Week 9 Prediction Poll (ND @ Pitt)

[Section20Row27]

ND 21 - Pitt 17.

And, I drink bourbon... and I get laid. It's gonna be a good day!

 

[Cogs]

Pitt 42
ND 3

Let the November debacle begin

 

[irishff1014]

27-23. Pitt has our number for some reason. I think Clemson and temple have shown that if stack the box our run game will struggle. Our oline has done a good job in pass protection so Kizer should have time to toss the rock around. Farley is know for his timely sack /int hopefully we see it early. We win another struggle against an OK team. I think we probably have to win by a min of 10-14 in order to not get jumped.

 

[Whiskeyjack]

We win another struggle against an OK team.

In what universe is Pitt just an "OK" team? They're currently sitting at 29th in FEI. We got plenty of credit for beating a tough Temple team on the road, and there's no reason to expect anything different if we manage to win at Heinz Field.

 

[gkIrish]

In what universe is Pitt just an "OK" team? They're currently sitting at 29th in FEI. We got plenty of credit for beating a tough Temple team on the road, and there's no reason to expect anything different if we manage to win at Heinz Field.

Pitt has two losses and ZERO wins over a team with a .500+ record. Granted they have no bad losses, but there is absolutely no evidence to support the notion that they are more than an "ok" team at this point.

 

[ACamp1900]

In what universe is Pitt just an "OK" team? They're currently sitting at 29th in FEI. We got plenty of credit for beating a tough Temple team on the road, and there's no reason to expect anything different if we manage to win at Heinz Field.

But they're PITT!?!? They suck 364 days a year, every year... unless they don't play ND, then it's 365...

 

[Riddickulous]

14-10 ND. Will Fuller has a 78 yard TD with a minute to go.

 

[woolybug25]

Pitt has two losses and ZERO wins over a team with a .500+ record. Granted they have no bad losses, but there is absolutely no evidence to support the notion that they are more than an "ok" team at this point.

Well... wouldn't the fact that they are sitting at #29 in FEI be "evidence to support" them being more than ok?

 

[gkIrish]

Well... wouldn't the fact that they are sitting at #29 in FEI be "evidence to support" them being more than ok?

We all know how I feel about FEI lol. I should have said "any other evidence" though, to be fair.

 

[Whiskeyjack]

Well... wouldn't the fact that they are sitting at #29 in FEI be "evidence to support" them being more than ok?

I keep making that mistake, wooly. The Ol' Eyeball Test > Objective Statistical Models.

 

[Whiskeyjack]

We all know how I feel about FEI lol. I should have said "any other evidence" though, to be fair.

How do you feel about Sagarin's model? He ranks Pitt at 39th. Both models have the Panthers solidly within the top 1/3 of the FBS. I'd say that's pretty solid evidence that they're better than merely "OK".

 

[WestCoast]

In what universe is Pitt just an "OK" team?

FF was confused, he thought ND was playing Pittsburg U of Pittsburg, Oklahoma.

 

[gkIrish]

How do you feel about Sagarin's model? He ranks Pitt at 39th. Both models have the Panthers solidly within the top 1/3 of the FBS. I'd say that pretty solid evidence that they're better than merely "OK".

39th is "OK" in my opinion. To me, "ok" means you aren't a bad team, but you aren't a team that should scare elite teams too much. We should beat this Pitt team 9 times out of 10.

 

[woolybug25]

FF was confused, he thought ND was playing Pittsburg U of Pittsburg, Oklahoma.

No, no, no... it's Pittsburgh State University in Kansas. The ol' Gorillas.

Gritty team.

 

[Irish#1]

I keep making that mistake, wooly. The Ol' Eyeball Test > Objective Statistical Models.

Yeah, you should be neg rep'd for that.

 

[gkIrish]

Every time I see P-I-T-T, I read S-H-I-T

 

[Whiskeyjack]

39th is "OK" in my opinion. To me, "ok" means you aren't a bad team, but you aren't a team that should scare elite teams too much. We should beat this Pitt team 9 times out of 10.

I guess it depends on how you parse the term "OK". There are 128 FBS teams. If you divide them into three tiers (roughly corresponding to bad, OK and good) the middle tier would be teams ranked in the 43-86 range.

Pitt's good enough to beat us if we come out flat. Multiple credible models indicate that they rate (at least marginally) in top third of FBS teams. When other playoff contenders are playing teams like Lamar (ranked 171st!), I have no compunction about labeling the Panthers a "good" team.

 

[irishff1014]

In what universe is Pitt just an "OK" team? They're currently sitting at 29th in FEI. We got plenty of credit for beating a tough Temple team on the road, and there's no reason to expect anything different if we manage to win at Heinz Field.

Believe what you will. Pitt will probably have 4 losses.

 

[EddytoNow]

I expect the team to play better than they did against Temple. If we don't continue to stall out every time we reach the red zone, we should win by two to three scores. As someone has already pointed out, the major concern is our safety situation with Shumate sitting out the first half. Contain Boyd and this should go in the books as a "W".

 

[Whiskeyjack]

Believe what you will. Pitt will probably have 4 losses.

My beliefs are formed by objective statistical evidence. I don't understand why you're intent on disregarding that evidence in order to run down our opponents.

 

[Old Man Mike]

Hmmm... "Pitt will have four losses" .... I'd say 9-4 was pretty good.

 

[irishff1014]

My beliefs are formed by objective statistical evidence. I don't understand why you're intent on disregarding that evidence in order to run down our opponents.

I don't think you will see a great team in college football again. And great I mean they line up every game and win by a 3 score margin. I think there is a god amount of good teams in college football. I see pitt as an ok team. They aren't as good as us,bama,Clemson or LSU etc. I

 

[Whiskeyjack]

I don't think you will see a great team in college football again. And great I mean they line up every game and win by a 3 score margin.

Those teams are, by definition, rare. Such teams were more common in the past because: (1) there were fewer elite teams, so talent was much more concentrated; and (2) schedules are much more competitive today than they used to be. That's a good thing for CFB.

I think there is a god amount of good teams in college football. I see pitt as an ok team. They aren't as good as us,bama,Clemson or LSU etc. I

There's good, and then there's elite. Even the toughest schedule doesn't feature more than a few elite opponents. But it's pretty much inarguable that ND's schedule features a lot of "good" teams-- Pitt included. Under the BCS, we were regularly penalized by the inability of voters to distinguish between good, OK and bad teams. You got credit for wins against elite competition, but otherwise you were just expected to win out against the rest-- regardless of quality. Thankfully the Selection Committee seems to have moved past that.

 

[NDPhilly]

Every time I see P-I-T-T, I read S-H-I-T

dyslexia really is a bitch

 

[Tejas]

24-10 Irish

oh wait...It's at Pitt

48-10 Irish

 

[Crazy Balki]

I'll say this. History has had this game very close.

2013: Pitt 21-28
2012: ND 29-26 3OT
2011: ND 15-12
2010: ND 23-17
2009: Pitt 22-27
2008: Pitt 33-36 3OT

However, none of those ND teams possessed an offense anywhere near as dynamic as this one. That is a huge difference on how this game plays out.

ND 41 Pitt 14

 

[ickythump1225]

Lol@ at the people downgrading Pitt as "okay." That is laughable. Let me ask you a question, do you think Alabama, OSU, TCU, Baylor, etc. would relish the thought of going to Pitt to play them in a non-conference game this late in the season?

 

[irishff1014]

Lol@ at the people downgrading Pitt as "okay." That is laughable. Let me ask you a question, do you think Alabama, OSU, TCU, Baylor, etc. would relish the thought of going to Pitt to play them in a non-conference game this late in the season?

Of those 4 I think OSU would struggle the most. I beat Baylor would hang 45 on them. Their oline would get killed by bama.

 

[GATTACA!]

We come out slow, but by halftime are firmly in control. Big third quarter and get up by 17 - 21, then go conservative in the 4th and Pitt whittles the lead down to 7 but the outcome is never in doubt.

Another solid resume building road win before next week's tune up. Onward and upward.

Ahh yes our tune up for BC!

 

[kp068]

week off rust

week off rust

no one seems to talk about ND having a bye week before the Temple game--teams tend to come out flat after a bye week. --as we did vs Temple. This week we have had time to get back in the normal routine and prepare in the normal fashion for the game at hand. ND will be better prepared for Pitt and will take the game to them and not sit back.
GO IRISH !!!