Which would be better/worse?

[ThePiombino]

What would be better for Notre Dame's forward momentum (i.e. recruiting, player development, media image, etc) heading into 2012? Going 11-1/10-2 this year and getting destroyed in a BCS game or going 9-3/8-4 and winning a 2nd tier bowl game?

I'm not saying it has to be one of the above scenarios, but let's just say it was.

My thoughts are that the exposure of a BCS game, while good in just about every aspect, is not as good ultimately as a victory in a 2nd tier bowl game. I think at the end of the day kids want to win just as much as they want exposure. I know this much- as a fan, I felt a lot better about ND's victory over Miami this past season (in a far more obscure bowl) than I did after the beatings we took from OrSU, tOSU and LSU (in BCS games).

Your thoughts?

 

[rtrn2glory]

tough question:

for sake of argument i'd say 11-1 and getting destroyed, but i prefer winning of course.

an 11-1 season will assure us several solid wins over who is on our schedule and also probably assure us of an already pretty solid recruiting class going into january and february.

 

[ThePiombino]

tough question:

for sake of argument i'd say 11-1 and getting destroyed, but i prefer winning of course.

an 11-1 season will assure us several solid wins over who is on our schedule and also probably assure us of an already pretty solid recruiting class going into january and february.

That's certainly a valid point. My only concern with this scenario would be the short-term memory of some potential recruits and a BCS bludgeoning going into NSD.

 

[rtrn2glory]

i believe a bcs bowl this year will show more progress than a win a second tier bowl to the players that we're recruiting, but you never know what they're thinking, surely it is something other schools would try to use against us.

 

[IrishSteelhead]

Gator Bowl win > BCS blowout loss

Sun Bowl win < BCS blowout loss

Just my opinion, I think a New Year's Day bowl win would carry more weight than a BCS blowout loss.

*For sake of argument, I realize that there will be no NYD bowl games this year, and the Gator Bowl has tie-ins with the SEC and B10 now, just using it as an example.

 

[hawkballer30]

u guys forget that if we at least win 9 games and finish in top 8 thats a BCS game...its highly possible that could happen

 

[Veer option]

going 9-3/8-4 and winning a 2nd tier bowl game?
Your thoughts?

I like this one, because the upside is so much brighter and gives momentum for the next season.

 

[johnnykillz]

I'm not going to count ANY chickens before they hatch. But as an optimistically minded person given the fact we make a BCS bowl, I think we win there as well.

I mean WTF happened to optimism? So now we can't win a BCS bowl if we make it because...?

I choose to not look at the above two scenarios presented, and choose to instead focus on pummeling another SEC squad into oblivion at a BCS bowl.

Bring it.

I want LSU. We owe them.

 

[k1ssme1m1r1sh]

I agree with Johnny...what's wrong with seeing our glass half full?

If we went 11-1 and got blasted in a BCS, then someone has some helmet thumping to do. That's pretty late in an 11-1 season to get blown out in a bowl game.

 

[mick2]

tired of hearing about next season, next season, lets gain some momentum for next season. we gained the momentum last year, 8 wins, 4 game win streak over pretty stout competition to end the year. beat our most hated rival for the first time in 9 friggin years and beat down the hated hurricanes in the bowl.

its time to make a run at it. we cant be scared of being blown out. win win win and let the chips fall where they may!

 

[rtrn2glory]

nothing wrong with preparing for the worst...any ND who's watched our games the last decade or so knows it is possible, not saying likely just possible...although, i agree we are trending up and have reason to be optimistic

 

[Whiskeyjack]

9-win season and a 2nd tier bowl win. Momentum is important; making it to a BCS game would be serious progress, but getting blown out would cast doubt on everything we'd achieved that season.

Think of MSU in 2010; they were mercilessly exposed against 'Bama, and now that season has an asterisk next to it. No one honestly believes they were nearly as good as their record implies.

Though to be honest, I don't see us getting blown out again any time soon.

 

[rtrn2glory]

if we get blown out...it's probably b/c we turned the ball over a ton

 

[johnnykillz]

nothing wrong with preparing for the worst...

Nothing wrong with preparing for the worst?

As a fan, I certainly call bull****. Fans above all else know how bad it hurts to have a letdown occur. But we have to be optimistic folks, or our kids will see our poor attitudes towards our team, and flock to positive outlooks.

As a player, I most certainly call bull****. The kid expecting to lose will lose more than the kid expecting to win.

Come one my man. Step up to the kool-aide trough and take a sip. It's good. It's what we're supposed to do. Realism is what occurs after losses. Optimism is what occurs prior. Take the shots like a winner, not a loser.

That's what winners do...

 

[rtrn2glory]

not preparing for the worse is what got us killed against navy and beat by tulsa last year...the staff learned they're lesson and i hope we never have to experience that garbage again...it's called being prepared not pessimistic.

 

[Whiskeyjack]

not preparing for the worse is what got us killed against navy and beat by tulsa last year...the staff learned they're lesson and i hope we never have to experience that garbage again...it's called being prepared not pessimistic.

We're talking about fan expectations here, not the coaching staff or the team, so preparation has nothing to do with it.

The comment johnny criticized was undeniably pessimistic.

 

[General Colon Bowel]

Why would anyone ever want for us to win 8/9 games instead of 11? Isn't the point of football to win games?

 

[Bogtrotter07]

What's wrong with, KICKING A$$? Every game, until someone proves we can't and they can? Now that translates to the kind of recruits I am interested in getting! What about you?

 

[johnnykillz]

not preparing for the worse is what got us killed against navy and beat by tulsa last year...the staff learned they're lesson and i hope we never have to experience that garbage again...it's called being prepared not pessimistic.

I have to disagree. You and I went from talking about bowl games to game plans?

Whoah hoss.

Wrong correlation. Apples and oranges.

 

[Zibby32]

asinine thread...WIN GAMES....WIN GAMES...WIN GAMES

 

[mick2]

in defense of the op he did list 2 different scenarios, that IF they were to happen what would be better for the team going forward.

he did not say it would happen, and he did not say i think we are going to do A or B.

he Simply asked for an opinion on one of the 2 scenarios, so jumping down his throat and calling him a non fan isn't quite fair. ijs

 

[phork]

Days of blowouts are over boys. While we might lose some games here and there, there will be no 38-0 whitewashes at the hands of UM, or 35-14 losses to *cough* Navy. We will compete with any team in the country.

Saying that, I don't want to play LSU this year.

 

[rtrn2glory]

and i'll have to disagree with you and you have the right to disagree with me...i'm just not the type that buys into things too early

again im not saying bad things are likely, but based on our history they are possible.

 

[mick2]

Days of blowouts are over boys. While we might lose some games here and there, there will be no 38-0 whitewashes at the hands of UM, or 35-14 losses to *cough* Navy. We will compete with any team in the country.

Saying that, I don't want to play LSU this year.

didnt we just lose to navy 35-17 last year? i agree that blowouts will be less likely with kelly and crew. but he has been blown out before, and it happens to even the best of teams.

 

[Whiskeyjack]

in defense of the op he did list 2 different scenarios, that IF they were to happen what would be better for the team going forward.

he did not say it would happen, and he did not say i think we are going to do A or B.

he Simply asked for an opinion on one of the 2 scenarios, so jumping down his throat and calling him a non fan isn't quite fair. ijs

Agreed. It's a fair question.

 

[irishtrinity]

11-1 with a bowl loss easy i just want back to bcs it's been since 2007.. we need the win tho then the bandwagon will be rolling hard

 

[Whiskeyjack]

11-1 with a bowl loss easy i just want back to bcs it's been since 2007.. we need the win tho then the bandwagon will be rolling hard

11-1 with a respectable loss in a BCS game would obviously be a great season, but that wasn't one of the options. The choice was 10-2/ 11-1 with a blowout BCS loss vs. 8-4/9-3 with a 2nd tier bowl win.

Momentum's important. Going 11-1 and then getting blown off the field by an SEC team in a BCS bowl would cast doubt on everything we'd achieved that season.

Sometimes it's better to take two steps forward than three steps forward and then one big step back.

 

[johnnykillz]

I don't quite recall nor have I read anyone jumping down anyone's throat. Perception is reality I guess though. I'll have to make my writing more clear.

I want to be optimistic. I did observe 2 scenarios, in which I clarified my intent of choosing a path less traveled for this thread. Path #3, my own.

rtrn2glory tends to enjoy debate, as do I. I'm certain he enjoys your back-up Mick2, although my tact wasn't unecessarily rough.

Bottom line to me: I want to beat WHOEVER we play. I want a BCS game. Year 2 with a BCS win is not a bad thing... IMHO, it's the only thing I'll accept. Until then, I yearn for more.

Lastly, I loved me some Sun Bowl last year. It was ****in' cold, but worth the pain to watch ND whoop that Hurricance A$$!

 

[Junkhead]

We are on the upswing, and QB issues and RB depth aside, I see up competing with anyone. I'd take 11-1 BCS with a narrow loss in a BCS game, as opposed to losing 3+ games during the season for any reason.

 

[Bogtrotter07]

as do I

have a hard time me.

WTF?