2012 NCAA Football Thread

[Il Duce]

The Preseason AP Poll is out. My predictions is the SEC wins the BCS again, Florida beats TN for the 7th year in a row, and TN has a losing season and ends it with the firing of Derek Dooley.

[enfield]

That's the safe bet.

[Il Duce]

OR beats USC and plays LSU for the NC

[Mike.357]

Go Irish

[Lumber_Jack]

Go to hell Irish

FTFY

[StPatrick]

Go Irish

There's nothing that needs fixing.

Go Irish!

[Mike.357]

FTFY

gotta love a team that has not won a national title since 88 but still collects millions from a national tv network,is the only school with someone sitting in BCS meetings and has fans always commenting on them. HA

Haters gotta hate!

And I can't wait until the Miami game at Soldier Field with the funkyl uniforms and two tone helmets.

[Patton]

I predict USC will Start out strong and then possibly loose 3 of its last 6 games.

I think most of the SEC will have about the same records as last year except LSU will play in the BCS Title Game and not Alabama.

[G27]

gotta love a team that has not won a national title since 88

Yah, guess you have hang your hat on something if you're an Irish fan, considering they've been irrelevant longer than any of their players have been alive...

[Guest Grout]

I don't see Tn having a losing season.Had they not lost Hunter and Bray last year they would have won 7 or 8 games.Bama and LSU will continue to dominate the SEC Left but in the Right I got a feeling Mizzou will step right into the mix with Ga and SC.

[ShamGlock]

Yah, guess you have hang your hat on something if you're an Irish fan, considering they've been irrelevant longer than any of their players have been alive...

Yep. So irrelevant that you are talking about them on a gun forum in TN.

[G27]

Yep. So irrelevant that you are talking about them on a gun forum in TN.

They are. I talk about whatever is brought up - just because someone mentions a team in the discussion doesn't make them relevant in CFB.

But keep grasping at straws. haha

[Links2k]

They are. I talk about whatever is brought up - just because someone mentions a team in the discussion doesn't make them relevant in CFB.

But keep grasping at straws. haha

Just to prove your point. Go Memphis Tigers!

[ShamGlock]

They are. I talk about whatever is brought up - just because someone mentions a team in the discussion doesn't make them relevant in CFB.

But keep grasping at straws. haha

Ok. I didn't wanna have to do this because it's late and I'm lazy. I will go ahead and be the one to introduce facts and logic here so we can all move on. Notre Dame has underperformed in recent years, of that there is no doubt. Guess what, every program goes through these cycles. Don't believe me? Allow me to argue with numbers:

String 1: 8-4 3-8 6-5 8-5 8-3 9-2 6-6 6-5 8-5 8-3 9-2 6-6 6-5 8-5 6-6 5-7 6-6 for a 58% winning percentage

String 2: 4-7 7-5 10-3 3-8 7-5 10-3 4-9 6-6 for a 53% winning percentage

String 3: 4-7 5-6 5-6 2-9 5-6 4-7 7-4 10-2 9-3 4-7 3-8 8-4 for a 49% winning percentage

String 4: 7-4 8-3 9-3 5-4 9-3 6-6 5-5 3-8 4-8 5-6 7-5 for a 55% winning percentage

These are records from recent down years of the top 4 preseason teams right now. Number 1 is USC from 1990 to 2001. Number 2 is Alabama from 1997 to 2004. Number 3 is LSU from 1989 to 2000. And the fourth is Oklahoma from 1989 to 1999.

My point is that every team has cycles. Every program has ups and downs. Notre Dame is no exception and they will come through it just like these programs did. The thing that makes me proud as a Notre Dame is that even in these down times they educate players. They graduate kids that come to their school and they do not compromise on those standards. They also don't play AA schools for out of conference games. Notre Dame has the toughest schedule in the country this year.

Things have a way of coming back around. The Irish have struggled in recent years, no doubt. They have had some really bad years, some really average years and some good years. So did these other teams not too long ago.

And by the way, discussing/debating a football team in a gun forum is the definition of relevance. Are there enough straws in my hand now?

[Il Duce]

Every game is an out of conference game for ND

[ShamGlock]

Every game is an out of conference game for ND

That is the byproduct of being independent. Sorry, I thought it was obvious that I meant as opposed to the way other schools in conferences schedule.

[G27]

Ok. I didn't wanna have to do this because it's late and I'm lazy. I will go ahead and be the one to introduce facts and logic here so we can all move on. Notre Dame has underperformed in recent years, of that there is no doubt. Guess what, every program goes through these cycles. Don't believe me? Allow me to argue with numbers:

What's ND's winning percentage over the last two decades? Not seven or even ten years, but 20?

How about this - what do the four teams you mentioned have that ND doesn't have in the last 20+ years?

A National Championship.

USC has two

Alabama has three

LSU has two

Oklahoma has one

And by the way, discussing/debating a football team in a gun forum is the definition of relevance. Are there enough straws in my hand now?

LOL, Memphis has entered into the discussion. Of course, comparing ND to Memphis is valid - they have the same relevance wrt championship football over the last two decades, but come on - you really are reaching here...

[ShamGlock]

*Deep sigh* As you continue to miss the point. Or purposely be obtuse.

Either way I'm done as this is turning into a colossal waste of my time.

[Tennjed]

Mississippi State will finished ranked. 8-9 wins.

Can't wait

[blewbayou]

O-H..

Anybody?

Sent from HTC Incredible

[Daniel]

This thread has the makings of a great read.

[G27]

*Deep sigh* As you continue to miss the point. Or purposely be obtuse.

Either way I'm done as this is turning into a colossal waste of my time.

No, I get your point, but how long must wait for ND to become relevant again? It's been 20+ years...

I guess one can continue to hang on to the dream, but to act as if they're relevant right now it simply wishing.

And I like the 'colossal waste of my time' bit - four posts! Though in fairness, trying to convince people that ND matters is a fruitless effort nowadays.

Edited August 20, 2012 by crimsonaudio

[ShamGlock]

So you do get my point, you are in fact then just purposely being obtuse?

You can argue their on the field struggles all day and I will agree with you. But to say they aren't relevant as you continue to argue about them on the internet is ironic at best. We aren't having this discussion about Northwestern, or Rice, or even Kentucky. I don't need to convince you they are relevant now, you continue to prove my point every time you care enough about them to punch your keyboard.

I also don't have to wish them into relevance right now. They open the season in Ireland with 40,000 fans going over to see them play. It will be one of the biggest single day sporting events in Ireland's history. ESPN expects to broadcast that game into over 20 million homes...just in Europe. Back in the states Notre Dame's average viewers are about 2.6 million per game. In a down CYCLE of their program. They set attendance and ratings records for almost every bowl game they play in. As they did last year against FSU. They were the only team that their Athletic Director invited to the recent BCS meetings. It wasn't 6 years ago that they were playing USC it what was being billed as "the game of the century". They also are on the way to a top 10 and possibly a top 5 recruting class this year. And that is after they landed the top recruit in the country last year. Stealing him away from LSU. I won't even mention that every single one of their games is on tv. What other team can have the on the field struggles they have had lately and still say those things? None. Not one team. That is the definition of relevant.

I really am done this time. Feel free to take more of your time telling me how they aren't relevant anymore. I'll go scour the internet and see if anyone is having this same conversation about Army or Ole Miss.

[G27]

So you do get my point, you are in fact then just purposely being obtuse?

Just just countering by saying that people talking about a team doesn't make them 'relevant'. Nor does popularity - ND obviously has it's share of fans - but relevance is about competing, not just having a large fan base. Unless something radical changes in the future, ND will continue to be a team that is popular because of what they did 20+ years ago - hardly relevant on the national scene.

You can argue their on the field struggles all day and I will agree with you. But to say they aren't relevant as you continue to argue about them on the internet is ironic at best. We aren't having this discussion about Northwestern, or Rice, or even Kentucky. I don't need to convince you they are relevant now, you continue to prove my point every time you care enough about them to punch your keyboard.

I'm a college football freak - I'll chat on about just about any college football team - does that mean I have the power of relevance just by typing? Wow, I should sell my services. If that's really how you define 'relevance', then it shows just how far ND has fallen in the last few decades.

I really am done this time. Feel free to take more of your time telling me how they aren't relevant anymore. I'll go scour the internet and see if anyone is having this same conversation about Army or Ole Miss.

Had Army or OM been relevant in the last 50 years, that discussion might exist. Give ND another 20+ years of irrelevance and people will simply shake their heads and smile when ND fans post about how they're still an important part of the CFB scene.

But it's good you still stick by them after all these years of futility. Wish more teams had as devoted fans.

[Daniel]

ND gets press only because of their number of fans. IMO.