They don't play in a conference. Playing in a conference gives your team an identity for better or for worse. It was clear that ND was fortunate this year to catch USC and OK in a "down" year for those schools. When you are in a conference, every teams goal is to knock off the champion and nowadays to also play in the conference championship game. Had ND played UGA, SC, LSU, FSU, Clemson or maybe even FL last night the outcome would have been the same.

C'mon. Notre Dame was overwhelmed by Alabama but Florida who got beaten up by Louisville would have had the same dominance? You also left out Stanford from ND's schedule which has to be considered a very good win.

They aren't very good?

Speed

ND wasn't ready for that game. They squeaked by a few schools during the year and they have never met a team like Alabama. It would have helped them if they were in a conference that played as physical as Alabama or just teams like Alabama. Heck, there are many Alabama's around.

Their campus is in Indiana. That's the problem.

Since the BCS came to fruition & the Nebraska mini-dynasty ended in 1997, there has been a grand total of ONE school from the north who won a National Title -- Ohio St. in 2002 (and they were lucky to do so)

1998 -- Tenn.
1999 -- Fla St.
2000 -- Oklahoma
2001 -- Miami
2003 -- LSU
2004 -- USC
2005 -- Texas
2006-2012 -- 7 years of SEC -- Florida (2), LSU, Alabama (3), Auburn

The elite high school athlete loves the warmer weather & loves those southeastern schools. Other than maybe Oregon & Ohio St., I don't see a lot of consistently elite programs North of the Mason-Dixon line any longer.

Probably a bit of a difference maker but there are a number of kids from the South (especially Texas) as well as California on Notre Dame teams.

There are really few places in the States where September - November daytime temperatures are below 50-60 degrees. Now being around campus in January and February is a different story.

www.und.com/sports/m-footbl/mt...footbl-mtt.html

Their problem was they played a bunch of men who know how to play with the game on the line and they played them with a bunch of boys. The ND tacklers were bouncing off the Bama guys guys like they were kids bouncing off their big brothers in the back yard.

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--- amadeus wrote:

They don't play in a conference. Playing in a conference gives your team an identity for better or for worse. It was clear that ND was fortunate this year to catch USC and OK in a "down" year for those schools. When you are in a conference, every teams goal is to knock off the champion and nowadays to also play in the conference championship game. Had ND played UGA, SC, LSU, FSU, Clemson or maybe even FL last night the outcome would have been the same.

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--- RoyIsTheBest wrote:

Their campus is in Indiana. That's the problem.

Since the BCS came to fruition & the Nebraska mini-dynasty ended in 1997, there has been a grand total of ONE school from the north who won a National Title -- Ohio St. in 2002 (and they were lucky to do so)

1998 -- Tenn.
1999 -- Fla St.
2000 -- Oklahoma
2001 -- Miami
2003 -- LSU
2004 -- USC
2005 -- Texas
2006-2012 -- 7 years of SEC -- Florida (2), LSU, Alabama (3), Auburn

The elite high school athlete loves the warmer weather & loves those southeastern schools. Other than maybe Oregon & Ohio St., I don't see a lot of consistently elite programs North of the Mason-Dixon line any longer.

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tOSU was "lucky" all right in 2002 -- lucky they had help from the zebras.

Notre Dame's "problem" is their name recognition. If some other random school from a non-BCS conference had gone undefeated in as unimpressive of a manner as Notre Dame did, that team would have finished behind Oregon and Florida in the BCS standings and never would have made the championship game in the first place. Imagine what would have happened if OSU hadn't been on probation. They would have played Notre Dame for the "national championship" and the winner would have been the biggest fraud since BYU in 1984.

I'd love to have Notre Dame's "problem" in football particularly in 2012.

And regarding Notre Dame's quality of competition...basically everyone had their schedule being THE toughest in the country in the pre-season. And even with Michigan, Oklahoma, SC, and Pitt having down years, they were still tested quite a bit. I think Notre Dame got every amount of preparation playing that schedule as they would have playing an ACC, Big Ten, or Pac Ten schedule.

Now, they may want to start sprinkling in a couple SEC teams on their schedule from time to time as the separation between that league and everyone else is only small to those who don't want to admit the huge difference. That really would have prevented them from getting to the BCS championship game this year, but honestly, that would have been an insanely hard schedule. They probably should start a series with Georgia and/or LSU or someone like that.

Still, it's amazing to me how many 4 and 5*'s are on these Big Ten and midwestern schools' rosters who continually get worn out by SEC teams. Michigan, Ohio State, Notre Dame...none of them would play any of the top 2-3 SEC teams within two TD's yet each one has a dozen guys who will be playing on Sundays. The talent gap is just too large. It really makes me want the ACC to schedule more games with the Big Ten. I really think the quality ACC teams could beat the Big Ten and Notre Dame more times than not.

Out-coached, out-muscled, and out-executed. Notre Dame looked like many thought they would - overmatched and unprepared.

Bottom line - Saban and Alabama have no peer. They are in a class of their own, and they are an unstoppable machine.

Yes, they were unstoppable in the National Championship game.

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--- NCU08 wrote:

Out-coached, out-muscled, and out-executed. Notre Dame looked like many thought they would - overmatched and unprepared.

Bottom line - Saban and Alabama have no peer. They are in a class of their own, and they are an unstoppable machine.

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100% correct. Several Bama players including Barrett Jones commented on the ND-BC game. "We watched the way BC pushed them around that was a telling sign to us"

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--- NCU08 wrote:

Out-coached, out-muscled, and out-executed. Notre Dame looked like many thought they would - overmatched and unprepared.

Bottom line - Saban and Alabama have no peer. They are in a class of their own, and they are an unstoppable machine.

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T-shirts and comments reminded me that I had forgotten how arrogant and classless is the ND fan base. Normally would not pull for the Bama Football Academy. But.... great win Bama!!!

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--- CornbreadandCollards wrote:

I'd love to have Notre Dame's "problem" in football particularly in 2012.

And regarding Notre Dame's quality of competition...basically everyone had their schedule being THE toughest in the country in the pre-season. And even with Michigan, Oklahoma, SC, and Pitt having down years, they were still tested quite a bit. I think Notre Dame got every amount of preparation playing that schedule as they would have playing an ACC, Big Ten, or Pac Ten schedule.

Now, they may want to start sprinkling in a couple SEC teams on their schedule from time to time as the separation between that league and everyone else is only small to those who don't want to admit the huge difference. That really would have prevented them from getting to the BCS championship game this year, but honestly, that would have been an insanely hard schedule. They probably should start a series with Georgia and/or LSU or someone like that.

Still, it's amazing to me how many 4 and 5*'s are on these Big Ten and midwestern schools' rosters who continually get worn out by SEC teams. Michigan, Ohio State, Notre Dame...none of them would play any of the top 2-3 SEC teams within two TD's yet each one has a dozen guys who will be playing on Sundays. The talent gap is just too large. It really makes me want the ACC to schedule more games with the Big Ten. I really think the quality ACC teams could beat the Big Ten and Notre Dame more times than not.

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+1

What's really been amazing to me is not JUST that the SEC has won 7 titles in a row. It's the fact that in 6 of those games, it was basically a double-digit beatdown.

It's also pretty amazing that it is with 4 different programs. And, what if Georgia beats Alabama in the SEC Title Game? They almost did...and if they did, I think it would've been FIVE different SEC programs. Georgia would've whipped the ND team I saw last night.

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--- tarheelbillie wrote:

T-shirts and comments reminded me that I had forgotten how arrogant and classless is the ND fan base. Normally would not pull for the Bama Football Academy. But.... great win Bama!!!

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Please share, it fuels our healthy hatred.

I agree w/ Gunslinger....Alabama put one of the most physically dominant college football teams I've ever seen on the field last night. Wow! Nothing against Saban, but that game was won by players, not plays.

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--- GunslingerHeel wrote:

Their problem was they played a bunch of men who know how to play with the game on the line and they played them with a bunch of boys. The ND tacklers were bouncing off the Bama guys guys like they were kids bouncing off their big brothers in the back yard.

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--- amadeus wrote:

They don't play in a conference. Playing in a conference gives your team an identity for better or for worse. It was clear that ND was fortunate this year to catch USC and OK in a "down" year for those schools. When you are in a conference, every teams goal is to knock off the champion and nowadays to also play in the conference championship game. Had ND played UGA, SC, LSU, FSU, Clemson or maybe even FL last night the outcome would have been the same.

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ND's "problem" was they played a loaded Alabama team coached by the best in the business who had a month to prepare. Give Nick Saban a month to prepare with an average team and he'll be tough to beat. Give him an immensely talented team and a month to prepare and he's not going to lose.

A&M knocked off 'Bama during the regular season when Bama had a week to prepare. With a month to prepare for Johnny Football, Saban's defense would have bottled up A&M.

Remember that great game when Nebraska pushed Fla all over the field?

They don't have the same trainers and medical staff....

Agreed, in the 3-4 games I saw Bama play this year, it was one of the best college offenses I have ever seen. A dominant O-line, great backs, excellent QB and lots of weapons at WR - just loaded.

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--- mistermojo wrote:

I agree w/ Gunslinger....Alabama put one of the most physically dominant college football teams I've ever seen on the field last night. Wow! Nothing against Saban, but that game was won by players, not plays.

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--- gbunce wrote:


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--- RoyIsTheBest wrote:

Their campus is in Indiana. That's the problem.

Since the BCS came to fruition & the Nebraska mini-dynasty ended in 1997, there has been a grand total of ONE school from the north who won a National Title -- Ohio St. in 2002 (and they were lucky to do so)

1998 -- Tenn.
1999 -- Fla St.
2000 -- Oklahoma
2001 -- Miami
2003 -- LSU
2004 -- USC
2005 -- Texas
2006-2012 -- 7 years of SEC -- Florida (2), LSU, Alabama (3), Auburn

The elite high school athlete loves the warmer weather & loves those southeastern schools. Other than maybe Oregon & Ohio St., I don't see a lot of consistently elite programs North of the Mason-Dixon line any longer.

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tOSU was "lucky" all right in 2002 -- lucky they had help from the zebras.

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^ This X1000 Miami was robbed with one of the worst calls imaginable.

www.youtube.com/watch?v=NMvjADmxhVw


Worse call ever because it cost someone the national championship

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--- NCU08 wrote:

Bottom line - Saban and Alabama have no peer. They are in a class of their own, and they are an unstoppable machine.

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--- adbrown wrote:

www.youtube.com/watch?v=NMvjADmxhVw


Worse call ever because it caused someone the national championship

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Strange choice of a link to make that claim since the video gives reasons why it was definitely the correct call.

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--- tarheelbillie wrote:

T-shirts and comments reminded me that I had forgotten how arrogant and classless is the ND fan base. Normally would not pull for the Bama Football Academy. But.... great win Bama!!!

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I would guess that almost all schools with large fan bases have a certain percentage of jerks. My experience in both Chapel Hill against them in 2008 (and sitting in the ND section) and years back in South Bend against us, couldn't have been more positive.

And they had a lot of nice things to say about our University.

Yet, Texas A&M beat them in Tuscaloosa.

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--- mistermojo wrote:

I agree w/ Gunslinger....Alabama put one of the most physically dominant college football teams I've ever seen on the field last night. Wow! Nothing against Saban, but that game was won by players, not plays.

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--- GunslingerHeel wrote:

Their problem was they played a bunch of men who know how to play with the game on the line and they played them with a bunch of boys. The ND tacklers were bouncing off the Bama guys guys like they were kids bouncing off their big brothers in the back yard.

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--- amadeus wrote:

They don't play in a conference. Playing in a conference gives your team an identity for better or for worse. It was clear that ND was fortunate this year to catch USC and OK in a "down" year for those schools. When you are in a conference, every teams goal is to knock off the champion and nowadays to also play in the conference championship game. Had ND played UGA, SC, LSU, FSU, Clemson or maybe even FL last night the outcome would have been the same.

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and......A&M lost to Florida AND LSU. My point was that Alabama was set on "kill" against Notre Dame. Alabama dominated them physically.
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--- spacemt1 wrote:

Yet, Texas A&M beat them in Tuscaloosa.

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--- mistermojo wrote:

I agree w/ Gunslinger....Alabama put one of the most physically dominant college football teams I've ever seen on the field last night. Wow! Nothing against Saban, but that game was won by players, not plays.

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--- GunslingerHeel wrote:

Their problem was they played a bunch of men who know how to play with the game on the line and they played them with a bunch of boys. The ND tacklers were bouncing off the Bama guys guys like they were kids bouncing off their big brothers in the back yard.

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--- amadeus wrote:

They don't play in a conference. Playing in a conference gives your team an identity for better or for worse. It was clear that ND was fortunate this year to catch USC and OK in a "down" year for those schools. When you are in a conference, every teams goal is to knock off the champion and nowadays to also play in the conference championship game. Had ND played UGA, SC, LSU, FSU, Clemson or maybe even FL last night the outcome would have been the same.

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Poast don't lie

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--- mistermojo wrote:

Alabama put one of the most physically dominant college football teams . . . . on the field last night . . . that game was won by players, not plays.

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Notre Dame looked like a jv team out there compared to Alabama. Out-manned at almost every position on the field.

The Alabama team that Gene Stallings coached that manhandled Miami in the Sugar Bowl looked just as, if not more so, physically dominant back in '93 or '94!!!!

I love when people say this because it simply proves how tough a conference the SEC is.

How many teams in the country would want to have to chase Johnny Manziel around for 4 quarters less than 7 days after a physical, emotional night road game at LSU?

Or how about South Carolina destroying Georgia only to have to turn around and travel for a night game at LSU (which they lost) and followed up by yet another road game at Florida (which they also lost)?

Or Florida having South Carolina (win) and Georgia (loss) in back to back weeks?

Or worse yet, how about LSU having to play at Florida (loss), South Carolina (win), at Texas A&M (win), a week off and then Alabama (loss) in consecutive weeks? Ouch!

The bottom half of the SEC is nothing special - Kentucky, Missouri, Tennessee, Arkansas, Ole Miss, Miss. State. Some of those programs were ok but not great.

The top half was brutal. And these "mini-clusters" of top conference games during a season as I pointed out above is what makes the SEC brutal.

LSU's 4-game stretch of Florida, South Carolina, Texas A&M, and Alabama was the toughest in the country hands down. There is not another conference in the country that could provide a stretch run like that.




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--- spacemt1 wrote:

Yet, Texas A&M beat them in Tuscaloosa.

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--- mistermojo wrote:

I agree w/ Gunslinger....Alabama put one of the most physically dominant college football teams I've ever seen on the field last night. Wow! Nothing against Saban, but that game was won by players, not plays.

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--- GunslingerHeel wrote:

Their problem was they played a bunch of men who know how to play with the game on the line and they played them with a bunch of boys. The ND tacklers were bouncing off the Bama guys guys like they were kids bouncing off their big brothers in the back yard.

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--- amadeus wrote:

They don't play in a conference. Playing in a conference gives your team an identity for better or for worse. It was clear that ND was fortunate this year to catch USC and OK in a "down" year for those schools. When you are in a conference, every teams goal is to knock off the champion and nowadays to also play in the conference championship game. Had ND played UGA, SC, LSU, FSU, Clemson or maybe even FL last night the outcome would have been the same.

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about 95% of the rest of college football would love to have Notre Dame's "problem" ..........

if you want a real problem - try tackling that guy from 'Bama head on and see how you feel the next day ........

Notre Dame's problem is obvious: they made the gold on the helmet glossy, glittery, and tackier than Pedro's South of the Border billboards. They messed up perfection. I don't like Notre Dame but I always loved their gold helmets and classic understated uniforms. They've "hoed" themselves out to the uniform cravers like everybody else. Touchdown Jesus is shaking his head.

I was taking exception to insinuations that Bama was the most physically dominant team ever!!! If you read my other post you would have seen I pointed out Gene Stalling's Bama squad in the early '90s, as being just as dominant!!!!!

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--- BamainCarolina wrote:

I love when people say this because it simply proves how tough a conference the SEC is.

How many teams in the country would want to have to chase Johnny Manziel around for 4 quarters less than 7 days after a physical, emotional night road game at LSU?

Or how about South Carolina destroying Georgia only to have to turn around and travel for a night game at LSU (which they lost) and followed up by yet another road game at Florida (which they also lost)?

Or Florida having South Carolina (win) and Georgia (loss) in back to back weeks?

Or worse yet, how about LSU having to play at Florida (loss), South Carolina (win), at Texas A&M (win), a week off and then Alabama (loss) in consecutive weeks? Ouch!

The bottom half of the SEC is nothing special - Kentucky, Missouri, Tennessee, Arkansas, Ole Miss, Miss. State. Some of those programs were ok but not great.

The top half was brutal. And these "mini-clusters" of top conference games during a season as I pointed out above is what makes the SEC brutal.

LSU's 4-game stretch of Florida, South Carolina, Texas A&M, and Alabama was the toughest in the country hands down. There is not another conference in the country that could provide a stretch run like that.




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--- spacemt1 wrote:

Yet, Texas A&M beat them in Tuscaloosa.

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--- mistermojo wrote:

I agree w/ Gunslinger....Alabama put one of the most physically dominant college football teams I've ever seen on the field last night. Wow! Nothing against Saban, but that game was won by players, not plays.

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--- GunslingerHeel wrote:

Their problem was they played a bunch of men who know how to play with the game on the line and they played them with a bunch of boys. The ND tacklers were bouncing off the Bama guys guys like they were kids bouncing off their big brothers in the back yard.

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--- amadeus wrote:

They don't play in a conference. Playing in a conference gives your team an identity for better or for worse. It was clear that ND was fortunate this year to catch USC and OK in a "down" year for those schools. When you are in a conference, every teams goal is to knock off the champion and nowadays to also play in the conference championship game. Had ND played UGA, SC, LSU, FSU, Clemson or maybe even FL last night the outcome would have been the same.

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Their problem was they had 6 in the box in the first half. You cannot defend the run like that especially against Bama. Who the hell do they think they are????

Many plays where they were gashed they had a 4 man line with 2 backers in the box.

Better preperation and better in game adjustments would have helped Notre Dame. Saban and staff out coached Keely and staff, and they were better prepared. Also the size advantage was a glaring mismatch

Notre Dame couldn't have stopped 'Bama's run game with 9-10 in the box. Alabama very simply is better up front and deeper. The graphic difference in speed was apparant also.

Florida was just Lane Kiffen stupidity away from ND losing and the Gators playing for the BCS.

As ridiculous as it may sound to fans fighting for the chance to play NIU calibre teams in the Orange Bowl, missing out on the BCS and having to play Louisville in the Sugar Bowl is a major letdown.

The same goes for LSU being one defensive stand from having their own shot at the BCS having to play in the Chik-Fil-A bowl, it just isn't the same.

The Sugar Bowl was the biggest game in Louisville history and the Chik-Fil-A bowl was the bigges opportunity Clemson has had in 30 years, whereas, for Florida and LSU, these were door prizes.

Not saying Florida and LSU shouldn't have given their best and not saying that Louisville and Clemson shouldn't be recognized for taking care of business, but it would have been a lot more intense from the SEC sides and a lot more meaningful if these had been early season matchups with real national implications for the established contenders rather than consolation games for them whereas the upstarts had everything in the world to play for and prove.

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--- ChancellorHouse wrote:

C'mon. Notre Dame was overwhelmed by Alabama but Florida who got beaten up by Louisville would have had the same dominance? You also left out Stanford from ND's schedule which has to be considered a very good win.

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Incentive could've been part of it.

But...that's not being entirely fair to Louisville & Clemson. From a pure football standpoint, both of those teams had big edges in the QB position over Florida & LSU respectively. That can offset any supposed edge in overall talent...particularly in Louisville's case.

Florida & LSU's QB play didn't really impress me at all.

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--- HMann wrote:

Florida was just Lane Kiffen stupidity away from ND losing and the Gators playing for the BCS.

As ridiculous as it may sound to fans fighting for the chance to play NIU calibre teams in the Orange Bowl, missing out on the BCS and having to play Louisville in the Sugar Bowl is a major letdown.

The same goes for LSU being one defensive stand from having their own shot at the BCS having to play in the Chik-Fil-A bowl, it just isn't the same.

The Sugar Bowl was the biggest game in Louisville history and the Chik-Fil-A bowl was the bigges opportunity Clemson has had in 30 years, whereas, for Florida and LSU, these were door prizes.

Not saying Florida and LSU shouldn't have given their best and not saying that Louisville and Clemson shouldn't be recognized for taking care of business, but it would have been a lot more intense from the SEC sides and a lot more meaningful if these had been early season matchups with real national implications for the established contenders rather than consolation games for them whereas the upstarts had everything in the world to play for and prove.

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--- ChancellorHouse wrote:

C'mon. Notre Dame was overwhelmed by Alabama but Florida who got beaten up by Louisville would have had the same dominance? You also left out Stanford from ND's schedule which has to be considered a very good win.

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