Polls

[Ironman8]

I find it funny that a lot of our fans give the benefit of the doubt to good teams when they really struggle against teams they are better than, yet go nuts when we do the same. Just doesn't seem consistent or fair to me.

 

[Bishop2b5]

Did you see their game against Boston College?!? A BC team that won 2 games last year!

I know, but even the best teams usually have an off game once per year against an inferior opponent where they struggle and have to gut it out to win. That's part of being a championship-level team... going through that sort of game and overcoming just being "off" against a fired up opponent and finding a way to win when you aren't hitting on all 8 cylinders.

 

[STLDomer]

1. Oregon
2. Alabama
3. Florida State

My Top 3

 

[IrishJayhawk]

I find it funny that a lot of our fans give the benefit of the doubt to good teams when they really struggle against teams they are better than, yet go nuts when we do the same. Just doesn't seem consistent or fair to me.

^ Bingo

 

[ickythump1225]

1. Oregon
2. Alabama
3. Florida State

My Top 3

1.Oregon
2.Alabama
3.Clemson

That's mine. I know Clemson struggled a bit against BC but I seem to remember a team in gold and blue last year that had a scare or two against lesser teams but gutted out tough wins. On your path to a NCG you go through a few gut checks.

And to me Oregon is a clear #1. That team is scary and I'm loving every minute of it. I have adopted them as my "beat the SEC" team this year. I love their style of play and I'm tired of hearing about how that offense is "gimmick" that "won't even win a championship" so I'd love nothing more than to see them beat Alabama (team most associated with old school football) in the MNC.

 

[arrowryan]

My top 5

1. Alabama
2. Clemson
3. Oregon
4. Florida State
5. LSU

 

[gkIrish]

I find it funny that a lot of our fans give the benefit of the doubt to good teams when they really struggle against teams they are better than, yet go nuts when we do the same. Just doesn't seem consistent or fair to me.

We don't blow anyone out ever and always seem to play down to our competition so when a Clemson or A&M plays poorly once or twice a year it isn't really fair to be too critical of them relative to our overall play

 

[Whiskeyjack]

We don't blow anyone out ever and always seem to play down to our competition so when a Clemson or A&M plays poorly once or twice a year it isn't really fair to be too critical of them relative to our overall play

We didn't blow out Navy, Miami and Wake Forest last year?

 

[gkIrish]

We didn't blow out Navy, Miami and Wake Forest last year?

Among the few exceptions from the last 7 years. I think the entire 4 years I went to school at ND the only time we ever blew anyone out to the point where we could bring in backups at home was Nevada. The Clemsons of the world have 3-4 blowouts EVERY year.

 

[gkIrish]

WHiskey--I know you'll probably look through our schedule for the last ten years and find a few more (Army?) but my point is that we usually play down to our competition. Can't debate that.

 

[NoJusticeNoPeace]

If Oregon was an SEC team they would be the unanimous #1. They went into one of the loudest stadiums in the world against the #16 team in the country for their biggest game in a long time, and they won by 3 scores. Oregon is clearly #1 in the country.

 

[GoIrish41]

1. Florida State
2. Oregon
3. Alabama
4. Clemson
5. LSU

I've watched a few FSU games this year and they look solid in every facet of the game. Oregon is lights out on offense but have their typical defense that teams like Stanford and Alabama could beat down. Bama is good, but nothing like they were last year. Clemson always find a way to lose one (looked for a while it would be this weekend). LSU is what LSU should be with all that talent, but I don't know if they can beat Bama.

 

[NoJusticeNoPeace]

1. Florida State
2. Oregon
3. Alabama
4. Clemson
5. LSU

I've watched a few FSU games this year and they look solid in every facet of the game. Oregon is lights out on offense but have their typical defense that teams like Stanford and Alabama could beat down. Bama is good, but nothing like they were last year. Clemson always find a way to lose one (looked for a while it would be this weekend). LSU is what LSU should be with all that talent, but I don't know if they can beat Bama.

The FSU defense that gave up 34 to Boston College is solid while Oregon's defense is weak?

 

[Wild Bill]

There definitely is an SEC bias, but what some people don't realize is that there are teams outside the SEC that have been given higher rankings than they truly deserved, both now and in the past. Just look at Texas the last few years. How many times were they given a top 25 ranking after beating up on some below-average teams to start the year, or in the preseason coming off of a losing season? They would then get blown out by Oklahoma or someone else. Stanford was definitely overrated heading into this year. And ND has been given top 25 preseason rankings in the past when they've been coming off of mediocre seasons, and have bolted up the rankings in the early part of certain seasons without even beating a very good team.

And when they lose, they are dropped in the rankings just as quick.

You're right, there is a bias across the country for some of the teams you mentioned. The bias towards a team is easily corrected during the season, i.e., Michigan loses to Penn State and they are out of the top 25. The bias for the entire SEC conference, however, is not as easily corrected during the season. As the comment in the original post suggests, in the SEC the wins against "quality" opponents are magnified while the losses are shrugged off as losses to a "quality" opponents.

 

[GoIrish41]

The FSU defense that gave up 34 to Boston College is solid while Oregon's defense is weak?

FSU hit the field while asleep against BC and gave up a quick 17. Bad start to the game, but when they got in gear they stomped the Eagles and the planets re-aligned. Oregon has the same team it has had for the past three or four years -- great offense, a defense that can be exploited by power teams (see Stanford last year).

 

[Whiskeyjack]

Among the few exceptions from the last 7 years. I think the entire 4 years I went to school at ND the only time we ever blew anyone out to the point where we could bring in backups at home was Nevada.

I don't see much point in holding Kelly responsible for Weis' failures, so let's start in 2010. I'm not sure how you define a "blow out", but for simplicity, here are the games we finished with a 3+ possession lead:

2010 - BC, W. Michigan, Utah, Army, Miami
2011 - MSU, Purdue, AF, Navy, Maryland
2012 - Navy, MSU, Miami, OU, WF
2013 - Temple

That's 16/ 45 games during Kelly's tenure. Winning by 3+ possessions ~36% of the time is pretty good, no?

The Clemsons of the world have 3-4 blowouts EVERY year.

Two points here:

1. Clemson plays a much weaker schedule. Their SoS recently has been 43rd (2011), 61st (2012), and 57th (2013 to date). Compare that to 25th (2011), 21st (2012) and 15th (2013 to date) for ND. It's a lot easier to rack up lopsided victories when your schedule includes South Carolina State and Citadel.
2. They've had one of the best offenses in the nation recently with Tahj Boyd in Swinney's offense. Any time you combine a weak schedule, a Heisman-caliber QB, and a spread offense, you're going to get a lot of blow-outs. But go back a few years and Clemson was pretty average offensively. So you may be suffering from some recency bias here. And how's WVU doing without Geno Smith these days?

WHiskey--I know you'll probably look through our schedule for the last ten years and find a few more (Army?) but my point is that we usually play down to our competition. Can't debate that.

Sure I can. Our schedule has a much higher floor than the teams you're comparing us to. Virtually every opponent we play has the quality to beat us if we come out flat. And the team can't be "up" for each and every opponent; the human psyche doesn't work that way. So unless ND changes its scheduling philosophy, several uncomfortably close games are inevitable each year.

As Holtz frequently points out, there's no pleasing our fan base. Even when we're consistently beating inferior teams, Irish fans complain that we're not winning by enough. Don't be that guy.

 

[Cackalacky]

The FSU defense that gave up 34 to Boston College is solid while Oregon's defense is weak?

Boston College was leading Clemson this week up until two touchdowns in less than two minutes ( one from a TO) and the gas ran out in the third quarter. They gave FSU a what for also.

 

[NoJusticeNoPeace]

FSU hit the field while asleep against BC and gave up a quick 17. Bad start to the game, but when they got in gear they stomped the Eagles and the planets re-aligned. Oregon has the same team it has had for the past three or four years -- great offense, a defense that can be exploited by power teams (see Stanford last year).

Oregon's D only gave up 14 to Stanford in regulation last year, only 1 more than our defense did.

 

[IrishLax]

Oregon's D only gave up 14 to Stanford in regulation last year, only 1 more than our defense did.

Our D only gave up two FGs all game.

 

[NoJusticeNoPeace]

Our D only gave up two FGs all game.

Oh I forgot about the Golson play. Still, 14 points to Stanford isn't being exploited by any means.

 

[Ndaccountant]

Oh I forgot about the Golson play. Still, 14 points to Stanford isn't being exploited by any means.

That's right and in the MNC game against Cam, they gave up 20 points on defense, the second fewest points scored by Auburn that year. In 2011 their defense took a step back IMO, and they lost twice. Last year, you touched on Stanford, but they also only gave up 17 to KSU in the Fiesta bowl, the lowest amount KSU scored all year.

I am not saying they are elite, but they have certainly improved over the years.

 

[IrishLax]

Yes, Oregon's D is better than most think. A lot better actually on per-drive metrics for starters.

It's not power teams that are their nemesis. It's teams with dominant skill players that can beat their DBs in individual matchups because they play aggressive.

Look at what USC did to their D last year as an example.

 

[Irish Houstonian]

Oregon also gives their opponents a lot more possessions per game, for obvious reasons.

 

[FLDomer]

Did you see their game against Boston College?!? A BC team that won 2 games last year!

Who? Clemsons or FSU? Cause both were given a run for their money by BC.

I want to see FSU play a decent team before I crown them in the top 3. Winston come across to me as a kid that could crack against a solid D that gets pressure. I have watched him and he profoundly talented but his attitude at times is a lil pissy and I could see that being his down fall.

 

[Irish Houstonian]

Who? Clemsons or FSU? Cause both were given a run for their money by BC.

I want to see FSU play a decent team before I crown them in the top 3. Winston come across to me as a kid that could crack against a solid D that gets pressure. I have watched him and he profoundly talented but his attitude at times is a lil pissy and I could see that being his down fall.

+1. As of right now Florida State is Baylor.

 

[NDohio]

Who? Clemsons or FSU? Cause both were given a run for their money by BC.

I want to see FSU play a decent team before I crown them in the top 3. Winston come across to me as a kid that could crack against a solid D that gets pressure. I have watched him and he profoundly talented but his attitude at times is a lil pissy and I could see that being his down fall.

I agree. We should learn a lot about Clemson and FSU this weekend. My bet is Clemson takes it to them.

 

[phork]

The fact that Michigan is #26 is absurd. Shows how little football the voters watch.

Are you saying Michigan should be higher or lower? Frankly if it wasn't for shoddy officiating, they would have lost that Akron game and should have lost that UConn game. They are by far the worst 5-1 team in the nation.

 

[ThePiombino]

Are you saying Michigan should be higher or lower? Frankly if it wasn't for shoddy officiating, they would have lost that Akron game and should have lost that UConn game. They are by far the worst 5-1 team in the nation.

And yet we lost to them. Wish we could have played them later in the year.

 

[NDPhilly]

Does anyone here actually believe Miami is anywhere close to the #10 team in the country. There only somewhat quality win is Florida at home, a game where Florida dominated only to be cursed by turnovers.

 

[blueNDgold44]

Does anyone here actually believe Miami is anywhere close to the #10 team in the country. There only somewhat quality win is Florida at home, a game where Florida dominated only to be cursed by turnovers.

I think they end w/ 3 losses. FSU, VT, and one of their last 3 games (Pitt, Duke, Virginia)