Friday, August 31, 2012

Notre Dame vs. Navy Preview



            Before I get to the preview of this week’s matchup of Notre Dame and Navy, I want to give you a little history lesson. This season will be the 125th edition of Notre Dame Football. It’s been an illustrious and glorious 125 years that have created the most recognizable team in America. No matter where you go, people know the name “Fighting Irish”. People know the fight song, the leprechaun, the shamrock, the golden helmets. They know the names Knute Rockne, George Gipp, Paul Hornung, Joe Montana, Rudy Ruettiger, and Tim Brown. More importantly though, people know that the University of Notre Dame is a world class university. The academic side of Notre Dame has been around for 169 years and will always be around no matter what happens to football. I will always be a fan of the Fighting Irish, but I will also always appreciate what the University of Notre Dame does for the world. Go Irish!
            
            Alright, so let’s get down to talking football. Notre Dame will take on Navy Saturday. That is nothing new. What is new is that this game is being played across the ocean in Ireland. The two teams are already over there and preparing for the game. The fanbases are also over there. In fact, I read that the contingent of Irish faithful are the largest group of American fans that have traveled overseas for a one day sporting event. That’s a mouthful to say, but it’s impressive.
            
             Last year, I saw in person the Irish destroy Navy and win 56-14. I don’t think this year’s game will be any different. The Irish front seven on defense are even better this year and they should have no problem controlling Navy’s option attack. The weakness on defense for Notre Dame is the cornerbacks, but Navy does not have the wide receivers or quarterbacks to consistently challenge them. This will be a great chance for the young cornerbacks to get some playing time and experience before facing Purdue next week. 
             As for the Irish offense, they should be able to move the ball and score at least a few touchdowns. That offense will be under command by soophomore Everett Golson. Golson was part of a four-man quarterback competition that began after the 2012 season and lasted until just a couple weeks ago when head coach Brian Kelly formally announced Golson would be the starter. Eric Hanson of the South Bend Tribune compares Golson to Russell Wilson. He’s a guy that has a great arm and can also scramble out of the pocket, but he’s not as fast as Michigan’s Denard Robinson. Golson really reminds me of Robert Griffin III.

Keys to an Irish victory
1. Stop the option
Navy is always one of the leaders in rushing yards because their offensive playbook is made up of almost entirely running plays. They use all sorts of option plays to confuse defensives. Sometimes the quarterback keeps it; sometimes he pitches it to the running back, full back, or even the wide receiver. This kind of offensive scheme can work, but not against elite defenses, which is what I consider Notre Dame having. Of the seven starting linebackers and defensive linemen, five were starters last year. Plus, we have middle linebacker and preseason All-American, Manti Te’o.
2. No turnovers
Sounds like a broken record, huh? Last year, Notre Dame’s first two games were lost because of ridiculous amounts of turnovers. A 0-2 start to this season would be catastrophic and the team has to do a better job of keeping the ball.
3. Open auditions
There are a few players that can use this game as a springboard to move up on the depth chart. With starting running back Cierre Wood out for two games due to suspension, this is gives Theo Riddick, George Atkinson III, and a couple other young players to show what they can do. There are 14 wide receivers on Notre Dame’s roster, but none are the go-to guys like Michael Floyd was last year. Watch for some of them to try and make big plays when they get the chance. Finally, the weakest position for the Irish is at cornerback. There are no returning starters and only six cornerbacks on the roster and three are freshmen or sophomores.

My prediction: Notre Dame-34 Navy-10
UPDATE: Notre Dame wins 50-10

I’d also like to make the prediction that Notre Dame will finish the regular season 9-3. There are five games that are going to be easy wins (Navy, Purdue, Pittsburgh, Boston College, Wake Forest). There are three games we should win (Miami, Stanford, BYU). Then there are four games that could go either way (Michigan State, Michigan, Oklahoma, USC). Nine wins are on the optimistic side of things as we could easily finish 7-5. However, this is not the year to dream of a BCS Bowl. That is next year.

Thursday, August 30, 2012

College Football National Preview- Week 1






I’m going to try something new for this season. Along with a Notre Dame preview each week and occasional Big 10 posts, I’m also going to do a quick preview of each week’s big games and pick a winner for those and games with Indiana teams.
Even though there are 17 games Thursday night (which is unbelievable) and five Friday night, the real kick off is on Saturday.  Can you guess which two teams are first to play on Saturday? Come on, if you know me, you can get this right. It’s Notre Dame and Navy! The two teams are playing in Ireland and the game begins at 9:00 a.m. EST. I wonder if the bars will open early in South Bend.
 After that early skirmish, there’s a huge showdown in Happy Valley, Pennsylvania. The Penn State Nittany Lions began a new chapter in the history of Penn State when they take the field without Joe Paterno on the sidelines. It will be a day of renewal for the players, fans, coaches, and everybody involved with Penn State and the scandal that will forever plague the program. On the flip side, the Nittany Lions opponents are looking to get a win just as badly. The Ohio Bobcats finished 10-4 last year and are looking to go undefeated and get to a BCS Bowl. If they out of Beaver Stadium with a win, they should have smooth sailing to the end of the season. This is the game I am dying to see because I don’t view either team as a clear favorite. I think Ohio is the better team on paper, but Beaver Stadium is going to be electric with 100,000+ screaming fans cheering on their team.
If you’re going to take some time to enjoy your Saturday of Labor Day Weekend, you can do that at 3:30 because there aren’t any intriguing games happening. Unless of course you’re a fan of Purdue but they should be able to handle Eastern Kentucky. The big game on Saturday is a huge showdown between #2 Alabama and #8 Michigan at 8:00 p.m. These are two of the most prestigious programs in the country and Alabama starts the season as the reigning national champions. Michigan will put points on the board with their quarterback Denard Robinson, but not enough to win the game. Plus, don’t forget that Alabama has a pretty good offense too.

Picks for this weekend. Winner in bold.
Thursday: #9 South Carolina at Vanderbilt. Eastern Michigan at Ball State.
Friday: Tennessee at North Carolina State. #24 Boise State at #13 Michigan State.  San Jose State at #21 Stanford
Saturday: Notre Dame vs. Navy. Ohio at Penn State. Eastern Kentucky at Purdue. #14 Clemson vs. Auburn. #8 Michigan vs. #2 Alabama. Indiana State at Indiana.
Sunday: Kentucky at #25 Louisville
Monday: Georgia Tech at #16 Virginia Tech

UPDATE: How about getting off to a great start? I went 13-0 with my picks for Week 1.