#24 Notre Dame (8-3) at #5 Stanford (10-1)

• Hamp89

  ND is #22 in the BCS this week. As someone mentioned, IF they were able to pull off a win at Stanford it would be interesting to see how things work out. There will be some teams ahead of them losing this week and with another week of conference championship games some more will fall. The weight of beating the #6 team is good for moving up 3-4 spots on its own. Remember the SEC can only send two teams, PSU or Wisky will drop, and OSU needs to beat Mich.This is obviously putting the cart before the horse, but it's not out of the realm to gain 8 positions with so many big games left on the line.
  
  I have a good feeling about this week and think ND matches up fairly well with Stanford. Luck will get his points no doubt, but I think ND should be able to score as well. It's all going to depend on ND's young Dline getting consistent pressure on Luck. Cierre Wood is going to have to have the game of his life.
• karen lotz

  

  Need a lot of people to get healthy. Tuitt didn't play yesterday because of mono, Harrison Smith was getting IVs all week because of the flu, Zach Martin was sick, Robert Blanton missed a lot of time in the game because he was sick. Good that Lo Wood got some more PT, but he looked lost trying to even get lined up at times yesterday. Going to need all hands on deck and as close to 100% as possible.
• sherm03

  

  Hamp89;981720 wrote: I have a good feeling about this week and think ND matches up fairly well with Stanford. Luck will get his points no doubt, but I think ND should be able to score as well. It's all going to depend on ND's young Dline getting consistent pressure on Luck. Cierre Wood is going to have to have the game of his life.

  As long as the offense we've seen in 8 of the 11 games so far shows up, they will score. If the offense that came out against Pitt, USC, and BC comes out of the tunnel, it could be a really long night for the Irish.
• dlazz

  Barely beat a bad Boston College team and still think you guys have a shot against Stanford? LOL
  
  delusional
• sherm03

  

  dlazz;981934 wrote:Barely beat a bad Boston College team and still think you guys have a shot against Stanford? LOL

  Yep, that's the beauty of sports.
• merv

  

  Hamp89;981720 wrote:ND is #22 in the BCS this week. As someone mentioned, IF they were able to pull off a win at Stanford it would be interesting to see how things work out. There will be some teams ahead of them losing this week and with another week of conference championship games some more will fall. The weight of beating the #6 team is good for moving up 3-4 spots on its own. Remember the SEC can only send two teams, PSU or Wisky will drop, and OSU needs to beat Mich.This is obviously putting the cart before the horse, but it's not out of the realm to gain 8 positions with so many big games left on the line.
  
  I have a good feeling about this week and think ND matches up fairly well with Stanford. Luck will get his points no doubt, but I think ND should be able to score as well. It's all going to depend on ND's young Dline getting consistent pressure on Luck. Cierre Wood is going to have to have the game of his life.

  You have a good feel for a Notre Dame victory, every week. LOL:laugh:
• merv

  

  Notre Dame 24
  Stanford 31
• 0311sdp

  Notre Dame has a chance because Stanford (as was exposed in the Oregon game) does not have great speed. I do belive though that Stanford is a little better and more consistant across the board and the QB advantage is worth 14-17 points alone. (ND's QBs are not very good)Stanford will have no answer for Michael Floyd but he won't be enough, Stanford wins 35-24.
• The Equalizer

  

  I don't have a good feeling about this game.
• Tobias Fünke

  

  merv;983313 wrote:You have a good feel for a Notre Dame victory, every week. LOL:laugh:

  Probably because Notre Dame has been favored every week?
  
  This is the first time that the Irish aren't favored.
• Tobias Fünke

  

  dlazz;981934 wrote:Barely beat a bad Boston College team and still think you guys have a shot against Stanford? LOL
  
  delusional

  Every time you talk, you put on display your breathtakingly small amount of knowledge about college football. It's not even funny like sleeper, I look at it and wonder if you watch football on Saturdays of if you eat out of a straw and draw with crayons.
• DeyDurkie5

  

  stanford wins this one
• Hamp89

  merv;983313 wrote:You have a good feel for a Notre Dame victory, every week. LOL:laugh:

  
  First game all year they haven't been favored. SMH.
• Little Danny

  

  I like the Irish in this one. As someone else noticed, Stanford was exposed in the Oregon game. Floyd will be tough to cover for the Cardinal. If Notre Dame gets some pressure on Luck it could be a long day for the home team. I see a 31-24 type of game with Notre Dame finishing ahead.
• karen lotz

  

  Going to be tough for Floyd to get open with Stanford dropping 8 or 9 into coverage. ND will have to stay out of 3rd and long where Stanford can just sit back and wait until Rees throws the ball away. I'm hoping they use the uptempo offense as much as possible. They've been successful whenever they've gone to it this year, just hasn't been that often because of the way games have gone.
• karen lotz

  

  WebFire;980585 wrote:Even with a win, I don't see how ND is anywhere near a BCS bowl.

  KR1245;980630 wrote:Yeah, ND has no chance of making a BCS.

  like_that;981219 wrote:ND in a BCS bowl game would be complete joke. I don't see them beating Standford anyway though.

  
  
  
  YahooForde Pat Forde
  BCS just sent out list of 30 teams still under consideration for the 10 BCS bowl slots. Eight of them not eligible for AQ spots.
  AQ contenders: Clem, UVa, VT, 5 from Big East, Mich St, Penn St, Wisc, OU, Ok St, Az St, Ore, Stan, UCLA, Utah, Bama, Ark, UGA, LSU
  At-large contenders: Baylor, Boise State, Houston, Kansas State, Michigan, Notre Dame, South Carolina, TCU.
  
  
  It's so odd that Notre Dame would be under consideration from the BCS at this point when the 3 braniacs above say there is zero chance of ND being selected.
• dwccrew

  

  LOL at Notre Dame making a BCS bowl. What bowl committee, in their right mind, would pick a team that hasn't won a bowl game in 20 years. Hell, they haven't even won a relevant game in 20 years. A schedule full of unranked, losing teams that couldn't even win the SEC East. If Notre Dame was in the B1G they'd finish right behind Indiana.
  
  #sleeper'd
• dwccrew

  

  Seriously though, I think Notre Dame has a chance in this game. Stanford has been overrated all season and I have had many arguments with friends that Luck is overrated as well. I think if ND can pressure Luck and disrupt the pass game, they win. Going with the upset
  
  Notre Dame 27-23
• Hamp89

  karen lotz;984084 wrote:Going to be tough for Floyd to get open with Stanford dropping 8 or 9 into coverage. ND will have to stay out of 3rd and long where Stanford can just sit back and wait until Rees throws the ball away. I'm hoping they use the uptempo offense as much as possible. They've been successful whenever they've gone to it this year, just hasn't been that often because of the way games have gone.

  
  BK talked about this happening again in the presser today. I think he and Rees were a little thrown off by BC's defensive scheme, however this time they can prepare for it all week and have plays that will be effective against it.
• karen lotz

  

  Hamp89;984151 wrote:BK talked about this happening again in the presser today. I think he and Rees were a little thrown off by BC's defensive scheme, however this time they can prepare for it all week and have plays that will be effective against it.

  
  The best way to beat that kind of defensive scheme (other than staying out of obvious passing downs like 2nd and 10+ or 3rd and long) is something that Rees can't do. If he was any kind of threat to pull the ball down and run for a first down, Stanford couldn't drop 8 or 9. I haven't been able to watch the whole presser but from what I gathered from IE, Kelly would very much like Rees to be able to run but it just isn't something he will do. Hopefully they can play at a fast tempo the entire game and not get behind the chains. Not having every drive start inside their own 10 would be beneficial as well.
• Hamp89

  karen lotz;984172 wrote:The best way to beat that kind of defensive scheme (other than staying out of obvious passing downs like 2nd and 10+ or 3rd and long) is something that Rees can't do. If he was any kind of threat to pull the ball down and run for a first down, Stanford couldn't drop 8 or 9. I haven't been able to watch the whole presser but from what I gathered from IE, Kelly would very much like Rees to be able to run but it just isn't something he will do. Hopefully they can play at a fast tempo the entire game and not get behind the chains. Not having every drive start inside their own 10 would be beneficial as well.

  
  A fast tempo will definitely be beneficial. I wouldn't be surprised to see Riddick run a little wildcat as well as a change of pace. BK was asked about about wildcat and he kind of played it off, but it will be necessary to mix it up if Rees can't move the ball. Possibly see more of Hendrix too?
  
  I will be disappointed if the game plan doesn't call for more creativity if the offense struggles like they did against BC.
• karen lotz

  

  Eh I'm thinking Riddick won't even play much this weekend. He hasn't been practicing much since he hurt his ankle and I don't see them being able to work on the wildcat with him much at all this week. I just watched the presser and he said he hasn't run it this year mostly because he likes whoever gets the snap to at least have the threat of throwing the ball. BK said Riddick is not suited to be throwing the ball.
• sherm03

  

  karen lotz;984211 wrote:Eh I'm thinking Riddick won't even play much this weekend. He hasn't been practicing much since he hurt his ankle and I don't see them being able to work on the wildcat with him much at all this week. I just watched the presser and he said he hasn't run it this year mostly because he likes whoever gets the snap to at least have the threat of throwing the ball. BK said Riddick is not suited to be throwing the ball.

  Then he needs to put Hendrix in the damn game!
• karen lotz

  

  Also, the lack of creativity from the BC game stemmed mostly from the horrible field position. Really hard to get creative when your running back has his feet in his own endzone prior to the snap. I don't see ND running a bunch of trick plays or anything, but more of a normal variety plays this coming week.
• karen lotz

  

  sherm03;984216 wrote:Then he needs to put Hendrix in the damn game!

  
  I wouldn't be opposed to it. I'm still hoping for Crist to get some meaningful snaps where he can run the whole offense