"So much talk about the top teams next year … Who will be the bottom teams? Any big turn arounds from 8 Wins to 1 or 2 wins? - Chris A: You’re asking who will be this year’s Colorado. I don’t see anyone coming up with that sort of collapse, but Notre Dame could quickly crash, going from the BCS to a losing season after losing the offensive stars and not being appreciably better on defense. I heard someone suggest the Irish could start 6-1, which is a ridiculous pipe-dream for a team that’s still being overrated because of the brand name. This will get thrown back in my face, but I’ll make the call that the Irish will start out 2-6, and possibly 1-7. My personal June prediction: Georgia Tech (loss), at Penn State (loss), at Michigan (loss), Michigan State (win), at Purdue (loss), at UCLA (loss), Boston College (loss), USC (loss), Navy, Air Force, Duke, at Stanford (all wins)." What do you guys think....gut wise, not heart wise about these predictions?
Well it's very tough to replace a QB like Quinn, your top RB, several OL's, and both your WR's and still be anywhere close to the same offense. And while we do have a new DCoord who is causing excitement, we have to be suspect going into the season based on the last couple of years defense. And then you factor in that in the first 6 games we are on the road to Mich, Penn State, Purdue and UCLA. All of which have veteran squads returning and their best teams in a few years. So it's not outrageous to predict a losing season, I don't think we will have a losing season, but I do think we could start 2-4 or 3-3 and finish 8-4/9-3. I don't think we'll be worse than 7-5.
I don't have a problem with that kind of prediction for the reasons Terry described. It's a tough, tough schedule even for a veteran team. I just hope we can keep the games close while our young players gain valuable experience.
One of those seasons where you'd better beat us now, because we have a lot of young players who won't be young and inexperienced in 2008. Plus Weis has a been recruiting a lot of great players so our depth issues will be resolved by then as well. Take your best shots in 2007 boys!
re: "This will get thrown back in my face, but I’ll make the call that the Irish will start out 2-6, and possibly 1-7." Now for the truth... If we start 4-2 or 5-2 we're going to dropkick our size-12s right up his arse...
I think that the Irish defense will be improved this year. Let's face it, they didn't lose much (except for VA) and if this new DC is as good at coaching as he is at recruiting, we could surprise a lot of people. I think that we will have a better running attack than in the pst 2 yrs. if the OL can be decent. The big question is the passing attack. We lost the Shark but McDrop is no big loss. Our receiving corps may be deeper than it's been in some time. We're young because the coach we fired because we're racist, didn't assemble even an adequate senior class. Experience at QB and depth is still an issue. Still, I can see us starting 3-2 if the D plays well. We've had some highly recruited classes the past couple of years. They're young but I think that they can play.
We'll see this year if this coaching staff is really good. A great staff will have this young talent improving from game to game and be a very good team by the end of the year.
From what I have seen the last couple of years Weis is recruiting very good players and has a good start on defense this year. This could be a down year for the Irish but the future looks bright to me.
The truth is, none of us know what to expect this season. The past is obvious and the future is well planned. This is the year in between those two points where we're all holding our breath. We'll have a lot of answers by halftime of the Georgia Tech game and we'll know exactly how good or how bad after the game at Penn State...
One thing non-ND folks cannot relate to, despite the recent extended period of mediocrity, is that a "down" season for us is not being in contention for the NC. That has never changed in my lifetime. Thus, we have had a long string of down seasons since the early 90s. We could have an 8-3 season and for us it would be a "down" season. As far as being a "brand name", the clown is correct. We've earned it. How many programs are still in the forefront of the news with a 6-6 season? Notre Dame is never off of the front page of college football, even in our "down" years. Non-ND folks will see that when we win a NC, and we will in the near future, we will - in the words of Lou Holtz - act like we've been there before.....because we have. No gloating. No taunting of the opponents (Well....maybe USC :lol: ). Just quiet basking in the continuation of the great tradition of our program. So however this season's record ends up, folks will know we are back. But if we do not contend for the NC, it will be another down year.
I would have to say beating a quality opponent in a bowl game would be the first objective for ND. Until ND does that then there will be many doubters of their worthiness to contend for the NC.
re" I would have to say beating a quality opponent in a bowl game would be the first objective for ND." That would be the objective at Florida under the same circumstances, but Notre Dame is on a different agenda. Just doing well is never good enough. The goal is higher. Reread Sid's post. The goal at Notre Dame is to win them all and graduate them all. There are no lower objectives. re: " Until ND does that then there will be many doubters of their worthiness to contend for the NC." No offense, but do you know how silly that sounds to a Fighting Irish fan? Can you seriously imagine even one Notre Dame fan worrying about what other schools think? Just who are these people who presume to judge the "worthiness" of Notre Dame to do anything?
Predictions <t>The idiot who made those predictions knows nothing about the Irish or their opponents for this upcoming season. At worst the Irish will go 7-5 but MY personal June prediction: Georgia Tech (win), at Penn State (loss), at Michigan (loss), Michigan State (win), at Purdue (win), at UCLA (loss), Boston College (win), USC (loss), Navy, Air Force, Duke, at Stanford (all wins). 8-4. If the boys get on track early or if the defense is better than average, one of those losses could be a win and thus 9-3. When the season is over and the guy is confronted with how off his predictions of the ND season was he will simply laugh as say how lucky the Irish were. <br/> Thats if he will own up to his predcitions at all.</t>
What bravado, Jo Co! I have not seen anything like this since Gloria Swanson cried out, "Mr. DeMille, I'm ready for my close up." in Sunset Boulevard.
As the immortal Jimmy Durante would say, Everybody wants to get into the act. Never have. Nice, Bobda. :lol:
Of course you do, Terry, as do other fans of programs with long and successful traditions similar to OSU and ND, like our close personal friends up north. :roll: