The 2019 schedule is insane

[zelezo vlk]

No, I think there is definitely a shot... I also however think attaching a 'must this year' next to something this program hasn't accomplished in over a quarter century is more likely than not asking for disappointment. Especially with a schedule that includes SC, UGA, UM, VT and Stanford just for starters.

You are right tho I suppose,... it's got to happen at some point. The list of teams that have won major bowl games since ND won the Cotton in 93/94 is crazy when you look at it... there's a reason ND not having done it in so long is such a huge sticking point with the rest of the country.

Of these 5, only the game @UGA scares me. Playing in Palo Alto has been BK's bane, but I see no reason why the team can't win there. Finishing the season 11-1 with a win @Stanford is very doable; from there, it's just the luck of matchups in the big bowl games.

 

[Some Irish Bloke]

No, I think there is definitely a shot... I also however think attaching a 'must this year' next to something this program hasn't accomplished in over a quarter century is more likely than not asking for disappointment. Especially with a schedule that includes SC, UGA, UM, VT and Stanford just for starters.

You are right tho I suppose,... it's got to happen at some point. The list of teams that have won major bowl games since ND won the Cotton in 93/94 is crazy when you look at it... there's a reason ND not having done it in so long is such a huge sticking point with the rest of the country.

Gotcha, makes sense thanks for clarifying. I wouldn't call it a must either, but man....we need it as a program and fan base.

 

[stlnd01]

Totally agree we need to get over the NY6 hump but one trouble calling it a “must” is we usually seem to draw the best available opponent. Like the ridiculously talented Ohio State team in 2015. That’s good, but it ups the degree of difficulty.

Big difference between beating a Group of 5 striver that’s moving up a weight class vs the pissed-off runner-up from the SEC (unless they’re so butthurt they crap the bed like Georgia last year).

Regardless, our schedule sets up nicely to go 10-2 and make the NY6. I’ll take that.

 

[BGIF]

oh boy...

reality is gonna really be a bitch to some of y'all....

Yes, to some of you it will.



ESPN PROJECTIONS MARCH '19


COTTON BOWL
When: Saturday, Dec. 28, 2019

Where: AT&T Stadium; Dallas, Texas

Projected matchup: Notre Dame vs. UCF


https://247sports.com/LongFormArticle/Texas-Michigan-Alabama-LSU-Ohio-State-College-football-bowl-projections-2019-130648417/#130648417_17

 

[ACamp1900]

Of these 5, only the game @UGA scares me. Playing in Palo Alto has been BK's bane, but I see no reason why the team can't win there. Finishing the season 11-1 with a win @Stanford is very doable; from there, it's just the luck of matchups in the big bowl games.

In a vacuum I always tend to agree but have made this point clear many times... in football the schedule must be looked at as the grind it is...every one of those games builds off the each in terms of difficulty. I will say I do like how we have a fair amount of 'buffers' this year. In years past we would have traveled to UGA, played Um the following week, then traveled out to LA only to go to Blacksburg the following Saturday....

 

[ACamp1900]

Projected matchup: Notre Dame vs. UCF

How awesome would this be... finally get one of these matchups that so many other programs have taken advantage of.

 

[condoms SUCk]

In a vacuum I always tend to agree but have made this point clear many times... in football the schedule must be looked at as the grind it is...every one of those games builds off the each in terms of difficulty. I will say I do like how we have a fair amount of 'buffers' this year. In years past we would have traveled to UGA, played Um the following week, then traveled out to LA only to go to Blacksburg the following Saturday....

Agreed.

I made the "must have" comment in the sense that a NYE 6 bowl game would mean that ND has 10+ wins in 2019.
That would be 3 10+ win seasons in a row, 4 out of the last 5 and 5 out of the last 8 seasons with 10+ wins with 0 major bowl victories.
IMO in order for the program to show progress I view a NYE 6 bowl appearance would need to end with a victory, no moral victories, no excuses, just get the job done.

 

[condoms SUCk]

How awesome would this be... finally get one of these matchups that so many other programs have taken advantage of.

Would be viewed in the same lens as ND beating up on Navy, would not get any reps or respect for the "W"

 

[ACamp1900]

Would be viewed in the same lens as ND beating up on Navy, would not get any reps or respect for the "W"

Sure it would, it would be a big old Cotton Bowl trophy in the trophy room and by the following spring all anyone will remember is "ND won a major bowl game last year"... part of the reason we've gone so long is because we haven't had one of these match-ups in a big bowl game when almost every other major D1 program has...

The thing is it wouldn't be a gimmie, I'd look at it the exact opposite I do the 'must win a big bowl this year' statement that started this whole dialogue. ND would be rightfully favored but UCF could def pull it off (and has recently in other comparable matchups) but I'd still be pretty confident going in.

 

[condoms SUCk]

Sure it would, it would be a big old Cotton Bowl trophy in the trophy room and by the following spring all anyone will remember is "ND won a major bowl game last year"... part of the reason we've gone so long is because we haven't had one of these match-ups in a big bowl game when almost every other major D1 program has...

The thing is it wouldn't be a gimmie, I'd look at it the exact opposite I do the 'must win a big bowl this year' statement that started this whole dialogue. ND would be rightfully favored but UCF could def pull it off (and has recently in other comparable matchups) but I'd still be pretty confident going in.

hmmmmm, ok, I'll buy what you're selling.
Another positive is that the college football world would owe us a "thank you" for sending UCF back to obscurity.

 

[ACamp1900]

the college football world would owe us a "thank you" for sending UCF back to obscurity.

Nah, they'd just be pissed at UCF for not doing the same to us....

 

[stpeteirish]

Street and Smith's preseason issue has ND-Florida in the Orange Bowl and Michigan-UCF in the Cotton. They do have us rated a little higher than Mich (7 vs 11) so its pretty fluid in that if you pick us to beat Mich we get a much tougher Bowl opponent than if we lose to them. Both scenarios have us losing to Ga. So is 11-2 with a Bowl loss better or worse than 11-2 with a Mich loss and a Bowl win?

Beats me. but 11-2 wouldn't be a "momentum killer" in my point of view.

Incidentally they only have us playing two top 20 teams Mich and Ga. They have Stanford 22nd (and 4th in the Pac 12 North) and Virginia 25th, winning the ACC Coastal.

 

[Pops Freshenmeyer]

How awesome would this be... finally get one of these matchups that so many other programs have taken advantage of.

An undefeated UCF would be riding a 38 game winning streak.

 

[ACamp1900]

An undefeated UCF would be riding a 38 game winning streak.

3rd longest in history... lol... that'd be a hell of a buildup.

 

[Pops Freshenmeyer]

I’m an idiot. I forgot about their bowl loss.

 

[ACamp1900]

3rd longest in history... lol... that'd be a hell of a buildup.

I’m an idiot. I forgot about their bowl loss.

lol

 

[dad4aa]

Could have the Book vs Wimbush hype too

 

[Pops Freshenmeyer]

lol

It’s all your fault for responding before I could edit.

 

[BGIF]

Could have the Book vs Wimbush hype too

Book vs Who?

 

[Irish#1]

Sure it would, it would be a big old Cotton Bowl trophy in the trophy room and by the following spring all anyone will remember is "ND won a major bowl game last year"... part of the reason we've gone so long is because we haven't had one of these match-ups in a big bowl game when almost every other major D1 program has...

The thing is it wouldn't be a gimmie, I'd look at it the exact opposite I do the 'must win a big bowl this year' statement that started this whole dialogue. ND would be rightfully favored but UCF could def pull it off (and has recently in other comparable matchups) but I'd still be pretty confident going in.

We made the playoffs last year. Hung with Clemson every bit or possibly a little better than Bama did. You could say it's Clemson & Bama, then the rest, but I disagree. After those two, you have another limited group that includes OSU, OU, UGA and ND, then the rest. This second group isn't that far from the top IMO.

 

[stlnd01]

We made the playoffs last year. Hung with Clemson every bit or possibly a little better than Bama did. You could say it's Clemson & Bama, then the rest, but I disagree. After those two, you have another limited group that includes OSU, OU, UGA and ND, then the rest. This second group isn't that far from the top IMO.

Far enough, though.

Big picture, though, I agree. At this point in college football it's better to make the playoffs and lose than win an NY6 bowl game. Does anyone outside Louisiana remember that LSU beat UCF in the Fiesta Bowl?

 

[Some Irish Bloke]

Sure it would, it would be a big old Cotton Bowl trophy in the trophy room and by the following spring all anyone will remember is "ND won a major bowl game last year"... part of the reason we've gone so long is because we haven't had one of these match-ups in a big bowl game when almost every other major D1 program has...

I agree 100% here. I remember the 2012 Sugar Bowl when scUM beat a pretty mediocre VT team in OT. VT rode a very weak schedule that year to the BCS bowl birth, and it was probably one of the weakest BCS/NY6 match ups in recent history. (see results the following years from both programs).

Still, scUM took no prisoners and used that win to garner big time recruiting momentum...one of the biggest reasons why Hoke got fired a few years later. Never capitalized on that talent.

Now, VT vs. UCF, name/brand recognition alone, is a BIT different, but UCF has been on a tear the past 3-4 years, beat Auburn, and gave LSU all they could handle with a backup QB. I'm usually a downer on UCF and the run they've been on (as far as playoff considerations are concerned), but I would take no shame in a Cotton Bowl W over them this upcoming season. Get that monkey off our back, and beat a team who has been on a similar trajectory as far as W-Ls the past 3 years.

 

[GowerND11]

I look back to 2015 and think, "man if MSU doesn't beat OSU, we get them or Iowa in the Fiesta Bowl..."

 

[RDU Irish]

I like our odds with a disruptive defense - can't remember a time our DL was as deep and talented as this. UGA probably best equipped to deal with a top tier QB back there and potential to establish a running game. I think meeting Week 3 instead of Week 1 works to our advantage (largely b/c we finally scheduled warm up games instead of juggernauts).

Offensively - it will take a defense like Clemson to slow us down, not sure many other teams can do it. UGA is likely one of the closest ones out there. Two warm ups for our OL to gel is huge - we have the horses up front for sure. Year 2 Book could rip apart defenses with an army of quality targets out there to spread the ball around. Any upside from the RB group is gravy.

 

[Irish#1]

I look back to 2015 and think, "man if MSU doesn't beat OSU, we get them or Iowa in the Fiesta Bowl..."

And if KSU doesn't crap the bed.

 

[johnnycando]

10-2, preseason, I’d be tickled pink.

Great job Irish.

Minus the Michigan game, well done.

 

[tko]

10-2, preseason, I’d be tickled pink.

Great job Irish.

Minus the Michigan game, well done.

johnny creepin

 

[irishnd31]

johnny creepin

Johnny spits truth!

 

[tko]

Johnny spits truth!

Johnny is the man.

 

[texbender]

10-2, preseason, I’d be tickled pink.

Great job Irish.

Minus the Michigan game, well done.

Agree, had one bad game (on the road in a downpour), had a chance to win at UGA, finished strong in November.

Will take this season and build on it for the next.