Preseason predictions

[T Town Tommy]

11-1. Schedule sets up nicely. Predicting one loss as it’s difficult to navigate the entire season undefeated. Lose to A&M then two losses obviously comes more into play.

 

[IA4irish]

One thing that gives me hope for this year is Tim Prister who has been following the Irish for over 40 years thinks it’s probably the best team we have had since 1993. I think he predicted even two playoff wins on a podcast recently

 

[InKellyWeTrust]

10-2

 

[Irish2155]

My buddy who’s a pro gambler (what ever that means) says ND at 3. Has OR above us along with GA

 

[CoachB]

Week 1 (0-0) @ Texas A&M - Elko is a great coach. I have a lot of respect for him. I think this is going to be a tough game. ND punches one in midway through the 4th to pull away a bit. W 27-17

Week 2 (1-0) vs. Northern Illinois - Irish have a bit of a let down after their big week 1 win. Luckily NIU isn't good enough to take advantage. Irish are only up 13-7 at half. Pull away some in the second half. W 34-13

Week 3 (2-0) @ Purdue - This is going to be a bit trickier than people think. Ross-Ade Stadium has been famous for upsets from the home team. The Irish prove too good as JD Price runs for three scores. W 30-14

Week 4 (3-0) vs. Miami (OH) - Coach Martin has himself a nice team again. I think this game will be closer than people think also. ND is too talented in the long run. W 31-20

Week 5 (4-0) vs. Louisville - Obviously the Irish will have their minds on revenge. However, Coach Brohm has good things going down there in Cardinal country. I think Louisville makes it close, but the Irish kick a field goal late to ice it. W 20-10

Week 6 - The Irish go into their first bye week sitting at #6 in the country with a 5-0 record.

Week 7 (5-0) vs. Stanford - I do think Stanford is trending the right direction, but it will take a couple of years to get them to the level of beating ND. Always a game that makes me nervous. W 38-13

Week 8 (6-0) @ Georgia Tech - Many people look to this game as a game that might trip up the Irish. Not this time. W 34-13.

Week 9 (7-0) vs. Navy @ Metlife Stadium - The Irish will just look to make it out of the cut blocking game healthy. Successful in that regard. W 42-17.

Week 10 - The Irish go into their 2nd bye week sitting at 8-0 and #4 in the country. Huge game on the horizon, but have two weeks to prepare.

Week 11 (8-0) vs. Florida State. Game of the Century again? Not quite, but FSU rolls into South Bend unbeaten. They will be ranked #5, one spot behind the Irish. This game will receive a lot of hype, but it is a game that ND shows up big time in. They roll and send a statement. W 34-14

Week 12 (9-0) vs. Virginia. The Irish again start a little slow after a big win. However, they are too much for Virginia W 27-13.

Week 13 (10-0) vs. Army @ Yankee Stadium. Army plays a little keep away, but the Irish win fairly comfortably. 31-14.

Week 14 (11-0) @ USC. Some are calling this game as a W for USC. I think ND matches up well. W 35-24.

ND makes it through the regular season 12-0 with all games being decided by double digits. They stay at home to watch the conference championship games knowing they are locked in to the #5 seed in the playoffs.

Playoff week #1 (12-0) vs. #12 Seed Liberty. The Flames make the playoffs as the highest group of five. Their reward is to travel to South Bend in December against a rested and ready ND team. ND rolls W 49-13.

Playoff week 2 (13-0) vs. #4 seed Utah. There are a number of teams that could win the Big 12. However, it is likely they will be the #4 seed. Whittingham is a heck of a coach and Utah always plays tough in the postseason. This game will be a great game, but the Irish put one in late to hang on. W 28-17

Semi-finals (14-0) vs. #1 seed Georgia. ND comes in as a 6.5 point underdog to Georgia. ND shows up and battles the Bulldogs step for step. The game is tied 10-10 at half. Georgia gets a third quarter field goal to lead 13-10 going into the fourth. The Irish drive down and run some clock, scoring on a corner fade to Beaux Collins to lead 17-13 with 5:48 left. The Bulldogs start to put together a nice drive. They reach the ND 21 with 1:42 to go on the clock. 1st and 10. Everyone is on the edge of their seats. A quick out pass for seven yards and it is 2nd and 3 from the ND 14 with 1:36 left. Georgia needs a TD. They run off left tackle for a one yard gain. Clock is running. 3rd and 2 from the ND 13 with 1:05 left. Beck drops back, the WR runs a stop route at the front pylon. Beck fires for the winning score, but Ben Mo jumps the route. He picks it off at the goal line with a head of steam. Instead of hitting the ground, he sees green grass. He returns it 100 yards for the Irish as ND nation goes bananas. W 24-13.

Championship (15-0) vs. #2 seed Ohio State. The Irish move the ball on the ground pretty well all game long. Ohio State hangs around, but the offense isn't as good as it was last year. The OSU defense keeps it tight all game. OSU leads 14-10 with 2:30 left. ND has the ball on their own 37. The Irish hit a huge 28 yard gain over the middle to Mitchell Evans. They are able to drive down to the OSU 3 with 13 seconds left. It is 4th and Goal from the 3. They spread it out with Love in the slot and Price in the backfield with Riley. They run zone read...OSU's DE chases Price and Riley pulls to run off left tackle. He dives for the end zone on the season's last play. Extends the ball and six inches short of the goal line, fully extended...the ball is knocked from his hands. There is a wild scrum in the end zone for the fumble. The refs sort out the pile of bodies. Whoever recovers is the national champ. 30 excruciating seconds go by as bodies are pulled off the pile. At the bottom of the pile, clutching the ball with all of his might...#79! The ref raises both hands to the blue-gray sky. Touchdown, Tosh Baker!! No time left on the clock. Irish 16 OSU 14. The crowd floods the field as the Irish erupt in celebration. Unbeaten National Champs!!

 

[BleedBlueGold]

It’s Notre Dame in the 21st century. Everything to prove and very little to rest on. The team is not good until they are. This is my approach to every season. Manifest each week, starting with game one. My only prediction is anything can happen. We’ll need will, discipline, energy and some good fortune - staff and players.

This is the smart way to be a ND fan. I like it.

But since we're playing the prediction game... 12-0

I see the A&M game just like the Duke game and NCST games last year. Low scoring, neck and neck, anyone can win because the defenses keep both teams in the game. I can see ND making mistakes on the road (they have not played well on the road in the Freeman era). I can also see Denbrock being the difference maker and utilizing J Love as a cheat code to spark the offense with the some big plays (Estime versus NCST).

FSU is TBD. I want to see how good they are/aren't with DJ. I think they'll be good, but not good enough to go on the road and win in SB late in the season.

ND should roll in every other game, barring the potential for a WTF game. I think Denbrock and Golden are keys to those WTF games being a thing of the past. This, however, is college football, so you just never know.

Get through game 1 and I think the sky is the limit for this season.

 

[IrishLax]

On paper, this ND team should have a top 5 defense which is good enough to get you to 10-2. I honestly think if they win Week #1 they carry the momentum to 12-0. I do not think FSU or USC matches up well with Notre Dame.

I think ND's ceiling is probably playoff semifinals. Too many holes on offense, IMO, to get past a Georgia or Ohio State. The wildcard is that ND's defense may honestly be good enough to win any game with a couple breaks.

 

[condoms SUCk]

ND will either win games or lose games, no ties.

I follow the same sentiment as a lot of you. Get past this A&M squad and I think 12-0 is possible. If ND comes out of College Station w/ a L then I expect there to be another loss somewhere (GT would be my prediction)

So, either 12-0 or 10-2 (L's: A&M, GT).

 

[LifelongFan]

13-2. Lose Week One and win out the regular season and then lose in the semifinals.

 

[LifelongFan]

I'm not sure why GT is the team scaring everyone this year? I'm more scared of Louisville or even more embarrassingly Miami Ohio than GT.

 

[Hautian Domer]

I'm not sure why GT is the team scaring everyone this year? I'm more scared of Louisville or even more embarrassingly Miami Ohio than GT.

Did you follow them last year? They were inconsistent, but played well at times. Most of their losses were to really good teams. I wouldn't get in a tizzy and wring my hands nervously, but there's enough "juice" there at Georgia Tech to respect them and to not overlook them. If we come out like we did against Louisville or Duke, we'll lose.

Louisville L 34-39
South Carolina State W 48-13
@ Ole Miss L 23-48
@ Wake Forest W 30-16
Bowling Green L 27-38
@ Miami W 23-20
Boston College L 23-38
North Carolina W 46-42
@ Virginia W 45-17
@ Clemson L 21-42
Syracuse W 31-22
Georgia L 23-31
UCF W 30-17

 

[TNUtoNotreDame]

9-3 record with another bowl win. A&M ,FSU,Clemson losses

 

[NDMatt91]

I'm going to say 10-2. Losses to A&M and then 1 of FSU/GT/USC. I have concerns about the OL, depth in the secondary, and won't believe the hype about the WR group until I see them perform well against quality opponents. I also need to see them win road games in tough environments and against quality teams before I pick them to win those games.

 

[GoldenTate(r)Tots]

I'm going to say 11-1 with potential loss coming from GT or FSU (maybe both and 10-2, but man the schedule just is favorable this year).

A&M: ND win (going against consensus and say this is bigger margin of victory that expected, thanks to the D)
NIU: ND win
Purdue: ND win (closer than we want...always happens with that damn big drum school)
Miami (OH): ND win
Louisville: ND redemption win
Stanford: ND win
GT: Potential L
Navy: ND win but if GT is up to the hype, this is a potential trap game after GT.
FSU: Potential L (FSU will either be dominant or meh this year I feel, I'm struggling buying them winning on the road in November)
Virginia: ND win
Army: ND win
USC: ND win but maybe they get a defense finally, still at this point I say ND.

 

[NormND_44]

11-1 with at L at A&M and a close call in Los Angeles. Season of mental toughness

 

[NDohio]

9-3 record with another bowl win. A&M ,FSU,Clemson losses

ND doesn't play Clemson this season...

 

[Irish#1]

Relax guys. We run the table this year.

 

[TNUtoNotreDame]

ND doesn't play Clemson this season...

Ha, Then I will go to 10-2, but Louisville always makes me nervous

 

[dang227]

Going 11-1 and advancing in the playoffs

 

[Jimmy3Putt]

On paper, this ND team should have a top 5 defense which is good enough to get you to 10-2. I honestly think if they win Week #1 they carry the momentum to 12-0. I do not think FSU or USC matches up well with Notre Dame.

I think ND's ceiling is probably playoff semifinals. Too many holes on offense, IMO, to get past a Georgia or Ohio State. The wildcard is that ND's defense may honestly be good enough to win any game with a couple breaks.

The playoffs have proven to be track meets, but the team has shown they can that they can compete with OSU. In addition, this will be the best offense we've had in a long time. It's not without weaknesses, but those weaknesses are experience, not talent. That's a huge difference from previous years.


Imo, their ceiling is winning it all.

 

[Some Irish Bloke]

On paper, this ND team should have a top 5 defense which is good enough to get you to 10-2. I honestly think if they win Week #1 they carry the momentum to 12-0. I do not think FSU or USC matches up well with Notre Dame.

I think ND's ceiling is probably playoff semifinals. Too many holes on offense, IMO, to get past a Georgia or Ohio State. The wildcard is that ND's defense may honestly be good enough to win any game with a couple breaks.

If the OL gels as the season goes on, the strength of this team is its TE and RB depth. I feel much better about the WR room this year, but there are still some unknown commodities, particularly if we are playing elite teams like UGA/OSU, like you said.

If Eli Raridon stays healthy and hits his ceiling to compliment Evans and Baker/Wagner can improve as the season progresses at the tackle positions, our 12 personnel could be absolutely lethal.

 

[CANONIZEFATHERSORIN]

I’m feeling 11-3 total record.

Regular season losses to florida state and someone random (army?)

We squeak into the playoff with the last at large seed at 10-2, then shock the world in round 1 of the playoffs with a huge win as coach marcus hype levels reach heretofore unseen heights.

We then lose to BAMA 27-6 in the second round.

I would be happy with this.

 

[GrangerIrish24]

Relax guys. We run the table this year.

I would follow you into battle

 

[Jiggafini19Deux]

Who is the best skill player ND will face this year?

Has to be Branch at USC right? I really don't know who I'm missing.

Nobody on TAMU or FSU really stands out. Or anyone else for that matter.

 

[ColoradoIrish]

Freeman brings back the magic of being a 3rd year HC at ND, we run the table, drinking all the Kool aid

 

[Ndaccountant]

I predict at least 5 meltdowns by putup, along with a mike being banned at some point, 2 more Koon sightings, Whiskey posting again versus just likes (don't think I didn't see that), two HoF worthy Saturday "cheats" and one arrest for Granger for getting too close to Freeman's house.

 

[MKEagle]

TAMU- Aggie rides crowd early. ND calls timeouts to avoid delay of games, first half pockmarked with false starts. ND finds their footing, but it’s too late.

0-1

NIU- ho hum double digit victory.

1-1

Purdue- halftime score puts board into orbit, ND pours it on in 4th quarter

2-1

Miami OH- blowout

3-1

Louisville- UGLY win

4-1

Stanford- UGLIER win

5-1

Georgia Tech- spitting image of Louisville game last year

5-2

Navy- blowout

6-2

FSU- big win

7-2

Virginia- comfortable win, but not a blowout

8-2

Army- annoying win, but decisive win

9-2

USC- shell shocked loss

9-3

The good news is we will have a very good idea on the caliber of this team right away in Week 1.

Winning that game will create hype the rest of the way, losing an overly dramatic death spiral with 11 games left.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Maybe the preseason pessimism is kicking in but I think it's much more likely that we finish with 9 wins compared to 11 wins

 

[stlnd01]

It's so hard to know how good other teams will be anymore. Did FSU go out and load up again in the portal? Will USC finally learn how to block or play defense? Are Louisville and Ga. Tech legit? Who knows.
But I do know how good we are and if we get past A&M - which will be a fight - I expect 11-1 and a home victory in the first round of the playoffs. Beyond that, gravy.

 

[Hautian Domer]

The schedule sets up way too nicely for us not to have a great year. There’s a few hurdles (A&M, Florida State, and USC), but they’re pretty evenly spread out throughout the schedule.

Going undefeated is extremely challenging. I think we slip up and drop one … probably one of the road games (A&M or USC) with A&M making the most sense. For some reason, I just don’t like the matchup. It’s the first game of the year and being played in a hostile environment. We may come out timid or tight and I can see them being more aggressive, fast and physical. If we’re 11-0 going into USC, I think Freeman and the staff will have the team’s undivided attention.

 

[GrangerIrish24]

I predict at least 5 meltdowns by putup, along with a mike being banned at some point, 2 more Koon sightings, Whiskey posting again versus just likes (don't think I didn't see that), two HoF worthy Saturday "cheats" and one arrest for Granger for getting too close to Freeman's house.

We ride at dawn