Give me your thoughts on Notre Dame

[hawkit3113]

I personally use to love ND when college football independents were a real force in college football. Now I cant stand them and think they are trying to game the system. They are truly showing their arrogance.

They talk about the tradition of being an independent and how important playing a national schedule is, which is why I loved ND in the past, but yet they are scheduling teams like New Mexico and Ball St. lol.


College football needs to make them play by the same rules and they need to join a conference. I think ND and BYU should join the Big 12. Or any conference would do. Just quit making rules like they are special.


Thoughts?

 

[leodisflowers]

I don't mind them being an indy team, my big beef is the shear fact they are always rewarded even when their teams as crappy or mediocre. They could lose 3 games, and still be in the conversation for a National Title it seems. No I am probably over exaggerating, but when I see them in the polls rated ahead of teams with way better records I just shake my head. Nebraska gets none of that. Where Nebraska is somewhat similar is the fact that we hang on to our glory days as well. Granted ours aren't quite as far back as theirs, but same concept. Overall I can't stand Notre Dame and I hope they lose every game.

 

[hawkit3113]

I don't mind them being an indy team, my big beef is the shear fact they are always rewarded even when their teams as crappy or mediocre. They could lose 3 games, and still be in the conversation for a National Title it seems. No I am probably over exaggerating, but when I see them in the polls rated ahead of teams with way better records I just shake my head. Nebraska gets none of that. Where Nebraska is somewhat similar is the fact that we hang on to our glory days as well. Granted ours aren't quite as far back as theirs, but same concept. Overall I can't stand Notre Dame and I hope they lose every game.

So don't you think a conference would eliminate that? Being in a conference and the conference grind, along with having a CCG tends to make those things work themselves out.

 

[leodisflowers]

For me not necessarily. To Notre Dame's credit they have played a lot of decent games. USC, Stanford, Florida State, Michigan State, Michigan... I mean sometimes the big name schools are down, but they do tend to play some decent teams. A conference grind may make it a little more difficult, but who knows.. I respect them more than like Florida who hasn't played a non-conference game outside of Florida since like the 80's (don't quote me 100%, just heard that.) I hope with the new system that everyone gets away from playing terrible games. Although they are great to get youngsters reps and other backups reps, I hate playing against teams like Southern Alabama, Arkansas St., or other bad games. Rick Flair says to be the best, you gotta beat the best! WOOOOOOO

 

[hawkit3113]

For me not necessarily. To Notre Dame's credit they have played a lot of decent games. USC, Stanford, Florida State, Michigan State, Michigan... I mean sometimes the big name schools are down, but they do tend to play some decent teams. A conference grind may make it a little more difficult, but who knows.. I respect them more than like Florida who hasn't played a non-conference game outside of Florida since like the 80's (don't quote me 100%, just heard that.) I hope with the new system that everyone gets away from playing terrible games. Although they are great to get youngsters reps and other backups reps, I hate playing against teams like Southern Alabama, Arkansas St., or other bad games. Rick Flair says to be the best, you gotta beat the best! WOOOOOOO

See, to me, it looks good on paper. But they aren't playing the conference champs. They are cherry picking teams from each conference. To play the 2nd or 3rd place team in each conference, isn't playing OSU, Alabama, Oregon, etc..........to their credit though, they cant really control who is up or down. That is why they need to join a conference.

 

[TwinsRRUs]

Like you said, they can't control who is up or down in a conference, but they still play a lot of "name" schools in Power Five conferences. Maybe they aren't the top team from the conference that year, but Io_a and Nebraska don't play the top team every year either...

Who do they play that is not in a P5 conference? It's a pretty small list, especially since most P5 schools play 4 OOC games and 2 or 3 are usually against non-P5 cupcakes. Honestly there isn't much of a difference when you look into it.

Here are the Non-P5 teams on each schedule, followed by the number of ranked teams at time of play (including bowl games) played that year according to ESPN's website:

2015 (Umass, Navy, Temple) -
2014 (Rice, Navy) 5
2013 (Temple, Air Force, Navy, BYU) 4
2012 (Navy, BYU) 5
2011 (South Florida, Navy, Air Force) 2
2010 (W. Mich, Navy, Tulsa, Army) 2
2009 (Nevada, Navy, UConn) 2
2008 (San Diego St, Navy) 2
2007 (Navy, Air Force) 3
2006 (Navy, Air Force, Army) 4
2005 (BYU, Navy) 5
2004 (BYU, Navy) 4
2003 (BYU, Navy) 5
2002 (Air Force, Navy) 6

So to compare this to Nebraska and Io_a:

NU

2015 (BYU, S. Alabama, S. Miss) -
2014 (FAU, McNeese, Fresno St) 4
2013 (Wyo, S. Miss, S. Dakota St) 3
2012 (S. Miss, Ark St, Idaho St) 3
2011 (Chatt, Fresno St, Wyo) 5
2010 (W. Kent, Idaho, S. Dakota St) 4
2009 (FAU, Ark. St, LA-Laf) 5
2008 (W. Mich, San Jose St, New Mex St) 3
2007 (Nevada, Ball St) 4

Io_a

2015 (Ill. St, North Texas) -
2014 (UNI, Ball St) 1
2013 (N. Ill, Missouri St, W. Mich) 3
2012 (N. Ill, UNI, Cent Mich) 2
2011 (Tenn Tech, UL Monroe) 4
2010 (E. Ill, Ball St) 6
2009 (UNI, Ark St) 3
2008 (Maine, FIU) 1
2007 (N. Ill, W. Mich) 2

Number of ranked teams played from 2007-2014:
ND: 25
NU: 31
IU: 22

NU has the biggest cupcakes of the 3 teams, but they also played the most ranked teams.

I hate Notre Dame too, but they play decent teams. We both play in the B1G West. Is it full of great teams? No.

To say they play the 2nd or 3rd place teams, but not the 1st place is kind of crazy. Most years our teams never even played the best team in our conference either. What if they played 4 teams that were either 2nd or 3rd in their respective conferences in one year? That wouldn't be possible for those of us in a conference...

So who is to say they would play better teams if they joined a P5 conference?

In 2012 when they went undefeated until they were destroyed by Alabama in the championship game, they still played 5 ranked teams at the time of the game, but I still didn't think they should've been in that game.

Even with what I stated above, I do agree with you that they should join a conference.

 

[cubsker]

ND played a pretty tough schedule last year - fsu, stanford, ville, usc, arizona st. other decent games vs michigan (who you would expect to be much tougher), navy, north car. then add in NW, Purd, and Cuse and that's a pretty tough go of it.

This year, they play Texas, GT, Clemson, USC, and Stanford plus decent games vs Pitt, Virginia, Navy, and Bost Coll. I don't think they're getting off easy at all.

 

[cubsker]

they were extermely lucky when they made the title game. no real difference than when fsu made the playoff last year. not even close to one of the top 2 (or 4) teams but they won em all so they're in.

 

[81husker]

Delaney should - IMO - forbid Big 10 teams from playing ND in football. I think that would wake up the ethos and make ND see that they need to join a conference.

As it is now, they're in a conference for other sports but not in football. They make that decision for their own benefit. I say they should be forced to join a conference and removing UM, TOSU, MSU, Purdue, NW, IU etc. from their non- conference menu might help that process along.

 

[dockentwo]

TV negotiators and others have been their B; give them unfair concessions - so they are gonna take their ball and go play where?

 

[rrthusker]

Let em step up and join the SEC west

 

[Husker Todd]

TwinsRRus,

I agree with the main point of your post, but can we stop using the phrase "ranked at the time". Nothing upsets me more than this. If you lose your opener to an unranked team and by the end of the season that team is top 5, then you lost to a top 5 team. This is the problem with the ranking system and why there should be no rankings until mid-October. This is why the Huskers had to share a title in '97, when they were clearly the best team. #4 MeatChicken beat an overrated #2 Pedo St. U and catapulted to #1. PSU started out 7-0 and starting with the Mich. game ended 2-3. Clearly a top 20 to 25 team, but not the #2 that Mich. got credit for beating.

 

[Husker Todd]

I forgot to add, that in that 7-0 start they played Temple, Pitt, Louisville, Illinois, Minnesota, Ohio St., Northwestern. Only one of those was rated at the time, #7 OSU. OSU finished 10-3 and rated 12th. In PSU's 2-3 finish there 2 wins were against 9-3 #19 Purdue and Wisc. rated #24 at the time but would finish 7-5 and out of the ratings. There final game of the regular season was against unrated MSU who would finish 7-5. PSU lost to them 49-14.

 

[Raging_Bull]

I can't stand Notre Dame, but I can't blame them for staying indy, either. Who wouldn't want to be the featured team on a national network (aside from the Army/Navy and Southern/Grambling games). It plays right into their arrogance.

 

[hawkit3113]

I can't stand Notre Dame, but I can't blame them for staying indy, either. Who wouldn't want to be the featured team on a national network (aside from the Army/Navy and Southern/Grambling games). It plays right into their arrogance.

Oddly enough, I read on another board that the ND deal was offered to OU first, but was turned down because they would have had to gone Independent. I found that very interesting.

 

[ridge22]

I personally use to love ND when college football independents were a real force in college football. Now I cant stand them and think they are trying to game the system. They are truly showing their arrogance.

They talk about the tradition of being an independent and how important playing a national schedule is, which is why I loved ND in the past, but yet they are scheduling teams like New Mexico and Ball St. lol.


College football needs to make them play by the same rules and they need to join a conference. I think ND and BYU should join the Big 12. Or any conference would do. Just quit making rules like they are special.


Thoughts?

While they are still technically independent, their agreement with the ACC has them playing what I would call a modified conference schedule. This year they have Virginia, Georgia Tech, @ Clemson, @ Pitt, Wake Forest, and Boston College from the ACC. You could go on to say that their "non-conference" schedule would be pretty tough, Texas, UMass, Navy, USC, @Temple, @Stanford. I would say this about their scheduling, to my knowledge they have not played a FCS, at least not in the last several years, where in other conferences that is common practice. So I don't know if you can knock their schedule.

 

[hawkit3113]

While they are still technically independent, their agreement with the ACC has them playing what I would call a modified conference schedule. This year they have Virginia, Georgia Tech, @ Clemson, @ Pitt, Wake Forest, and Boston College from the ACC. You could go on to say that their "non-conference" schedule would be pretty tough, Texas, UMass, Navy, USC, @Temple, @Stanford. I would say this about their scheduling, to my knowledge they have not played a FCS, at least not in the last several years, where in other conferences that is common practice. So I don't know if you can knock their schedule.

Last years wasn't bad, but more often than not, its a paper tiger.

 

[TwinsRRUs]

TwinsRRus,

I agree with the your post, but can we stop using the phrase "ranked at the time". Nothing upsets me more than this. If you lose your opener to an unranked team and by the end of the season that team is top 5, then you lost to a top 5 team. This is the problem with the ranking system and why there should be no rankings until mid-October. This is why the Huskers had to share a title in '97, when they were clearly the best team. #4 MeatChicken beat an overrated #2 Pedo St. U and catapulted to #1. PSU started out 7-0 and starting with the Mich. game ended 2-3. Clearly a top 20 to 25 team, but not the #2 that Mich. got credit for beating.

I agree. The only reason I used "ranked at the time" is because I was in the middle of a brea

TwinsRRus,

I agree with the main point of your post, but can we stop using the phrase "ranked at the time". Nothing upsets me more than this. If you lose your opener to an unranked team and by the end of the season that team is top 5, then you lost to a top 5 team. This is the problem with the ranking system and why there should be no rankings until mid-October. This is why the Huskers had to share a title in '97, when they were clearly the best team. #4 MeatChicken beat an overrated #2 Pedo St. U and catapulted to #1. PSU started out 7-0 and starting with the Mich. game ended 2-3. Clearly a top 20 to 25 team, but not the #2 that Mich. got credit for beating.

I agree. I only used that because that is what ESPN shows on the shedule history. Once a game is played, they leave that ranking in place forever.

 

[WestCoastCornhusker]

I personally use to love ND when college football independents were a real force in college football. Now I cant stand them and think they are trying to game the system. They are truly showing their arrogance.

They talk about the tradition of being an independent and how important playing a national schedule is, which is why I loved ND in the past, but yet they are scheduling teams like New Mexico and Ball St. lol.


College football needs to make them play by the same rules and they need to join a conference. I think ND and BYU should join the Big 12. Or any conference would do. Just quit making rules like they are special.


Thoughts?

My biggest question is will they join a conference? Financially, Indiana, Purdue, and Vanderbilt will soon be making more $ from TV/Conference/ and stadium revenue. ND gets more alumni donations but total revenue from all ticket sales and TV/Conference they will soon be falling way behind. ND can make more with the BIG but would have their ego damaged. I almost wouldn't mind them going ACC so that Indiana/Chicago stays BIG country. Once ND, Texas, or OU make the next move, the other 2 will do something quickly to complete the Big 4 conferences. The Pac12 looks will then be the weakest of the 4.

 

[hawkit3113]

My biggest question is will they join a conference? Financially, Indiana, Purdue, and Vanderbilt will soon be making more $ from TV/Conference/ and stadium revenue. ND gets more alumni donations but total revenue from all ticket sales and TV/Conference they will soon be falling way behind. ND can make more with the BIG but would have their ego damaged. I almost wouldn't mind them going ACC so that Indiana/Chicago stays BIG country. Once ND, Texas, or OU make the next move, the other 2 will do something quickly to complete the Big 4 conferences. The Pac12 looks will then be the weakest of the 4.

If they want to be the Harlem Globetrotters, that's fine, just take away their seat at the table. College football is going to a more uniform approach. ND is bucking the system trying to say how important their rivalries are. They don't think Alabama or Michigan or USC or even Nebraska could go globe trotting around the country creating "important" rivalries? A uniform path to the playoff is where college football is at. And the Big 12 and ND are holding up progress. IMO, ND needs to join, or but out, and the Big 12 needs to be put down, or forced to expand.