ND Fan here with thoughts

FriendlyIrish

3rd Team
Nov 22, 2012
217
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I really don't think looking at recruiting rankings has much to do with who is on the field right now. Again, we have recruited defensive talent from TX, GA, FL, and SC. We have probably the best LB/DE combo coming in next year in Anzalone and Jaylon Smith. Our defense will be good for years to come (if Aaron Lynch had stayed, we might be on another level, but we put senior leadership in there and have done fine). You guys definitely get the best talent in the country, but idk if that is the best indicator.

Again, I'm not willing to go as far as OP and say our D is better than Bama 2011 D.

But as stated, we let you get the chunk yards in between, then shut down in our territory. We also NEVER give up the big play. 'Bama has given up 13/50 throws longer than 20 yards. We haven given up 6/41, with only one TD. We have also been better against ranked opponents. You average roughly 235 y/p/g against ranked opponents. We average 203.5 against ranked opponents. This is primarily b/c against better QB's we give up the dink and dunk and we tackle very efficiently (held Lee & Wood to their lowest yards after the catch of their entire careers).

We have one of the best red zone offenses in recent history. We have allowed a TD on roughly 25% of opponents red zone trips, the lowest percentage of ANY team in the past 8 FBS seasons. And we have allowed only 2 rushing touchdowns the entire year, the first coming against Belldozer in the 8th game of the season.

The biggest question, if we play you, is whether we can do work on your D. You are the best D we would face. It's all about whether a ND team can hang with the SEC. I think we can hang, I do not think we can dominate.
 

bamafaninOhiO

All-American
May 11, 2010
2,114
0
0
Dayton, Ohio
who has nd played again?
Seriously?

They've played a pretty decent schedule this year...and won them all. Including Stanford, who beat Oregon. Winning them all definitely says something about a team, and its something even we cant say...

This will be a great matchup, and I hope that we can win against Georgia to see it take place (Im expecting us to win, of course!)
 

FriendlyIrish

3rd Team
Nov 22, 2012
217
0
0
Seriously?

They've played a pretty decent schedule this year...and won them all. Including Stanford, who beat Oregon. Winning them all definitely says something about a team, and its something even we cant say...

This will be a great matchup, and I hope that we can win against Georgia to see it take place (Im expecting us to win, of course!)
I've said this before, but I really want 'bama to win. It will be such an epic, historic matchup. Plus, I feel like if we play Georgia, its lose lose.

We win, and we beat the third best team in the SEC. We lose, and it is a foregone conclusion for everyone that we can't handle the SEC.
 

Im_on_dsp

All-SEC
Oct 10, 2007
1,329
795
137
Canton, GA
You guys definitely get the best talent in the country, but idk if that is the best indicator.
Actually, it is. I don't have a link for you but I know someone did a study a few years back looking at correllation between recruiting rankings and end of season results and they found that recruiting rankings were the best indicator of teams future success. It doesn't take a rocket scientist to figure out that, for the athlete population as a whole, past success as an athlete is the best indicator of future success. Sure, there are going to be players who were labeled as "can't miss', who do, and those who were slighted that turned out to be stars, but those are the exceptions.

When you combine superior athletes with outstanding coaching then you are likely going to have a superior team to those teams whose athletes are slightly less superior, with the same coaching. All the "star system is bogus" talk is something that the fans of teams who are lower down the recruiting rankings do to make themselves feel better about themselves. We used to talk like that on this message board back in the Shula days. Now we know better.

Now, having said that, I'm not saying ND is not talented, I know that they are. I just don't think that the talent is quite as high as it is for Bama. All other things being equal, I think we are the better team because of it.
 

theballguy

Hall of Fame
Nov 5, 2012
6,268
1,083
187
Roll Tide Roll, Colorado USA
Seriously?

They've played a pretty decent schedule this year...and won them all. Including Stanford, who beat Oregon. Winning them all definitely says something about a team, and its something even we cant say...

This will be a great matchup, and I hope that we can win against Georgia to see it take place (Im expecting us to win, of course!)
Bro, you've been living up North for too long ;-)

Giving you a hard time man. I admit their schedule is good... it's just not an SEC schedule. And yes, other than Florida (here you have a debate perhaps), who else should be in Miami as of now? I'd say the Irish have earned it.
 
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Con

Hall of Fame
Dec 19, 2006
6,398
4,230
187
Northern Hemisphere
Seriously?

They've played a pretty decent schedule this year...and won them all. Including Stanford, who beat Oregon. Winning them all definitely says something about a team, and its something even we cant say...

This will be a great matchup, and I hope that we can win against Georgia to see it take place (Im expecting us to win, of course!)
In 1989 when ND won their last championship West Virginia had won all of their games too with Major Harris. How did that undefeated season work out for the mighty Mountaineers? I do believe ND is much better than WV was that year, but all undefeated seasons are not created equal.
We can't claim to be undefeated, but if they beat us or Georgia in the big game I will say they earned it after that game, but not until then.
 

BamaSully

1st Team
Oct 13, 1999
599
104
162
Jackson, TN
I admittedly only read page 1 since I am at work. Sorry if I am repeating anyone's original ideas here.

Dr. Dome, welcome to the board. I hope you are treated with respect here and I hope you show respect to us as well.

ND has a GREAT defense but it ain't as good as Bama's was last year. It may not be as good as Bama's this year. Statistically we are better right now but both are elite and it is very close (probably too close to call by the stats alone).

I dont think ND will be a "walk-over or a blowout" regardless of who you play in the title game, to quote your original post. Your defense is too good to let that happen. What I (and many other SEC supporters) am saying is, while you have a great D, we also have a great D, a great O, and great special teams, more proven depth all across the field, and of course, Nick Saban. So we expect a good game, but we do expect that by the end you will agree that we simply have more than you in the toolbox.

As for Forde's schedule breakdown....the gist is that ND doesn't have the pushover schedule some have made it out to be, and that simply playing in the SEC this year doesn't guarantee us a top 10-15 schedule difficulty (thanks Arkansas, Auburn and Tennessee). I agree with both points. After reading thru the breakdown game-by-game, it is obvious that the difficulty of our schedules has been very similar to this point. Much moreso than I would have guessed.

The thing I take exception to is how Forde determines whose win was most impressive. Examples:

Fourth-best opponent: Notre Dame played Michigan (20th) at home and won by a touchdown. Alabama played Mississippi (33rd) on the road and won by 19. Georgia hosted Mississippi (33rd) and won by 27. All three won. Most impressive of the three: Notre Dame.

I have a hard time saying ND's win was more impressive. The ratings say Michigan was our 3rd toughest and ND's 4th which means their schedule was a bit more top-heavy, and the intent here isnt to compare our 3rd versus their 4th, but still...we destroyed Michigan...it was never a game. I have a hard time giving this one to ND. It is a push...meaning no one takes away a clear advantage here.

Sixth-best opponent: Notre Dame visited Michigan State (39th) and won by 17. Alabama visited Missouri (43rd) and won by 32. Georgia visited Tennessee (54th) and won by seven. Most impressive of the three: Notre Dame.

I can't even call this a push. The 4 spots between their rank is negligible when you are talking 39 versus 43. We doubled their margin of victory. To say ND's win was more impressive is to say "I couldn't care less if my journalism appears even remotely unbiased". Bama was clearly the most impressive.

Seventh-best opponent: Notre Dame played Miami (52nd) on a neutral field and won by 38. Alabama visited Tennessee (54th) and won by 31. Georgia hosted Georgia Tech (63rd) and won by 32. Most impressive of the three: Notre Dame.

Again, this seems silly. We played at UT in front of 100K+ and won by 31. Sure 38 is one more TD but come on! At that margin you are really talking about whether or not the other team also put in their subs at the same time you did or if they waited 5 more minutes. This one either goes to Bama because it is a true road game in a tough environment or it is a push.

Ninth-best opponent: Notre Dame hosted Pittsburgh (66th) and won by three in triple overtime. Alabama hosted Western Kentucky (82nd) and won by 35. Georgia visited Kentucky (92nd) and won by five. Most impressive of the three: Notre Dame.

Doesn't hold water! We did what we were supposed to against a pushover. Neither UGA nor ND did. Bama was most impressive.

After that they're all a push because they are all blowouts. Comparing blowouts against pushovers is fruitless and doesn't tell you anything about the relative strength of these three contenders.

Oh wait...the 12th best opponent wasn't a blowout for ND! They only won that game by 15 freakin points. We won by 49, but since WCU is #204 I won't even try to make an argument. Of course Forde listed it as another comparison in which ND was more impressive. Geez.

So after adjusting the results to include a bit of common sense, the most impressive win breakdown...

Bama - 5
UGA - 1
ND - 1
Push - 5

...doesn't quite make the point Forde wanted to make. After we play UGA Saturday the comparison gets even worse for ND.
 
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bamafaninOhiO

All-American
May 11, 2010
2,114
0
0
Dayton, Ohio
Bro, you've been living up North for too long ;-)

Giving you a hard time man. I admit their schedule is good... it's just not an SEC schedule. And yes, other than Florida (here you have a debate perhaps), who else should be in Miami as of now? I'd say the Irish have earned it.


haha....I still make a point to get back down there as often as I can to breate the fresh air...

They deserve it based on their 12-0 record...
every game counts.

I think our game with Georgia will be our biggest test of the season...

I think we match up well with ND, and believe that we'll beat them...just not sure it would be a blow out based on their having a soft schedule as some posters have said...I just dont see a soft schedule there...
 

bamafaninOhiO

All-American
May 11, 2010
2,114
0
0
Dayton, Ohio
In 1989 when ND won their last championship West Virginia had won all of their games too with Major Harris. How did that undefeated season work out for the mighty Mountaineers? I do believe ND is much better than WV was that year, but all undefeated seasons are not created equal.
We can't claim to be undefeated, but if they beat us or Georgia in the big game I will say they earned it after that game, but not until then.
Dude,

I didnt say they'd win the BCSNCG...and i didnt say i thought they were the best team, but we'll (hopefully) get to play them in January and prove that we're the better team (which I think we are)...

I merely stated a fact; they went 12-0 against a pretty solid schedule (dont think there was an FCS opponent on their schedule). Too many are saying that their schedule was soft; I just dont see it as soft, compared to a LOT of other teams out there.

We can talk smack about them; I just think that their schedule was more than respectable...

...and they earned the opportunity to play in the game by being 12-0; of course they have to win it to earn the trophy, and either us or Georgia (god forbid) would definitly be their toughest test of the year.

Roll Tide
 
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RollinTider1335

All-SEC
Jun 12, 2010
1,460
0
0
Spring Hill, TN
Here's my thought....we don't play y'all yet because we have a conference championship game. I didn't see that on the ND schedule.

I would also respect ND a little more if they used the word "y'all" more. And yes, it is one word.
 
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RollinTider1335

All-SEC
Jun 12, 2010
1,460
0
0
Spring Hill, TN
I really don't think looking at recruiting rankings has much to do with who is on the field right now. Again, we have recruited defensive talent from TX, GA, FL, and SC. We have probably the best LB/DE combo coming in next year in Anzalone and Jaylon Smith. Our defense will be good for years to come (if Aaron Lynch had stayed, we might be on another level, but we put senior leadership in there and have done fine). You guys definitely get the best talent in the country, but idk if that is the best indicator.

Again, I'm not willing to go as far as OP and say our D is better than Bama 2011 D.

But as stated, we let you get the chunk yards in between, then shut down in our territory. We also NEVER give up the big play. 'Bama has given up 13/50 throws longer than 20 yards. We haven given up 6/41, with only one TD. We have also been better against ranked opponents. You average roughly 235 y/p/g against ranked opponents. We average 203.5 against ranked opponents. This is primarily b/c against better QB's we give up the dink and dunk and we tackle very efficiently (held Lee & Wood to their lowest yards after the catch of their entire careers).

We have one of the best red zone offenses in recent history. We have allowed a TD on roughly 25% of opponents red zone trips, the lowest percentage of ANY team in the past 8 FBS seasons. And we have allowed only 2 rushing touchdowns the entire year, the first coming against Belldozer in the 8th game of the season.

The biggest question, if we play you, is whether we can do work on your D. You are the best D we would face. It's all about whether a ND team can hang with the SEC. I think we can hang, I do not think we can dominate.
Uh. You gave up several big plays against USC. Please try again.
 

FriendlyIrish

3rd Team
Nov 22, 2012
217
0
0
The Forde article is questionable, for sure. When you are talking about blowouts (the 9th-12th ranked opponents on schedule), it may not matter at all.

But the fact is the worst team on our schedule (BC) literally embarasses FCS schools. That's not a dog on Bama in particular, many teams have schedule FCS schools this year. And the more difficult teams you have faced compensate for that in many respects. But top to bottom, Sagarin has our schedule ranked more difficult. It doesn't even matter at this point, really. We have played good opponents and bad ones. But the bad opponents we played are rivalry games. BC is a rivalry, it is their super bowl. Pitt is a deep rivalry. MSU is a huge rivalry. All these teams get up for us.

All I'm sayin' is we gotta chance.
 

RollinTider1335

All-SEC
Jun 12, 2010
1,460
0
0
Spring Hill, TN
The Forde article is questionable, for sure. When you are talking about blowouts (the 9th-12th ranked opponents on schedule), it may not matter at all.

But the fact is the worst team on our schedule (BC) literally embarasses FCS schools. That's not a dog on Bama in particular, many teams have schedule FCS schools this year. And the more difficult teams you have faced compensate for that in many respects. But top to bottom, Sagarin has our schedule ranked more difficult. It doesn't even matter at this point, really. We have played good opponents and bad ones. But the bad opponents we played are rivalry games. BC is a rivalry, it is their super bowl. Pitt is a deep rivalry. MSU is a huge rivalry. All these teams get up for us.

All I'm sayin' is we gotta chance.
All I'm saying is we don't play yet. Are you posting on the UGa boards also?

We ain't lookin ahead.
 

GADAWG1980

Scout Team
Sep 26, 2011
155
0
0
Between the hedges
I'm hopeful you all beat Georgia, because I think Alabama and Notre Dame are worthy of the history of that game and as opponents of each other considering the history of the two programs.

I think Alabama would be favored (rightfully so) but slightly. My reasoning is the same as Pat Fordes, here:

http://sports.yahoo.com/news/ncaaf-...348035.html;_ylt=Ao8hJasvjC2lu8Z3ZtNeencp1LYF

Frankly, I've been watching ND for 38 years and I've never personally witnessed a defense like this before (this includes the stellar '80 and 88' defenses). I also think it ranks right up there with Saban's best Alabama defenses. I think this is one of the best defenses in all of college football over the the past five seasons. The stats bear that out.

Interested on why so many SEC fans in general think the game with ND would be a walk over blowout? I think if Alabama wins it's like to be a low scoring game and a 3-10 point win max (which in context of this defense I guess is alot)

Thoughts?
Personally,i think your team and particular your defense is seriously overrated. If you played an sec schedule you wouldve been lucky to win nine games. I think any team that barely beats the pittsburgh panthers at home(and needs phantom pass interference calls in particular)is definitely overrated. The biggest challenge we have is getting through bama. I feel much more confident of a win over notre dame than i do bama. I think if we do get to the title game it wont be a 17-10 georgia win like it was back in 1980 against your stellar defense:rolleyes:. I think we win by two touchdowns at least. The challenge is getting by bama not beating notre dame.
 

FriendlyIrish

3rd Team
Nov 22, 2012
217
0
0
...doesn't quite make the point Forde wanted to make. After we play UGA Saturday the comparison gets even worse for ND.
That was a good post and you made some fair points. The takeaway I see is our schedule stacks up with anyone in the country, and it isn't soft. It sucks that the point has to even be made.
 

FriendlyIrish

3rd Team
Nov 22, 2012
217
0
0
All I'm saying is we don't play yet. Are you posting on the UGa boards also?

We ain't lookin ahead.
That's fine. Throughout the season I hated people that said "let's just focus on this week," because I wasn't on the team. It wasn't my job to take it week by week as a fan.

But the week before the U$C game I had your same mentality. Couldn't look ahead b/c I could taste it. So that's fair.
 

BamaMoon

Hall of Fame
Apr 1, 2004
20,932
15,934
282
Boone, NC
That's fine. Throughout the season I hated people that said "let's just focus on this week," because I wasn't on the team. It wasn't my job to take it week by week as a fan.

But the week before the U$C game I had your same mentality. Couldn't look ahead b/c I could taste it. So that's fair.
Agree with you on that!!! Not one thing I post here at TideFans will affect Bama's performance against Georgia this weekend. And me thinking ahead to ND won't either.

I hate when a poster on a message board acts like we've got to think like we are on the team!
 

Chukker Veteran

Hall of Fame
Feb 6, 2001
10,594
5,067
287
We gotta couple of good Irish posters here, I see. Welcome.

One of the moderators, now deceased, was married to a Notre Dame grad...his nickname for y'all was Notre Dang, given our history with you.

This is just my opinion and I'm not trying to offend anyone...but if Bama gets by Georgia, and I expect we will, then we will be on Notre Dang like a pack of wild dogs on raw meat. :)
 

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