Info on the UCLA/WSU game and MY take on the Big Game!

[budhachi]

Hill is questionable. He practiced (limited) yesterday and Doba's questions if he would be strong enough to go.

You need to have all of your parts to beat an undefeated team that has a ton of momentum!

UCLA-5?

My take on the USC/ND game:

I have been a lifelong Irish fan...through highs and the lows. I have taken off my blinders and capped this game.

Offensive edge: a SLIGHT one to USC. They have the weapons yes, but so do the Irish with Quinn, Samardja, Fassano and Walker. The reason I give the Trojans the edge is the O-line, all of them will play on Sunday?s

Defensive edge: Irish, period. The Irish have a Defensive genius in Rick Minter. USC is thin in the secondary (I know they have a few players coming back, tough game to come back to). The Notre Dame defensive line and safety are more superior to SC?s. My feeling is that USC has had one tough game @ Ore. The ASU game was a joke, USC just needed to get used to the 98 degree DRY heat.

Special Teams edge: Bernie Parmalee has put together a great coverage team, kick team, and return team. DJ Fitzpatrick is a stud. He will win this game.

Coaching edge: I live in So Cal, have UCLA season tickets, and I dig having Pete Carroll here. It has been amazing to watch him bring a Trojan team who was down (lost 8 straight to ND and 5 straight to UCLA) and bring them to a dominant program?BUT Notre Dame brought in their guy to fix their own losing ways. Watch ND this year has been amazing. Do you realize Weis has taken these great players (ND is always in the top 5 of recruiting) and made them into winner?s in less than 3 months. Not to mention the Super Bowl wins. Not to mention the week off.

Outcome: 1:08 left in the fourth ball on their own 20. Quinn leads the Irish down the field to the USC 32 yard line and Fitzpatrick boots a 49 yarder to win 31-28

 

[devilfan02]

Hill is questionable. He practiced (limited) yesterday and Doba's questions if he would be strong enough to go.

You need to have all of your parts to beat an undefeated team that has a ton of momentum!

UCLA-5?

My take on the USC/ND game:

I have been a lifelong Irish fan...through highs and the lows. I have taken off my blinders and capped this game.

Offensive edge: a SLIGHT one to USC. They have the weapons yes, but so do the Irish with Quinn, Samardja, Fassano and Walker. The reason I give the Trojans the edge is the O-line, all of them will play on Sunday?s

Defensive edge: Irish, period. The Irish have a Defensive genius in Rick Minter. USC is thin in the secondary (I know they have a few players coming back, tough game to come back to). The Notre Dame defensive line and safety are more superior to SC?s. My feeling is that USC has had one tough game @ Ore. The ASU game was a joke, USC just needed to get used to the 98 degree DRY heat.

Special Teams edge: Bernie Parmalee has put together a great coverage team, kick team, and return team. DJ Fitzpatrick is a stud. He will win this game.

Coaching edge: I live in So Cal, have UCLA season tickets, and I dig having Pete Carroll here. It has been amazing to watch him bring a Trojan team who was down (lost 8 straight to ND and 5 straight to UCLA) and bring them to a dominant program?BUT Notre Dame brought in their guy to fix their own losing ways. Watch ND this year has been amazing. Do you realize Weis has taken these great players (ND is always in the top 5 of recruiting) and made them into winner?s in less than 3 months. Not to mention the Super Bowl wins. Not to mention the week off.

Outcome: 1:08 left in the fourth ball on their own 20. Quinn leads the Irish down the field to the USC 32 yard line and Fitzpatrick boots a 49 yarder to win 31-28

Slight offensive advantage to USC??????????? HUGE advantage SC-over everyone in the country. Last I checked, ASU and maybe Oregon have better offenses than ND and SC made em look like high school offenses. SC vs. Oregon a good game but SC vs. ASU a joke??????????? Last I checked, ASU lost by ten (were up 18 at half, which obviously doesn't matter) and took SC to the wire until a late INT set up a SC TD. BTW, Carrol said the heat was a factor but also that Sun Devil Stadium was one of the loudest stadiums he's coached in (they commited the most penalties in 2 years in that game). The ASU game was the second biggest scare they've gotten in 2 years, period. SC's defense is very underrated. Their thin at secondary but their very effective and their bench is better than anyones in the country. I tried to use the same angle but it simply doesn't work. They use so many different schemes and blitzes that its so easy to turn the ball over. The players are a product of the Pete Carrol pro style defense at SC. I honestly believe they can plug in the db's from the practice squad and be fine (homever, Bing is irreplaceable). Special teams go to SC. Bush is the best returner, Malone is one of the best kickers. Not trying to bash but I had to put my word in. The key to beating SC is stopping White AND Bush which I dont think anyone can. GL and hopefully its a good game

 

[soul train]

I love the Cougs tomorrow +5
They should run rampant on UCLA

Hill is questionable...
Bumpus...Bienermann & Harvey can step up

3 point game either way


No play on the Irish game

GL

 

[pt1gard]

i might be crazy and dont know anything about recruiting but will someone substantiate that ND has had top 5 recruting classes the last 5/10 years ... Im just curious to see if this is correct .... One of the fball coaches at my HS started for Ara P. at FB and he told me Holtz and other coaches have told him the higher ups have made recruiting extremely difficult ...

as far as whos played whom, when Irish saw some weapons, i.e. Mich ST. it was a track meet ...

this will be an emotional cooker and the team with most experience in handling that will eventually win out--my guess is usc has seen a few more crock pots ...


good post,
gregg

 

[Sun Tzu]

Gregg, my friend, I am sorry but to give the Irish Defense an advantage over just about anyone is ridiculous. Arent they what, 95th against the pass? Last I checked USC can throw the ball. USC isnt the 85 Bears, but their D is better than Nd's.

And avantage only slight on offense? The blinders are on.

ND has intangibles and home field. On paper nothing else is even close.

 

[Sun Tzu]

And I will check on recruiting but generally that is not correct as I recall. Recruiting has been hobbled because, god forbid, they actually expect their players to read. The academics are pretty stringent, and that lead to Holtz' demise. If tomorrow's game was College Bowl, huge edge to ND.

 

[Sun Tzu]

Per Rivals:

2002 ND #24
2003 ND #13
2004 ND #32
2005 ND #40
2006 ND #3 (current)

 

[ferdville]

Notre Dame's average to slow linebackers have absolutley no chance of stopping Bush and White before they have gained 5 yards. Notre Dame's average to short dbacks will not match up with Jarret. Edge on defense - I don't think so.

 

[devilfan02]

I think he's talking with his heart but you never know. He could shut us up tomorrow but I think it's evident that SC is superior in every category, win or lose.

 

[budhachi]

Thanks for all of the replies...this is just one man's thinking. No doubt in my mind that on PAPER, Usc has better talet, but I cannot seem to find everyone's 40 yard times??? I think USC has not played the calibur that Notre Dame has WEEK IN AND WEEK OUT. Coaching, coaching, coaching...Notre Dame with their coaching and home field will win.

gl to all

 

[gjn23]

i love nd but come on.....sc hasnt faced the same caliber teams as nd????

every team nd has beaten has gone on to lose to other horrible teams....the best team nd played is msu and nd lost to them

pit-horrible
purdue-averae
mich-average
uw-horrible
mich st-good

sc....
hawaii-horrible (pounded them)
ark-horrible but from sec, arent they the best conf ever
ore-at atuzen, just as good (or better) than any of the teams nd has played
asu-at asu...nd would have lost there
ua-on the same level as pit and uw

id say sc has played the tougher schedule thus far

 

[devilfan02]

We see where your coming from. I disagree on your schedule advantage as SC has played at ASU and Oregon of whom were or are ranked and are very good teams. ND has played one good team, Mich St at home, and lost. Pitt and Purdue are awful but @ Mich is a good win (however, Minn just did the same). While you think SC has not played the caliber schedule that ND has played, I think that ND has not seen a team EVEN CLOSE to what SC will bring to the table. I saw them first hand this year, thought we had them, then they put us right back in our place. Coaching, coaching, coaching: Pete Carrol, Pete Carrol, Pete Carrol. He has proven he's the best at the collegiate level. Anyways, I'm into this discussion because I have SC as my game of the week. Personally, I think the spread should be 21+ but thats just my opinion. Just because we disagree doesn't mean we can't have fun with it. Thats the beauty of college football, gambling, and Madjacks. GL tomorrow!

 

[devilfan02]

i love nd but come on.....sc hasnt faced the same caliber teams as nd????

every team nd has beaten has gone on to lose to other horrible teams....the best team nd played is msu and nd lost to them

pit-horrible
purdue-averae
mich-average
uw-horrible
mich st-good

sc....
hawaii-horrible (pounded them)
ark-horrible but from sec, arent they the best conf ever
ore-at atuzen, just as good (or better) than any of the teams nd has played
asu-at asu...nd would have lost there
ua-on the same level as pit and uw

id say sc has played the tougher schedule thus far

Well said. Wierd, we can agree in certain areas!

 

[budhachi]

ore-at atuzen, just as good (or better) than any of the teams nd has played
id say sc has played the tougher schedule thus far

I absolutly disagree with both of those statements.

watch michigan tomorrow rout psu. Notre Dame shut thier crowd up! Oregon has no run game one dimesional--USC exposed that big time! I cannot wait to see the adjustments Weis makes tomorrow at halftime, yes I said Weis at HALF. There is WAY too much hype about USC as a second half team, but I have a feelingthey will go up early and think the game is over, then ND comes back for a 31-28 win.

 

[gjn23]

i will watch mich rout a psu team that has a horrible offense however mich is an average team this year

i love charlie weis....but think he's at a talent mismatch tomorrow...and fwiw pete carroll is the best, BY FAR, at halftime adjustments....not sure if ND defense can or will stop SC

i hope the lucky charms come thru, but if both teams commit an equal amount of turnovers and play fairly well.....SC is about 20-24 points better than ND...on the road.

 

[BobbyBlueChip]

i might be crazy and dont know anything about recruiting but will someone substantiate that ND has had top 5 recruting classes the last 5/10 years ... Im just curious to see if this is correct .... One of the fball coaches at my HS started for Ara P. at FB and he told me Holtz and other coaches have told him the higher ups have made recruiting extremely difficult ...

Phil Steele uses an average of a number of recruit ranking services and he's got the Irish in the top 6 in the last 6 years but the last 2 years. The upperclassmen on this year's team are stellar.

The higher ups did start to make recruiting difficult for Holtz and in return, he decided to destroy their program. They're just starting to come out of the carnage. Holtz = Satan

 

[tulah]

No way USC loses ....

It might be close coming into the 4th Q.
Thats when the Trojans will pull away.

The last time the media made such a big deal out of a USC game
was the Orange Bowl...

Too much talent , experience , coaching ETC.

USC44 N.D21

GL

 

[ZMAN]

put the crack pipe down if you think psu is getting routed........not a chance....could lose game, but with that def. no one is blowing them out......

 

[budhachi]

Kirk Herbstreit: I will not be shocked to see the green jerseys and anything else of Irish lore to help wake up the echoes. The more I study this game, the more I'm convinced that Notre Dame is going to compete in this game. I think the Notre Dame offense has just as much of an advantage against the USC defense as Leinart, Bush and Co. do against the Irish defense. The key for Notre Dame will be a balanced offensive attack, and Brady Quinn will have to continue with his stellar play. If Notre Dame wins time of possession and the turnover battle, it wins the game.

 

[pt1gard]

line up to 13.5

holtz says ND wins SU---what a shocked