2009 NCAA - Notre Dame
Notre Dame has lost a combined 15 games in the last two years, but a maturing group and a more manageable schedule make the prospects of a big improvement quite reasonable. Charlie Weis returns for his fourth year in South Bend, and despite his claims, he's got to be well aware that his days are numbered unless he starts cranking out a top-5 or top-10 product. There can be no more excuses about coaching or recruiting from previous regimes. So while Brian Kelly (Cincinnati), Pat Fitzgerald (Northwestern), Urban Meyer (Florida), or Jon Gruden (ex-Tampa Bay Bucs) wait in the wings, Weis is coaching for his future. Lucky for him, this team appears capable of appeasing even his most staunch critics.
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Notre Dame
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The offense will be led by Jimmy Clausen, who has quickly gelled with deep-ball threat Golden Tate (58 catches, 10 touchdowns in 2008). The one glaring ND weakness could be up front, where Clausen's protection was spotty, at best, last fall. The breakdowns up front often led to ill-advised decisions from Clausen, who threw an alarming 18 interceptions. Weis will again call the plays as his OC Mike Haywood left for Miami (Ohio). There can be no more excuses from Irish leader, especially if he doesn't get his winning percentage above .600 early this fall. Defense is where Notre Dame should really excel, as the Irish held eight foes to 21 or less last season and now Jon Tenuta is in his first full season of calling the shots (he shared duties in 2008). The defense will now be a 4-3 base, with blitzes coming from everywhere. That should be tenable because the Irish secondary has the potential to be outstanding. |
| ASK the Bookie? - The schedule appears manageable. The defense appears potentially outstanding. So why not call for 10 wins and security for Weis? The main reasons - Weis, himself, has not shown the consistent ability to manage a game when things are not going well for his team. That could bode ominous if things start to go astray for Clausen against Nevada, Michigan, Michigan State, Purdue, or Washington... all of which are games in the first five weeks ND should have a chance to win, yet COULD find a way to lose. The Irish were also outtalented at times last year (think Michigan State, Boston College, USC) and there was a large gap to close. There will rarely, if ever, be value on this team, as the alumni bet the hell out of them on a weekly basis and make the other side the 'value' side almost all time, ESPECIALLY if the Irish are good, or reputed to be good. |
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