Do you consider ND's schedule tough?

[perseverare]

yes pers I agree with what you say about ND methodically beating Texas but what said about new starters is very very true . Especially game one. You get a lot better and more cohesive as a unit as the season progresses. There is no Will Fuller to throw to? With ND methodically win the ground game? will BK stick to the ground game ? A lot of questions for week one. The step forward means that with a win you get a little better each week. As for Texas being much improved . You very well know that this Texas team last year beat OU and Baylor . They can be baddd and can be very good . Who is going to show up on their turf. This can be a battle and the longer texas stays in the game the tougher it will be.

Kelly has all the weapons and all the advantages except home field, in this one.
re OU and Baylor: we know they can both be unpredicable too! very bad and very good!
I saw the UT /OU game. OU was sleep walking and never in the game mentally.
Baylor? you never know when the stinker will emerge, but it will every year.

ND ranked#8 goes into MSU @ 2-0
In that game expectations will be a low scoring game but I expect a higher scoring game with ND by 10.

 

[Java65]

Oddly enough I was talking to a coworker yesterday who is a UM fan and he mentioned that he thought part of NDs problems was it's schedule. As he put it, "you never have any gimme games, every team on your schedule is capable of beating you if the team doesn't play well."

He had a good point. Most teams have 1-3 games where they can roll out their 2nd string an still win. While ND might not have a lot of elite teams on their schedule, every single team on their schedule (this is every year not just this year) can beat them.

 

[cgvr]

Oddly enough I was talking to a coworker yesterday who is a UM fan and he mentioned that he thought part of NDs problems was it's schedule. As he put it, "you never have any gimme games, every team on your schedule is capable of beating you if the team doesn't play well."

He had a good point. Most teams have 1-3 games where they can roll out their 2nd string an still win. While ND might not have a lot of elite teams on their schedule, every single team on their schedule (this is every year not just this year) can beat them.

Yep, U Mass, Wake Forest..... had a prayer ......

 

[Houston Wildcat]

Oddly enough I was talking to a coworker yesterday who is a UM fan and he mentioned that he thought part of NDs problems was it's schedule. As he put it, "you never have any gimme games, every team on your schedule is capable of beating you if the team doesn't play well."

He had a good point. Most teams have 1-3 games where they can roll out their 2nd string an still win. While ND might not have a lot of elite teams on their schedule, every single team on their schedule (this is every year not just this year) can beat them.

Great point!! After all, most programs are literally shaking with fear having to play the likes of Army, Nevada,
and Syracuse! By the way, this is not an anti-ND post, as I am as big an Irish fan as anyone, it is simply an anti-Bullsh&t post.

 

[perseverare]

^ I doubt it was a bullshit post; not everyone sees it the same way.

There is some truth to the notion that ND does not schedule the American International or Charlottes; but it does schedule teams that in years gone by (by decades now) were at times, not highly competitive.
The difference is that ND stuggles against lesser teams now; even in victory.

 

[Nocalirish]

Athlon ranks ND's 2016 schedule as 4th toughest and Bleacher report ranks it 12th toughest.

 

[SiberianKnightmare]

It's the perfect schedule for a playoff run. Big NAME but beatable opponents that don't hurt you no matter what they do this year.

If ND beats 3 teams with 9-3 records in USC, MSU and Stanford, on top of Texas, Virginia Tech and Miami, with no FCS opponents....I'm not sure what else anyone really wants.

 

[Kelso86]

And beating those "ranked" teams did nothing to prepare that team for an Ohio State team.

I do not think many teams last year were prepared for Ohio State -- they may have been their worst enemy. If (yes, a big IF) OSU had played the year like they played against Michigan and ND, they may have repeated -- they simply were the best team last year -- loaded and deep -- not many teams, including Alabama, had their kind of talent and overall depth.

 

[mbd11]

It's a tough schedule overall. Nevada and Army should be the 2 easiest games, but other than those two, the rest is a tough schedule. How tough will depend on how teams like Texas, Miami and USC do this season. Hopefully they'll have strong years and end up ranked by the end of the season.

 

[perseverare]

It's a tough schedule overall. Nevada and Army should be the 2 easiest games, but other than those two, the rest is a tough schedule. How tough will depend on how teams like Texas, Miami and USC do this season. Hopefully they'll have strong years and end up ranked by the end of the season.

if ND beats all three: then all 3 will likely have 3+ losses

 

[twalsh]

It's a tough schedule overall. Nevada and Army should be the 2 easiest games, but other than those two, the rest is a tough schedule. How tough will depend on how teams like Texas, Miami and USC do this season. Hopefully they'll have strong years and end up ranked by the end of the season.

I think you can throw NC State and VA Tech into that same group. Two teams that historically can go 9-3 (or maybe better in VA Tech's case) or 5-7, in any given season.

 

[8th Man]

Oddly enough I was talking to a coworker yesterday who is a UM fan and he mentioned that he thought part of NDs problems was it's schedule. As he put it, "you never have any gimme games, every team on your schedule is capable of beating you if the team doesn't play well."

He had a good point. Most teams have 1-3 games where they can roll out their 2nd string an still win. While ND might not have a lot of elite teams on their schedule, every single team on their schedule (this is every year not just this year) can beat them.

It is a strong schedule but Army is worse than a lot of IAA teams.

 

[SpartanJD]

If you dont consider this a tough schedule who are you
comparing it to? UOJ, Miami, Stanford and Mich St are as good as anyones top 4 opponents in the nation.

MSUs top 4 is OSU, UM, ND and Wisky. Formidable top 4.

 

[Original_Irish]

MSUs top 4 is OSU, UM, ND and Wisky. Formidable top 4.

Yes it is! That's the point I was making. All of NDs top teams have really tough schedules. They aren't going to survive, especially if you have the belief that ND should beat these teams too.

It leaves very little margin for error for these teams.

 

[cgvr]

I think you can throw NC State and VA Tech into that same group. Two teams that historically can go 9-3 (or maybe better in VA Tech's case) or 5-7, in any given season.

2015 Final records....

Texas 5-7
Nevada 7-6
msu 12-2
Duke 8-5
Syracuse 4-8
NC State 7-6
Stanford 12-2
miami 8-5
Navy 11-2
Army 2-10
Va Tech 7-6
southern cal 8-6