Predict ND's record next year

[Irish Man3]

Can't believe you guys are writing in the annual loss to USC still when we beat them with a true frosh that turned the ball over 4 times, on the road.

I think we bookend the season with losses. USF and Stanford but win a BCS game. 11-2

Yea they were short one player, I cant remember his name off the top of my head though. I believe his name is Matt Barkley. They played without their starting All-American quarterback and we barely won because of a dropped pass. I'm one of the biggest ND fans in the world but let's keep things real. I think we will beat USC this year as well but you can't expect a win based on what happened this year.

My record for this upcoming year is 10-3. I think thats very realistic with what we have returning on both sides of the football.

 

[IrishInColumbus]

Here's how I see it as far as regular season records:

12-0 - elation
11-1 - elation
10-2 - perfectly acceptable
9-3 - fine, but hunger for more
8-4 - patience needed to tolerate
7-5 - disappointing
6-6 - WTF
the rest - WTF x50000

 

[Sherm Sticky]

be nice... while most Michigan fans are autoworkers (sorry... ex-autoworkers...) with IQs of around 80 and total douches who punch our fans in the face, pee on them, and other classy acts at away games... the two that post on here are good guys.

He is correct, the two UM guys who post on this board are cool.

 

[irishff1014]

I say 9-3. We lose to Mich state,Stanford and Maryland

 

[CurtisCandy]

Yea they were short one player, I cant remember his name off the top of my head though. I believe his name is Matt Barkley. They played without their starting All-American quarterback and we barely won because of a dropped pass. I'm one of the biggest ND fans in the world but let's keep things real. I think we will beat USC this year as well but you can't expect a win based on what happened this year.

My record for this upcoming year is 10-3. I think thats very realistic with what we have returning on both sides of the football.

I respectfully disagree, Irish Man. The U$C game was a real statement game as far as I'm concerned because of the incredible display of "punch you in the face" attitude our defense demonstrated.

We also were without our starting quarterback, and U$C was given fours gift turnovers that our defense refused to allow to be the factor that broke the game open in their favor. When our boys made them use four downs to gain two yards for a score, that was the statement of all statements for me as to where our program is headed.

Despite who was playing at QB, U$C was still loaded with talent at RB and throughout the offensive line, and yet our defense regularly kicked their *** throughout the game.

Yes, a dropped pass may have been a big difference in the game, but 4 huge turnovers by our offense, in the recent past, would definitely have meant a U$C rout of our beloved Irish.

Not this time though!

 

[PLACforever]

13-0. we beat every team we play by 50 and are considered the greatest team of all time. end of story.

^This
+ we don't allow a touchdown all season.
+ our defense scores more points than most team's offenses.

 

[North Buffalo Irish]

10-3 if we win our bowl, 9-4 if we don't. Not sure where the losses will come from, but they'll all be close. As long as we beat the Michigan schools and win 9 games, I'll be happy. Losing to Sparty at home AGAIN is unacceptable.

 

[Irish Man3]

I respectfully disagree, Irish Man. The U$C game was a real statement game as far as I'm concerned because of the incredible display of "punch you in the face" attitude our defense demonstrated.

We also were without our starting quarterback, and U$C was given fours gift turnovers that our defense refused to allow to be the factor that broke the game open in their favor. When our boys made them use four downs to gain two yards for a score, that was the statement of all statements for me as to where our program is headed.

Despite who was playing at QB, U$C was still loaded with talent at RB and throughout the offensive line, and yet our defense regularly kicked their *** throughout the game.

Yes, a dropped pass may have been a big difference in the game, but 4 huge turnovers by our offense, in the recent past, would definitely have meant a U$C rout of our beloved Irish.

Not this time though!

So because we sneak away with a win against USC this year, we should expect to beat them on a yearly basis?

The running back that "punched" USC's defense in the face is gone. Almost all of their skill position players were very young and will return. As I said earlier, I think we beat USC this year but this does not all of a sudden become a game we should win every year. This is not Tulsa or Western Michigan.

My whole point to the original poster who thought it was crazy posters were picking us to lose to USC is why is that so crazy? Why all of a sudden do we assume we will beat USC on a yearly basis? I know how the game went this year, I've watched in 15 times since the conclusion of this season. They are a more talented group of players but we beat them because we wanted it more. We have better coaching and we have more heart but let's not forget how talented that team is.

 

[BurningRiver]

confidence scale for each game on a scale of 1-5 with 1 being likely loss, 5 completely expect a win, 3 being complete toss up.

1. USF--4--I expect a win in this one. I know USF is a good, well-coached team and we are probably prone to a head-scratcher season opener, I still think we should win. It'll be close though.
2. at Michigan--3--We should win this one, but that doesn't mean we will. Michigan is always a hard-fought game, and this one is at NIGHT in the BIG HOUSE. We should win because we are better than UM and they have a new coach so should be in somewhat of a transition year, but it could end up being a trip-up game.
3. Michigan State--4--MSU returns a lot of starters from last year, but let's face it. We were a tripped-Harrison Smith away from beating them last year, and we are much better, IMO, than we were at that point last year.
4. at Pitt--3.7--Again, I think they will be in somewhat of a transition year, but it's away from the nice quiet confines of Notre Dame Stadium, and could be another trip up game. I still think we are better than them and should win.
5. at Purdue--4.5--are they even good? I know nothing about them. Next?
6. Air Force--5--next!
7. BYE--2--this could be a difficult week for us. Gut feeling is a loss.
8. USC--3.9999--always a tough game. USC is always talented, unfortunately, and I don't think Kiffykins has driven USC far enough into the ground yet for this to be a likely win. I think we can, I think we should, but I'm not confident enough to say 4.
9. Navy--4.2--I think they lose Ricky Dobbs. Thank God, that guy was like 3-1 against us.
10. at Wake Forest--5--Guys, Wake Forest has a very good football team and I think--sorry I can't do this. We roll.
11. Maryland (at FedEx Field)--4--I know nothing about Maryland. All I know about them is that they have red uniforms (up for debate) and their mascot is a turtle, which is pretty sick IMO. My only scouting on this team is the occasional look up from my wings to watch football while at Buffalo Wild Wings.
12. Boston College--4.5--We beat them by a lot last year. It should've been much uglier than 31-13. We were up 21-0 in the first quarter, and this was back when our defense was still in High School.
13. at Stanford--2--I have a bad feeling about this one. I honestly think that this game has College Gameday potential because it could very well be deciding BCS bowls for both of us. I am already pumped for this game, but I don't have a very good feeling about it. I know Harbaugh's departure will hurt Stanford in the long run but for now I think Andrew Luck could win games by himself. He is vurry good at football.

I don't really know where this puts us. I think we will win most of these games, and could very well be favored in every game until Stanford. I think we will have one or two trip ups and I think we will lose to those darn trees in Palo Alto at the end of the season. Three losses does not a BCS bowl appearance make, even with Notre Dame's brand name tempting the bowl committees. I think 10-3 with a Champ Sports bowl win.

On another note, would you rather go 10-3 with a Champs sports bowl win or 10-3 with a BCS appearance with a close bowl loss? Hmm...

 

[Rhode Irish]

A) I am on Morphine pump, 2) Wanted a chance to put those 3 faces on a post, and D) I was just funnin'.

Love the sneaky Home Alone reference here (Buzz!). Hope you're feeling OK, man.

I don't like making predictions, especially this far in advance. But I will say that when I look at the schedule I don't see any game that I would consider "unwinnable". So that is encouraging. I would say that a 10-3 or better season, with all the help on the way, would make me very optimistic going into 2012 and beyond.

 

[CurtisCandy]

So because we sneak away with a win against USC this year, we should expect to beat them on a yearly basis?

The running back that "punched" USC's defense in the face is gone. Almost all of their skill position players were very young and will return. As I said earlier, I think we beat USC this year but this does not all of a sudden become a game we should win every year. This is not Tulsa or Western Michigan.

My whole point to the original poster who thought it was crazy posters were picking us to lose to USC is why is that so crazy? Why all of a sudden do we assume we will beat USC on a yearly basis? I know how the game went this year, I've watched in 15 times since the conclusion of this season. They are a more talented group of players but we beat them because we wanted it more. We have better coaching and we have more heart but let's not forget how talented that team is.

We're not actually on opposite sides of this issue, Irish Man. As much as I hate U$C, they are always going to have excellent recruitment and top teams. I don't expect a win over them is ever a given, although I also like our chances this coming year more than I have in some time.

That said, my take on the U$C game from last year is that we didn't win because of a dropped pass, we won because of a rapidly improving defense that "punched them in the face". I believe our defense is going to get even better, so that is why I like our chances this year a lot.

We don't disagree on the toughness of U$C, and that a win over them is never a given. My disagreement is with the assessment that we only won due to a dropped pass. I believe we earned that win every which way. - Dropped passes are a part of the game, just like turnovers, which our defense was able to overcome.

 

[rikkitikki08]

NEXT 4 YEARS

52 wins and 4 national titles

 

[Irish Man3]

We're not actually on opposite sides of this issue, Irish Man. As much as I hate U$C, they are always going to have excellent recruitment and top teams. I don't expect a win over them is ever a given, although I also like our chances this coming year more than I have in some time.

That said, my take on the U$C game from last year is that we didn't win because of a dropped pass, we won because of a rapidly improving defense that "punched them in the face". I believe our defense is going to get even better, so that is why I like our chances this year a lot.

We don't disagree on the toughness of U$C, and that a win over them is never a given. My disagreement is with the assessment that we only won due to a dropped pass. I believe we earned that win every which way. - Dropped passes are a part of the game, just like turnovers, which our defense was able to overcome.

I understand what your saying and I respect it. I also noticed a difference in our defense late in the season. Answer me this one question:

As good as our defense played, even after being put into tough situations because of turnovers, if Ronald Johnson makes that catch late in the game do we win?

 

[CurtisCandy]

I understand what your saying and I respect it. I also noticed a difference in our defense late in the season. Answer me this one question:

As good as our defense played, even after being put into tough situations because of turnovers, if Ronald Johnson makes that catch late in the game do we win?

Probably not. - Very unlikely.

The way I look at it, though, much like our boys turning the ball over, things go wrong for every team in every game. It's a matter of who steps up and does what is necessary to win the game.

The question could just as easily be asked: If Tommy doesn't throw one or two of those interceptions, does Johnson's drop even matter, as Notre Dame would probably be too far ahead on the scoreboard to be threatened.

I guess I'm just over-sensitive on this issue because I got so tired of the U$C fans whining that we were lucky that Johnson dropped the ball. Both teams made mistakes; we were just good enough to overcome them enough to put more points on the board than they did.

 

[CanadianIrish]

I see 10-3, but if the QB play improves dramatically I could see 12-1.

 

[ACamp1900]

7-5

 

[PatsandBostonfan1975]

be nice... while most Michigan fans are autoworkers (sorry... ex-autoworkers...) with IQs of around 80 and total douches who punch our fans in the face, pee on them, and other classy acts at away games... the two that post on here are good guys.

Ill fight a michigan fan. Just saying.....

 

[GreatGolson]

11-2 with a BCS upset win

 

[Fan of the Irish]

11-2 with a BCS upset win

I think this is very possible

 

[Wolverine1997]

with IQs of around 80 and total douches who punch our fans in the face, pee on them, and other classy acts at away games... guys.

Now wait a second, are you sure you weren't at that school in ohio when that happened?

As for our fanbase I haven't really seen any douchery towards ND people. I was at 38-0 part 1 and 2 (2003&2007), and the 2009 game and I really didn't see anything. Now if you're talking students...I advise you don't walk by their section with ND garb on.. lol but I think that's how it is anywhere.

As for games going to ND I do remember the chanting when walking out of the stadium in 2006.

 

[GreatGolson]

I think this is very possible

With Bob Diaco, all things are possible

 

[Freeman Ara]

Yea they were short one player, I cant remember his name off the top of my head though. I believe his name is Matt Barkley. They played without their starting All-American quarterback and we barely won because of a dropped pass. I'm one of the biggest ND fans in the world but let's keep things real. I think we will beat USC this year as well but you can't expect a win based on what happened this year.

My record for this upcoming year is 10-3. I think thats very realistic with what we have returning on both sides of the football.

I wasn't implying that USC is an auto win for us now, I was just commenting that the first few posters both had SC as losses which surprised me. We have SC at home, Kiffen is still their coach, and I don't think that program has the shine on it that it used to. They are very beatable and we know that now, just that mental aspect is huge.

I'm keeping it real, I expect us to be a better coached and prepared football team then SC as long as Kiffen is there and we will win more then our fair share.

And I'm really sorry that you've watched that game 15 times and all you came away with was the fact that we won because RoJo choked. I guess I was watching a different game then you.

 

[Irish4Life09]

Ill fight a michigan fan. Just saying.....

Probably the best post EVER on this site!!!

 

[Shamrocks and Shenanigans]

I'm going with 11-2 with a close lose in BCS bowl. I find it scary that people are saying we will lose to SF. If we do, this will be a very long season. I think we lose to Stanford.

 

[choo choo]

i earlier thought 9-4, but im starting to lean more toward 11-2 with a bcs loss

 

[anarin]

I think 10-2.

I also think we'll lose an unexpected game. Wake Forest/Maryland/Boston College. It'll be one of those games where we got caught scratching our asses.

The other loss I would say is stanford. But this will be the last time we lose to them for many many many years to come.

My opinion is subject to change

Oh and we win our bowl game. so 11-2

 

[Rudy89]

10-3 or 9-4 I think we lose to USC, Stanford, and one of the Michigan schools if not both. We win the Champs Sports bowl. But I think we could win every game. To answer a previous poster I'd much rather go to a smaller bowl game than go to the BCS to lose. I know one is a much grander scale but our two BCS years we looked like chumps in those games and I hate having that feeling to end a season.

 

[WhoDeyIrish]

We will be 11-0 going into the Stanford game. I believe we will see what kind of coach Kelly really is in that game. If we stay really healthy I believe this. If not I think we lose 2 games. No bowl guesses. I believe that we will play Oklahoma in the National Title. Homer maybe. We should be favored in every game though just like someone mentioned before. We shall see. I just hope we get several wins and don't lose any games we aren't supposed to lose.

 

[PatsandBostonfan1975]

Stanford and Usc only teams make me sweat looking thru the schedule. WE BETTER NOT LOSE TO NAVY !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

[RallySonsOfND]

I believe this team has the tools to go undefeated. Will Kelly become the 10th coach in the Nation to win a NC in his second season!?

I'll guess 11 and 1. With the loss to Stanford or Michigan. (Michigan makes me nervous just due to the environment of the game)