More than a feeling….

With less than 4 weeks to go till kickoff, it is time for the outrageous pre-season predictions.

Remember the Boston song? I know my ND football predictions tend to be on the optimistic end of the spectrum but this year the evidence points to a very good season for the Irish. I am predicting 10-2 with a good shot at a BCS bowl this year. See the details below.

Why will the Irish be better this year? There are three big reasons why we will do well in my view.

1. Brian Kelly keeps saying the players know the coaches and the coaches know the players now. His track record shows that he will get a significant jump in production in Year 2. The learning process is in the past for the team and the coaches.
2. Depth of talent at every position. The only real question marks are running back and the receivers but with Floyd back on the roster this will not be an issue. We have two battle tested QBs (with 2 more in the wings), veteran defensive backfield, better D-line, better O-line, strong linebackers. The list goes on. There will be injuries but the depth factor is most important with the “next man in” philosophy and the fact that the subs will push the starters to play their best.
3. Confidence. This team clearly changed its mentality at the end of last year and now believes it can win any game. We saw this on the field with many dominating moments against Utah, USC and Miami.

So how do I get to 10-2? With only two teams ranked higher than ND so far, the Irish could possibly be favored in all games this year depending on how the season progresses. But there are 3 clear tough games on the schedule. I am giving myself a break and not being super precise but have broken the games into four categories below.

Potential Laughers: (5-0)

• Purdue – kind of troubling that our first “easy” game comes in October but the Boilers really stink. We win easy.
• Air Force – The Falcons are no push over but I think we are back to the days when a bigger, stronger, faster ND squad consistently beats the service academies.
• Navy – How can I pick this as a laugher considering Navy spanked us the last couple years? Because is time to end this nonsense, that is why.
• Wake Forest – Do not expect much trouble here.
• Boston College – The Eagles are in a down swing, they will play tough and we need to watch for a look ahead to Stanford but home venue and Senior game will help put us over the top. Let’s not repeat 1993.

ND should Win: (3-0)

• USF – A very good team and well coached by Skip Holtz. They will provide a formidable opening opponent. But Opener hype and visitor gawking will help to overcome the challenge. Irish win.
• Pittsburgh – Wannstadt is gone as head coach which should scare us but with the switch and the talent gap we should win this one.
• Maryland – ND road show takes over our nation’s capital! A decent team with a good new head coach. Figure they will still be in the learning curve and we will be on a roll by November. Good game, but we win. The Maryland Band barely nosed out the ND band for the Hawaii Five-O challenge last year so watch for a halftime smack down.

Pick-em: (2-1)

• Michigan – Expect us to beat the Wolverines with the coaching change and personnel confusion but night game and national TV make this a toss-up. ND band will be there to make the difference!
• MSU – Very good team, well coached, play us very tough. Glad this one is at home.
• USC – Still very dangerous, while on the downswing will have the usual speed and pride on display. But the time has come to beat these suckers on our turf. Night game adds some drama.

Should lose: (0-1)

• Stanford – have to pick this as a loss and it hurts to do so as I will be there to watch and play “Let’s Go!” throughout the game. Even with a coaching change, Stanford brings a very talented team to the field and this game is likely to be very important for bowl selections for both teams. Should one or both teams be undefeated (getting ahead of myself again) this could really be a game for the ages.

So that is my two cents. Agree, Disagree, critique my logic and let me know what you think.

GO IRISH. Beat Bulls.

The Season of Hope

Well, we're right in the middle of what I like to call "The Season of Hope".  That time of year when anything is possible - the Irish can do no wrong and everyone says that they're on their way to at least 10 wins.  It's my favorite time of year. After the first game, all of that goes out the window.

In the meantime, I attended Football 101 again this summer - maybe it was football 201?  This year I was able to go with my daughter, Angela (all guests have to be 21 or older). Here are some fun photos and facts from the evening.  This year there were twice the number of women at the event - 600 instead of 300.  We were on the outside practice field for the activities - not the in the stadium. 

We broke into groups and did some passing and kicking drills as well as an obstacle course.  Then we ran a few plays.  It was a blast - the players were there to help, but mostly the coaches were running the activities.  It was a warm night, but it didn't stop us from having fun.

If you look closely, you can see that Angela is running the ball to the end zone, while I am about to tackle the two large men holding the foam cushion!!

Once we finished outside, our group went into the Gug for all kinds of interesting talks.  We heard from all of the coaches again - Bob Diaco is still a crazy man, but the defense is looking strong.  We had a tour of the locker room - looks pretty much the same as last year.  We saw the training room and the weight room and then we went into the players' lounge.  Tommy Rees and Dayne Crist demonstrated some very cool software that they use on Friday nights before games.  It's like Madden Football, except that it's customized for Notre Dame and the opponent that they will meet the next day.  Plays are programmed in by one of the assistant coaches and the two of them play it and try to score above 90%.  They said that it really does help them prepare for the game.  I thought that it was very neat.

If you look at the wall behind the screen...there's the band!!  Face it, that's the most important part of the weekend!

That's all from me.  Enjoy the season of hope.  I know that I do.