Ranking Notre Dame's Opponents

[anarin]

1) Stanford
2) USC
3) UM
4) MSU
5) USF
6) Pitt
7) Navy
8) Boston College
9) Maryland
10) Air Force
11) Purdue
12) Wake Forest

real close to what I'd pick... a few fixes here and there.

1) Stanford
2) MSU
3) USC
4) USF
5) MU
6) Pitt
7) Boston College
8) Navy
9) Maryland
10) Air Force
11) Purdue
12) Wake Forest

Michigan State plays us hard EVERY year, no matter what. I'm not as high on michigan as it will be early in the season for a new system, but I cant justify moving pitt higher because they are in the same situation. Below Pitt in my opinion are the gimme games, I believe BC will be better then the rest of the average teams on the bottom six.

 

[BeauBenken]

Hardest thing about being ND? Every week no matter who you're playing, they come to play. They just do. Sometimes we sit them down and shut them up, but a lot of the time, the game stays close. That's why our "easy" games to me just seem like a trap half the time. I've never seen a perfect ND season. I'm too young. But I want to see one. No, I want to see several. But we have to make a transition from being "good team that isn't on par with teams of it's past so everyone tries to take their shots while they can" team to a SCARY team. Until then there aren't any real easy games.

Alright, sorry. Had to get that out of my system...

 

[IrishLax]

Toughest Opponent will be our Sugar Bowl opponent.

#1 Stanford
#2 USC
#3 Michigan
#4 Michigan State
#5 Pitt
#6 Maryland
#7 Navy
#8 BC
#9 Wake Forest
#10 USF
#11 Air Force
#12 Purdue

Ranking Air Force that low when they beat Navy head-to-head last year and then Navy graduated the majority of their talent?

#1 Stanford
#2 USC
#3 Michigan
#4 Michigan State
#5 Air Force
#6 Maryland
#7 USF
#8 Pitt
#9 BC
#10 Navy
#11 Purdue
#12 Wake Forest

I think games 1-3 (mostly because playing @Michigan with Big Ten refs at night we are going to get totally hosed by the refs. Prepare yourselves now. Michigan will hold all day and Denard will run wild... while their DBs who can't cover will commit tons of uncalled pass interference) are all toss-ups. I think we are a sizeable favorite in games 4-9 but could lose each one if things go awry. I think games 10-12 will be stompings.

 

[micks60]

If we can start out 3-0 that USC game will be unreal. USF is going to be a really tough opener.

 

[ToledoGoIrish]

mostly because playing @Michigan with Big Ten refs at night we are going to get totally hosed by the refs. Prepare yourselves now..

Sooooooooo true Went to the last game in Ann Arbor and had to be the worst Hosing we've had by the refs in any game ive ever attended. Granted your view from row 18 isnt as good as the one on TV but i had UM fans texting me saying the long TD pass called back because Allen "stepped out" def wasnt anywhere near conclusive. Rudolph had a long pass called back on a phantom hold. The 2 secs disappearing off the scoreboard on our last play of the game. Ok i can live with that i guess, w/ big 10 refs u expect it.... But who could forget the unpunished and famous uppercut from jonas mouton

YouTube - ‪Michigan player punches Notre Dame player 9/2009‬‏

 

[ndyeater]

I understamd that Purdue isnt a great team but I think everyone is underestimating them..something about a night game at Purdue scares me....upsets happen in college football all the time

 

[The Gold Helmets]

I have got previews posted on my blog up to #7. I'm ranking the teams on talent alone, not other factors like Michigan at night for example.

So far I have:

#12 Wake Forest
#11 Navy
#10 Purdue
#9 Maryland
#7 (t) Air Force
#7(t) Boston College

#6 Will be up Monday mid morning sometime.... think of a team with highlighter yellow and blue team colors and who's mascot is a rodent. Check out zee blog!!!

 

[The Gold Helmets]

Up to number four... the Pitt Panthers.... check out the previews.

 

[jfl897]

Alot of people are forgetting the good year that the Air Force had last year. We shouldn't be overlooking this team.

 

[The Gold Helmets]

Alot of people are forgetting the good year that the Air Force had last year. We shouldn't be overlooking this team.

Air Force is gonna be tough game. They are well coached, play hard, and running a tricky scheme on offense and defense. Notre Dame has a very difficult schedule even though there isn't a top five/ten team on it.

 

[Whiskeyjack]

Brander Pertner (one of Phil Steele's assistant editors) via Twitter yesterday:

3 Most Underrated Teams For 2011. 1. Southern Miss 2. Air Force 3. USF

I think most of you are underestimating USF and AF, but I suppose that's appropriate for two of the most of the underrated teams in the nation.

 

[BGIF]

Brander Pertner (one of Phil Steele's assistant editors) via Twitter yesterday:



I think most of you are underestimating USF and AF, but I suppose that's appropriate for two of the most of the underrated teams in the nation.

Stop it Whiskey! You're just gonna P.O. the koolaid krowd.

Didn't you read the USF thread. Nevada '09, Purdue '10 is all you need to know. No need to play the games.

ND was a TD favorite over Navy last year. Look how well that turned out.

 

[AlbuquerqueIrishFan]

The top four are pretty easy: 1) Stanford, 2) USC, 3) MSU, and 4) UM.

As are the bottom two: 12) Wake Forest, and 11) Purdue.

The other six are all jumbled in the middle. We should be favored against all of them, but you could argue about the precise order all day.

That's a perfect way to rank 'em. I agree 100%.

 

[Whiskeyjack]

Stop it Whiskey! You're just gonna P.O. the koolaid krowd.

Didn't you read the USF thread. Nevada '09, Purdue '10 is all you need to know. No need to play the games.

ND was a TD favorite over Navy last year. Look how well that turned out.

Allow me to clarify then.

There's overwhelming agreement that Stanford, USC, MSU, and UM are our four most difficult games. Not all are agreed on whether Stanford will be tougher than USC, or MSU tougher than UM, but that's sort of besides the point.

Most seem to agree that we should roll over Purdue and Wake Forest.

That leaves the middle six of Air Force, USF, Maryland, Pitt, BC, and Navy. Many of you are putting AF and USF towards the bottom of that group. I think (and Phil Steele's staff agrees) that they belong at the top.

But as I stated at the beginning of the thread, we could argue over the exact order of this middle pack all day. We should be favored in all of these games, but we could lose any of them if we come out flat.

 

[johnnykillz]

Air Force is gonna be tough game. They are well coached, play hard, and running a tricky scheme on offense and defense. Notre Dame has a very difficult schedule even though there isn't a top five/ten team on it.

Stanford...? (By most accounts.)

Oh yeah, and our bowl game opponent.

 

[Rhode Irish]

Not ranking by toughest game for ND, just by who would beat who head-to-head on a neutral field:

#1 Stanford
#2 USC
#3 Michigan State
#4 Michigan
#5 USF
#6 AFA
#7 BC
#8 PITT
#9 Navy
#10 Maryland
#11 Purdue
#12 Wake Forest

 

[Irish Man3]

1. Stanford- Will be well coached and it's on the road, late in the year with a lot on line for both teams, potentially.
2. USC- Yes, we beat them last year on the road with Tommy Rees. This year, they'll have Barkely and more experiance in both systems. They have an insane amount of talent at the skill positions.
3. MSU- Kirk Counsins is a very good quarterback that has played in his share of hostile enviornments. He wont be afraid of South Bend.
4. UM- First night game in Ann Arbor in front of 113,000+ screaming ND haters. Oh yea, and they have Denard Robinson.
5. Pittsburgh- Could be a shoot out with two high powered offenses on the field. It's also on the road.
6. Maryland- Neutral site against an opponent that will certainly be well coached. Randy Edsall is not exactly inheriting a team with no talent either.
7. USF- Well coached team with months to prepare and a difference maker at quarterback.
8. Air Force- They run the option very efficiently. Will the defense that played Army show up, or the defense that played Navy?
9. Boston College- Middle of the road ACC team with a strong running attack and a solid set of linebackers. Rivalry game so anything can happen.
10. Navy- Goodbye Ricky Dobbs. ND should have no problem this year.
11. Purdue- I expect the same as last year minus the Floyd fumble. So tack on an extra TD in the margin of victory.
12. Wake Forest- Shouldn't be a contest.

 

[ACamp1900]

Navy's biggest problem won't be losing Dobbs (though that is certainly an issue for them)... It'll be the new blocking rules... that should hurt them more than any other team I can think of

 

[johnnykillz]

Navy's biggest problem won't be losing Dobbs (though that is certainly an issue for them)... It'll be the new blocking rules... that should hurt them more than any other team I can think of

Precisely.

Epic. Win.

 

[Irish Man3]

Ricky Dobbs is the best true option quarterback that has come through college football in awhile. That will certianly be their biggest loss. I agree that the blocking rules have changed and that will affect them, but Ricky Dobbs was Navy football.