Is ANYONE surprised by the ass-whuppin' put on Notre Dame?

[trotsky]

Who are now the holders of a shameful 9-in-a-row bowl loss record.

Seriously, is there any debate? This is a team that for those 9 years has stuffed their schedule with cupcakes, artificially inflating their record to grab a bowl spot that obviously should have gone to a better team. And once again they're exposed in a big game.

[BOSSHOG]

1. What team will have to settle

for a lesser bowl next year so the powers that be can ensure ND gets a New Year's or later bowl to go to. Last nights game will result in ND being preseason ranked in the top ten instead of the top five, overranked yet again and pampered by the pollsters throughout the year. The Sugar Bowl deserved better.

[underpants]

7. Hell LSU fans thought they were going to the Rose Bowl

http://sports.espn.go.com/ncf/news/story?id=2680928

I agree-the Sugar bowl used to be by far the best of the New Year's Day games. Year after year.

[Bill McBlueState]

2. wow, I didn't see the score until just now

How embarrassing for them.

This is another example of the bowl system at its worst: Teams get invited because they're big draws, not because of simple considerations like, oh, whether they're actually any good at football.

In a playoff system, any frauds that slipped through would get put out of their misery in the first round.

[jakefrep]

6. A 10-2 record isn't any good?

Notre Dame is no more or less guilty of scheduiling "cupcakes" than other schools. Get over it already.

[underpants]

8. ND is guilt of stayin indie and having its own TV contract

I am a ND fan so don't think this is bashing.

They are a force in the ratings game to be reconned with (at least that is the conventional wisdom) and they have negotiated themselves into the BCS for their advantage, as they should.

I thought they were overrated all year (just like VaTech) and it showed when they played the real power house teams. Hell other than the ball falling in their laps in the second half of the MSU game this season would have been OVER.

Charlie Weiss is finding out how good it is to have Tom Brady and that defense around, isn't he?

[mduffy31]

18. If you look into the history of ND football

They tried to get into the Big Ten back in the Day but OSU and UM and MSU didn't want them in the conference, because they were a Jesuit University. OSU still refuses to play them, at least UM and MSU will play them. ND has long said they will play anyone, and how is Georgia Tech, Penn State, Michigan, Michigan State, Purdue, USC always on the schedule make it a cupcake schedule, yes this year they are down but not every year. Hell Florida played a I-AA team this year.

[BOSSHOG]

21. My alma mater

University of Arkansas has the SEC schedule to contend with but next year they are also playing Tennessee-Chattanooga, Florida International and Troy and all three games are home games for the Hogs. On top of that they play a total of eight home games; so I won't be objecting to anyone's schedule making. Although, ND's schedule next year I think will preclude any New Year's or later games for them in 08.

[mduffy31]

22. Here are the next two years

Each one has the possiblilty to have at least 7 ranked teams in them. It is possible that they will be down with a new QB coming in, but the do have the #1 ranked HS QB in the nation coming in so we will see. There are at least 9 winnable games, and depending on how the new 5 star recruits develop and they can get more speed on the defense this can be a team to reckon with.

2007 Notre Dame Football Schedule

Sept. 1 GEORGIA TECH
Sept. 8 at Penn State
Sept. 15 at Michigan
Sept. 22 MICHIGAN STATE
Sept. 29 at Purdue
Oct. 6 at UCLA
Oct. 13 BOSTON COLLEGE
Oct. 20 USC
Nov. 3 NAVY
Nov. 10 AIR FORCE
Nov. 17 DUKE
Nov. 24 at Stanford

2008 Notre Dame Football Schedule
Sept. 6 SAN DIEGO STATE
Sept. 13 MICHIGAN
Sept. 20 at Michigan State
Sept. 27 PURDUE
Oct. 4 STANFORD
Oct. 11 at North Carolina
Oct. 18 Open Date
Oct. 25 at Washington
Nov. 1 PITTSBURGH
Nov. 8 at Boston College
Nov. 15 at Navy (Baltimore)
Nov. 22 SYRACUSE
Nov. 29 at USC

[underpants]

23. The dealer breaker as I understand it was....

the Graduate programs either weren't numerous enough or not up to snuff with Big10 requirements. Each conference has different requirements.

:hide:

Don't kill for saying that. That was what was told to me by someone who has ND and OSU clients. I am only relaying what I was told.

[Jack from Charlotte]

13. They finished 10-3. They've lost 16 straight games vs Top 10 ranked...

teams. Not sure they will have beaten a team that is even ranked at all this season. Ga Tech was their BIG win this year. Penn state might end up in the final Top 25. Their 3 losses to Meat-chicken, USC and LSU were by a combined score of something huge. They weren't competitive at all vs those teams.

[mduffy31]

19. When they beat Michigan the last 3 years before this

they were ranked in the top 10

[Bill McBlueState]

14. my point really isn't specific to Notre Dame

There are a lot of major college teams that benefit from weak schedules. Or an excessive number of home games. A playoff would make it obvious which 10-win teams are legitimate and which ones aren't.

[BOSSHOG]

15. You are right about the home games

My alma mater, Arkansas, has eight home games next year. There should be a playoff involving at least four teams. The smaller colleges can do it with no problem.

[BOSSHOG]

10. The score coulda (shoulda)

been much worse. 41-14 does not tell the tale. It was incredibly ugly for the Irish.

[bmbmd]

3. Could have and should have

been much worse. Only Notre Dame could have stayed this close to LSU, so I will confer upon them the mantle of
NATIONAL CHAMPIONS.

[trotsky]

4. LMAO

So true, so true.

[erpowers]

5. Not Surprised-Question

I am not really surprised, but I did question why they keep getting spanked in the bowl games. I guess your last sentence answered my question. They play weak teams before the bowl and then get beat by good teams in the bowls. What do you think they can do to win bowl games? Before 1995 they were able to win a number of bowl games

[BOSSHOG]

9. Go to bowl games they can win in

ND should have been in Shreveport this year not New Orleans; or maybe Mobile this weekend.

[underpants]

11. ND turned down a bowl just a few years ago

I can't find it now but I am pretty sure that they turned down a bowl game in 2000 or 2001. Not enough money and not somewhere their fans would probably want to go to.

[mduffy31]

20. The bowl game after Bob Davie was fired.

[Broken_Hero]

12. I wasn't surprised,

I gave my bud Tom 21 points, and he thought I was nutz to give him/ND 21 points, but I knew the Irish would choke...

[CatholicEdHead]

16. Notre Dame got in because Wisconsin was left out of the BCS

[underpants]

24. NO

Wisc was not left out of the BCS they finished third and only Two teams from any conference can be in BCS bowls. Wisconsin was not left out.

ND has a special rule in the BCS-if they are ranked in the top 8 they get in. They have this because, it is said, that being the only independent they would be left out if it were only by conference.

Boise State is in a nonBCS Conference the WAC. THEY were left out except for a special case being made for them.

[rep the dems]

17. They looked pathetic last night.

Early on Bradshaw kept saying, "And I think Brady Quinn is just a little too excited right now. I expect him to settle in very well." Guess not.

[Future Principal]

25. not at all. i called it weeks ago. notre dame isn't that good

put them in a conference and they'd be 6-5 or 5-6 every year.