Athlon top 25, ND at 12

[kwsusmc]

Athlon’s 2015 Preseason Top 25 Poll
1. Ohio State

2. Alabama

3. Baylor

4. Auburn

5. TCU

6. USC

7. Michigan State

8. Oregon

9. Florida State

10. Georgia

11. Ole Miss

12. Notre Dame

13. Arizona State

14. Clemson

15. LSU

16. Arkansas

17. Oklahoma

18. Georgia Tech

19. Wisconsin

20. Texas A&M

21. Mississippi State

22. Tennessee

23. UCLA

24. Stanford

25. Boise State

Most prognostications have ND as a solid to very good team. Except for our armchair experts here.

 

[sjb75]

Means nothing.

 

[kwsusmc]

Yes you are somewhat right, but like Vegas odds they "consensus" are right more time than not.

But don't you think, its much better to be ranked consensusly like we are than not being ranked at all?

 

[RPMcMurphyyy]

I'm comfortable with Top 15.....until the games happen

 

[benko's army]

Seems about right. If we stay relatively healthy (Zaire stays upright; no mass defensive casualties), I predict 10-2.

 

[sjb75]

There is little more meaningless than any pre-season college football ranking.

 

[The Big Montana]

There is little more meaningless than any pre-season college football ranking.

Other than your opinion on the subject?

 

[benko's army]

There is little more meaningless than any pre-season college football ranking.

Oh, I can think of a few things I find more meaningless.

 

[IrishEyes1013]

Athlon’s 2015 Preseason Top 25 Poll
1. Ohio State

2. Alabama

3. Baylor

4. Auburn

5. TCU

6. USC

7. Michigan State

8. Oregon

9. Florida State

10. Georgia

11. Ole Miss

12. Notre Dame

13. Arizona State

14. Clemson

15. LSU

16. Arkansas

17. Oklahoma

18. Georgia Tech

19. Wisconsin

20. Texas A&M

21. Mississippi State

22. Tennessee

23. UCLA

24. Stanford

25. Boise State

Most prognostications have ND as a solid to very good team. Except for our armchair experts here.

My prediction is that Auburn, F$U & Georgia don't finish in the top 10 of the final rankings. While ND, Clemson & Oklahoma do.

 

[ericwolfe]

My prediction is that Auburn, F$U & Georgia don't finish in the top 10 of the final rankings. While ND, Clemson & Oklahoma do.

Who wins the ND/Clemson game, IrishEyes?

 

[baron100]

Just don't see SC at 6. Lost a ton of offense, best 2 guys on D and are very young and thin.

 

[BigNDfan80]

Athlon’s 2015 Preseason Top 25 Poll
1. Ohio State

2. Alabama

3. Baylor

4. Auburn

5. TCU

6. USC

7. Michigan State

8. Oregon

9. Florida State

10. Georgia

11. Ole Miss

12. Notre Dame

13. Arizona State

14. Clemson

15. LSU

16. Arkansas

17. Oklahoma

18. Georgia Tech

19. Wisconsin

20. Texas A&M

21. Mississippi State

22. Tennessee

23. UCLA

24. Stanford

25. Boise State

Most prognostications have ND as a solid to very good team. Except for our armchair experts here.

Who on the board has said they wouldn't be a solid to very good team?

ND needs to make the playoffs. Being 12th doesn't make the playoffs and would be a disappointing season.

 

[irishnatty]

Who on the board has said they wouldn't be a solid to very good team?

ND needs to make the playoffs. Being 12th doesn't make the playoffs and would be a disappointing season.

If we went 10-2 and finished 12th in a New Year's bowl game, I'm not sure anyone would really consider that a disappointment. No team can really say playoffs or this year was a bust when there's only 4 spots.

 

[capital18]

There is little more meaningless than any pre-season college football ranking.

This just isn't the case. Preseason polls still inform writers and voters opinions of how much "talent" a team had coming into the season. Teams ranked highly in the preseason polls will usually get the benefit of the doubt when they have minor slip ups or if they're compared to another team with similar performance over the year (see TCU vs the rest of the top 4 this year). It also is important for your schedule, as preseason polls are a still a strong indicator of how "strong" people think a team is for the majority of the season.

 

[BigNDfan80]

This just isn't the case. Preseason polls still inform writers and voters opinions of how much "talent" a team had coming into the season. Teams ranked highly in the preseason polls will usually get the benefit of the doubt when they have minor slip ups or if they're compared to another team with similar performance over the year (see TCU vs the rest of the top 4 this year). It also is important for your schedule, as preseason polls are a still a strong indicator of how "strong" people think a team is for the majority of the season.

This had been the case when the polls mattered. Now that we have a committee, they proved last year that they honestly don't care where the teams are ranked.

 

[BigNDfan80]

If we went 10-2 and finished 12th in a New Year's bowl game, I'm not sure anyone would really consider that a disappointment. No team can really say playoffs or this year was a bust when there's only 4 spots.

It's playoffs or bust.

 

[sjb75]

It is the case capital18. Pre-Season College Football polls are not worth the paper they are printed on. We now have a playoff committee, and this committee has stated time and time again that no poll, pre-season or in season, carries any weight whatsoever with regard to who makes the playoff. The only rankings that matter are the ones that are submitted by the playoff committee beginning in the middle of October.

 

[kwsusmc]

I do not mark down names, but several posters, and I'm being very conservative here. But several posters have predicted 8-4 or 7-5 type season. That answers your question, I believe. But to be ranked 12th pre season after the news of our starting QB leaving, one who helped lead us to a 12-0 record and birth in the BCSNC, is telling..I put ND at 11-1 with a floor of 8-4. If Golson had stayed, my floor would be higher. But with Kizer and Wimbush 1 or 2 plays away from starting concerns me. Everywhere else ND is a deep experienced team. Except TE.. Does ND have questions, hell yeah, bit so does every team. But this is just my opinion....

 

[IrishEyes1013]

Who wins the ND/Clemson game, IrishEyes?

I'm pretty much 50/50 on this one. I think it's quite possible that Clemson goes undefeated if they beat ND that weekend. Outside of SC they get all their toughest games at home.

 

[Soco24]

I think 12 is a fair ranking for ND. Sure they could be higher with all the talent coming back but they weren't close to a top 25 team last year in the 2nd half. I still don't see what all the experts see in USC. Way too many holes for Sarkisian and company.

 

[Crash_Davis_8]

It's playoffs or bust.

Think it's more like Big 6 Bowl win or bust.