Notre Dame

By the end of this season South Florida would be able to beat Notre Dame by 21. Sorry, the Domers aren't "far and away superior" to anyone anymore. And if Groethe were still the QB at USF and not the eternally hopeless BJ Daniels last night wasn't even close. In the past four years Notre Dame has home losses to Navy (haven't they lost three of four to Navy now?), Pitt, an average UCONN, a God-awful Syracuse, Tulsa and now USF. There's nothing superior about this program except its arrogance.

 

Sorry, but South Florida is not good. Notre Dame beat itself, not the other way around. Now, again, some of that has to do with USF. But USF didn't make the ND quarterback underthrow a receiver in the end zone when another was wide open. It didn't somehow force a guy to muff a fair catch. It didn't somehow scare one of the most reliable kickers in the country into missing a chip shot.

I think Notre Dame players are feted a little than players at other schools, both by fans and in particular the student body. Does it make them soft? Unable to rise to the moment? I don't know. Maybe.

 

Have to wonder how the over-righteous folk will react (if at all) to Brian Kelly being caught on camera multiple times screaming at players with easily readable lips. He uttered "Fuck" or any number of variations several times.

 

A lot of them on the message boards were not happy. Others thought that the softies playing for him needed a fire lit under them.

 

Notre Dame... Where great coaches go to become shitty coaches...

 

Keep in mind scheduling teams like USF was part of the Domer's attempt to "soften" their schedule, also adding teams like Nevada, San Diego State and Directional Michigan. Umm, oops. A quick glance at Notre Dame's record against the Big East over the past four years shows they'd be about a fourth place team. Fourth place in the worst BCS conference in football. Wake up the echos indeed.

 

Be that as it may, you are completely wrong that that USF team would beat Notre Dame by 21 by the end of the season. It would be the other way around. It would be the other way around if they played today.

 

And can kill student videographers without getting fired!

 

ND's last four openers: 2008 MWC punching back San Diego State; 2009 WAC pretender Nevada; 2010 Big Ten bottom-feeder Purdue, 2011 Big East pretender South Florida. All at home.

Notre Dame always plays seven or eight home games a year, one or sometimes two or all three service academices, and one or sometimes two neutral-site games.

ND wants to remain independent, even though it's obvious it would have been better off in the Big Ten? Fine. But quit bitching about phantom "scheduling problems" that, even if they existed, are of their own making.

USF went to ND, persevered throughtwo weather delays while resting in the stadium concourse, and won the game. On Saturday, it was the better team. Period.

 

It is ludicrous to say that USF was the better team "period." USF didn't make mistakes, to their credit. But they didn't capitalize on many, either. They were outgained by a 2-1 ratio. In four different trips to the red zone, Notre Dame came away with zero points - all by their own hand.

 

Irish don't belong in the same zip code with Boise. Course, it helps Boise that they don't have to actually deploy too many football players who also at least sometimes act like students.

 

Notre Dame was the superior team and it was not even close. A questionable holding call on a receiver cost them a touchdown...and a turnover later in the drive cost them any points at all. Two facemask penalties kept SFU drives alive in the red zone and led to SFU points. Notre Dame played stupid football, but its talent level was worlds above SFU's. Look at the numbers...Michael Floyd had a huge game. Cierre Woods was dominant. The Irish just made a ton of horrible mistakes that cost them the football game. SFU did not win that game, Notre Dame gave it to them.