to sneak one out or a broken play that leads to a gashing run for a last minute TD.

Game management and our defense playing above and beyond the start this year than last, we get a few extra wins we should have had last year.

 

[Old Man Mike]

Re: USC. Anyone would have to admit that they put more "starshine" on the field. But if we have a very well-functioning QB so that we're in the game, then I believe that the wildcard will be our conditioning. I'm looking forward to a team which puts so much of a load on the opponent [especially the defenses] that we see ourselves distancing ourselves from them in the second halves. "Starshine" dimmed by fatigue [and even depth].

Kelly produces a whole system to win games. It doesn't depend upon stats and on-paper line-ups. It depends on competence, pace, and conditioning. Very few teams can hang all game with those three [Stanford was a powerful exception]. We might fall behind USC while they're fresh and strutting, but I'll bet we gradually grind the energy out of them.

 

[CurtisCandy]

IMO, our defense will be good (Top 30?), but far from the elite wrecking crew that many are predicting. We're a good 3-4 years away from even having a potential Alabama caliber defense.

I don't disagree with that. My point in saying that our defense will F people up is that we have some BIG hitters out there. I wasn't saying we would defensively dominate everyone we face, just that I love seeing big hitters intimidate people.

Manti, Nix, Carlo and Shembo are all guys who can bring some heavy artillery, and we have some guys in the secondary who can lay a lick on a receiver.

 

[ndcoltsfan2010]

It's always fun to speculate how we will perform next season and constantly try to remind myself that I have to be realistic. I think this will be a very good year, not great, but a good one in which we continue with the momentum from our last four games and look like a team that is definently completly different than just a couple of years earlier. I see us winning 9-3 or possibly 10-2 with a Bowl game victory. I love how BK and staff have put the swagger back into this team. This team just seems to have a certain confidence and attitude that it has lacked in previous years. Can't wait till USF!

 

[Cali_domer]

It's always fun to speculate how we will perform next season and constantly try to remind myself that I have to be realistic. I think this will be a very good year, not great, but a good one in which we continue with the momentum from our last four games and look like a team that is definently completly different than just a couple of years earlier. I see us winning 9-3 or possibly 10-2 with a Bowl game victory. I love how BK and staff have put the swagger back into this team. This team just seems to have a certain confidence and attitude that it has lacked in previous years. Can't wait till UCF!

USF... 8-4 next year...

 

[ndcoltsfan2010]

USF... 8-4 next year...

Oops..., lol

 

[Cali_domer]

Oops..., lol

I wish it was UCF...