Well, can’t argue with Vegas, but those odds will change when our class finishes top 2. That’s not accounting for the kids that are likely to pick ND like Jason Moore. And that’s also a bit strange since I bet ND is favored vs USC this year. If they are betting USC over ND this year, I’d take the odds. Vegas is often wrong because there are factors not considered. I just don’t trust a rag tag “Longest Yard” type team beating anyone. The talent is there, but USC is going to struggle with penalties, timing, kids understanding the offense and defense. Hell, many of them probably haven’t even established a relationship. While they’re building a semi pro team, ND is recruiting 4-5 star kids and building a culture and community. Riley, for all his greatness as an OC, has not won many big games he was supposed to win.
What I will say, is this rivalry is NOT going to see the dearth it saw with Charlie vs. Poodle and the dearth it saw with Kelly vs. the Morons. This rivalry is on and it’s going to lead to epic showdowns. I see perennial top 10 for both with playoff implications yearly. It’s going to be fun! I think it’s a renewed rivalry second to none as I foresee Michigan collapsing. They can’t recruit (ND took literally every single recruit they wanted) and Harbaugh wants out.
It’s going to be incredibly difficult for any team in the nation to match us in the trenches. Watch Freeman repeat this recruiting performance in 2024 and we are Bama in the trenches. One thing you know about Freeman, he’s going to recruit a top 5 team every year. He’s not going to suddenly suck at relationships and recruiting. Who’s going to be confident about beating that team when he hires guys like Al Golden?
