Notre Dame (football only discussion)

[OSU_Buckguy]

depending on the book, nd is giving 3/3.5 to gt.

[Oh8ch]

I hate seeing ND rated this low. It is win-win for Charlie - or at least "win - give him a pass".

[MililaniBuckeye]

Originally Posted by Oh8ch

or at least "win - give him a bypass".

I fixed that up for ya...

[ulukinatme]

It sure doesn't seem like they have especially dangerous returners

Punt returns are good, Zibikowski is always close to breaking one open. He was a little sluggish last year, hes supposed to have his edge back this year though. Kick returning is mediocre, mostly young talent makes up kick returns, I think its a good excuse to give them game time. Kickoffs and field goals have been simply awful the last year and a half, which is probably a contributing factor as to why they go for it on 4th down often. Punting has been good recently, Price really found his leg and started getting some distance last year, one of the most improved players according to most. To sum up, Special Teams is ok, but they've still got holes. Not sure who is touting our Special Teams, but they're at least missing a decent kicker still before you can call them complete.

[t_BuckeyeScott]

I think Blue Ribbon gave NDs special teams an A (while giving OSU's a B) and cfn article basically said they were a relative strength, which upon further reflection upon the term relative may actually be true.

[ScriptOhio]

Irish athletic director Kevin White has no doubt that his formula for Notre Dame's schedule will work.

It's like one of those convoluted word problems you used to hate in math class. Maybe still hate. Except in this case, the answer is constantly changing.

Seven plus four plus one equals confusion?

Only in the short term, assures Notre Dame athletic director Kevin White of the Irish football scheduling policy that kicks in starting in 2009. The format will be seven home games, an eighth off-site game that is treated like a home game from a TV and revenue standpoint, and four away games each season. The first off-site game pits Washington State vs. the Irish in San Antonio, Texas, on Halloween in 2009.
"One of my favorite expressions and overused expressions is, 'There are a zillion moving parts,'" White said via telephone from Ireland earlier this week.

And there are also a zillion rumors, a zillion premature announcements and a zillion reasons why White can't weaken his negotiating position by being too public in his comments.

Here are the absolutes, many of which have just gelled in the past couple of weeks.

-Yes, Notre Dame will play Michigan, USC and Oklahoma all in the same season, two years in a row -- 2012 and 2013. Initially, ND was going to slide the Sooners in during a two-year timeout in the Michigan series, but the Wolverines brass reversed field over the timeout concept and ND decided it didn't want a timeout from Michigan, either. So the two schools locked each other up through 2031 or roughly the time Jimmy Clausen is due for a midlife crisis.

-The timeout concept will come into play for some traditional opponents, such as Purdue and Michigan State, in order to accommodate all the home-and-home series ND is committed to and to diversify the schedule with new teams, such as future opponent Arizona State. Besides Michigan, two schools that will not be part of the timeout rotation are USC and Navy.

-When the Orange County Commission approved $1.1 billion dollars to upgrade the Citrus Bowl, build a new Orlando Magic arena and a performing arts center, ND's deal to play games in 2011 and 2014 in Orlando became official. In fact, the Irish in 2011 figure to be the first game played in the renovated facility.

-The off-site games have strengthened Notre Dame's ties with NBC and improved its negotiating position for its next contract with the network.

-So taken was Michigan by the potential recruiting aspects of the Irish playing off-site games in talent-laden Texas, Louisiana and Florida, the Wolverines are pursuing home-and-home arrangements in Florida and Texas to boost Michigan's recruiting.

-The legalese in some of the conference TV contracts make it difficult, if not impossible, for ND to play an off-site game against a team in its own region. The rumor that ND would be playing Duke in Orlando, for instance, died pretty quick because the Irish can't deliver NBC the TV rights for that game, but they certainly could play a non-ACC school there and will.

Entire article: South Bend Tribune

[BuckeyePride]

SI.com - 2007 NCAA Football Preview - Clausen, 19, cited for transporting alcohol - Monday August 20, 2007 1:47AM


Clausen cited

Irish QB, gets misdemeanor for transporting alcohol



SOUTH BEND, Ind. (AP) -- Freshman Notre Dame quarterback Jimmy Clausen has entered a pretrial diversion program after receiving a misdemeanor citation for transporting alcohol as a minor, a newspaper reports.
Indiana State Excise Police cited Clausen and a 23-year-old on June 23 outside a liquor store near the University of Notre Dame campus, police said Friday.

[DaddyBigBucks]

Originally Posted by Jaxbuck

My guess?

I'll probably go 0 for another 20 years of rooting for the giant meteor to smash into the stadium they are playing in.

Oh well, I'll never give up on my dream, there's always next year.

The odds of that happening are indeed quite low...

[Taosman]

Ouch! Will ESPN and the national media still be interested after they start out 0-3 or 0-4 ?
OpponentSept. 1Georgia Tech
Sept. 8at Penn State
Sept. 15at Michigan
Sept. 22
Michigan State
Sept. 29at Purdue
Oct. 6at UCLA
Oct. 13Boston College
Oct. 20USCNov. 3
Navy
Nov. 10Air Force
Nov. 17Duke
Nov. 24at Stanford


By the fourth week the pressure could be incredible.

[Jaxbuck]

Originally Posted by Taosman

Ouch! Will ESPN and the national media still be interested after they start out 0-3 or 0-4 ?
Opponent

Sept. 1 Georgia Tech
Sept. 8 @ Penn State
Sept. 15 @ Michigan
Sept. 22 Michigan State
Sept. 29 @Purdue
Oct. 6 @ UCLA
Oct. 13 Boston College
Oct. 20 USC
Nov. 3 Navy
Nov. 10 Air Force
Nov. 17 Duke
Nov. 24 @ Stanford


By the fourth week the pressure could be incredible.

I'd say 4 no doubt L's in @PSU, @UM, @UCLA and USC.
Probable L but they could win: GT, MSU, @ Purdue, BC
W's: Navy, AFA, Duke, Stanford

8-4 is best case, 4-8 is worst, I say they go 6-6 sneak into some Bowl they have no business being in and continue the streak.

[OCBucksFan]

Originally Posted by Jaxbuck

I'd say 4 no doubt L's in @PSU, @UM, @UCLA and USC.
Probable L but they could win: GT, MSU, @ Purdue, BC
W's: Navy, AFA, Duke, Stanford

8-4 is best case, 4-8 is worst, I say they go 6-6 sneak into some Bowl they have no business being in and continue the streak.

Well, a lot of that depends on how PSU starts the season, if they start off bad and maybe drop thier first game ND could be in for a good run, UCLA isn't that great, they did almost win last year but I still think that Brady Quinn was the most over-rated quarterback in college football, UM will be a tough one, especially since they go to the big house.

Now, USC, they are screwed, no two ways about it, Charlie is going to get a beatdown at home that will make all catholics light a bunch of candles and touch thier chests a few hundred times.

[Bucklion]

Originally Posted by OCBucksFan

Well, a lot of that depends on how PSU starts the season, if they start off bad and maybe drop thier first game ND could be in for a good run, UCLA isn't that great, they did almost win last year but I still think that Brady Quinn was the most over-rated quarterback in college football, UM will be a tough one, especially since they go to the big house.

Now, USC, they are screwed, no two ways about it, Charlie is going to get a beatdown at home that will make all catholics light a bunch of candles and touch thier chests a few hundred times.

Pretty sure Penn State won't lost to Florida International, but there's no guarantee Captain Armband Tattoo will be able to hit any of their fast receivers so Zibikowski can tackle them 40 yards downfield like he did Ginn. I think the Penn State game is a toss-up, and probably, along with the Georgia Tech game, determines their whole season. If by some miracle they manage to start 2-0 and get on a roll, I (unfortunately) think Notre Dame can win 10...no way that they can win at Michigan or beat USC with the players they have, but if they develop a lot of early confidence they could go as high as 10-2. If they split the first two, in either combination, I see it as somewhere between 8-4 and 6-6...at Purdue, UCLA, Michigan State, BC...those are games they can win, but they won't win them all if they're not on a big roll. If they start 0-2, they're meat...6-6 is all they can hope for, probably 5-7. Once they hit November they're 4-0 from then on, so it's all up to those 6 tweener games.

I say they split the first 2 games and finish 7-5.

[Jaxbuck]

Originally Posted by Bucklion

Pretty sure Penn State won't lost to Florida International, but there's no guarantee Captain Armband Tattoo will be able to hit any of their fast receivers so Zibikowski can tackle them 40 yards downfield like he did Ginn. I think the Penn State game is a toss-up, and probably, along with the Georgia Tech game, determines their whole season. If by some miracle they manage to start 2-0 and get on a roll, I (unfortunately) think Notre Dame can win 10...no way that they can win at Michigan or beat USC with the players they have, but if they develop a lot of early confidence they could go as high as 10-2. If they split the first two, in either combination, I see it as somewhere between 8-4 and 6-6...at Purdue, UCLA, Michigan State, BC...those are games they can win, but they won't win them all if they're not on a big roll. If they start 0-2, they're meat...6-6 is all they can hope for, probably 5-7. Once they hit November they're 4-0 from then on, so it's all up to those 6 tweener games.

I say they split the first 2 games and finish 7-5.

I'll bet every Vbuck I have(and a lot of real ones) they don't go 10-2. No way in hell. Better chance of not losing inventory if Charlie Wiess gets locked in your Dunkin Donughts store overnight.

They are not only going to lose to PSU, it could get ugly. All new offense going into Happy Valley in week 2 against that D? Then @ tsun to follow it? As my Italian friends say fuggedaboudit. PSU could be a bit weak in the trenches this year but ND won't be able to exploit it even if they are.

They will start 1-2 AT BEST, GT and MSU are huge games for ND. A Bowl appearance could very well hang in the balance. They have to at least split the GT, MSU, BC, Purdue games to go with 4 W's from the November cupcake fest.

[OSUBasketballJunkie]

Dispatch

Powlus helps Irish QBs adjust to glare

Sunday, August 26, 2007 3:57 AM
By Tom Coyne


Associated Press

SOUTH BEND, Ind. -- Before Ron Powlus even arrived at Notre Dame in 1993 as a freshman quarterback, college football analyst Beano Cook memorably predicted he would win two Heisman Trophies.

Expectations aren't as high for Powlus as an assistant coach.
Powlus spent the past two years as director of personnel development for coach Charlie Weis. When the third-year coach was looking last spring for an assistant to help develop Notre Dame's young quarterbacks, he turned to Powlus.
"I felt that what these guys really needed was a mentor, somebody who's actually lived the experience that they're about ready to go through," Weis said. "Brady (Quinn) had already been hardened when I got here. These guys are pups."

Continued......

[t_BuckeyeScott]

Somehow apparently Lou Holtz isn't the only who thinks ND can go 10-2.

Link