Game by Game ND Preview

So here we are, a mere two days before the season starts for the Fighting Irish. It's that glorious time of year where anything is possible, fans everywhere are convinced this is their year, slates are clean, and trash talking is at its most fervent and illogical. Here's my take on ND's season, game by game. I will try to be as logical and not homerish as possible here:

Sept05 NEVADA 3:30pm NBC
Prediction: W
People around the interwebs are doing their best Lou Holtz prediction building up the Wolfpack. Hard to blame them consider the Irish are coming off a brutal 2 year stretch, and how bad ND looked against a similar cupcake opener in SDSU last year. The changes this team has gone through in the last year however are immense. The offense has drastically evolved, and the Defensive secondary has become a strength as opposed to a typical weakness. Not only that, but while Nevada can put up points, their D is suspect and should give up plenty of points. This Nevada team lost to the Hawaii squad last year that Notre Dame eviscerated in their bowl game. Expect a big win here.

Sept12 @ Michigan 3:30pm ABC
Prediction: W
Rich Rodriguez is a good coach. Really, he is. What he did at West Virginia was amazing and given time, he will likely do well by the Wolverines. He isn't their yet though. Michigan is in a transition period which brings with it a lot of pain, heartbreak, and losses. Michigan is continuing to say they will be running out all three quarterbacks (ND fans should remember how well that experiment went 2 years ago) and lost their biggest threat in Sam McGuffie. Add on the fact that Michigan players are trying to blow the whistle on violations committed by the Coaching Staff, and you have yourself a good old fashioned clusterf-. Michigan will get back to the top, it may even be with Rodriguez, but it definitely wont happen this year.

Sept19 MICHIGAN ST. 3:30pm NBC
Prediction: W
Oh Sparty, what a tumultuous series it has been. MSU has pretty much owned Notre Dame Stadium as of late, there is no way around it. Last year MSU tore up the Irish defense thanks to Javon Ringer's 200+ yard game. However, Javon is gone and MSU is looking way down this year. Add on the fact that ND will be looking for revenge and to finally defend home field, they shouldn't overlook Sparty like they frequently seem to do on the field.

Sept26 @ Purdue 8pm ABC/ESPN
Prediction: W
In a down Big TenLeven this year, Purdue is predicted by most to be one of the worst in the conference this year. There isn't much to say, Purdue is not gonna have a good team this year. This should be a blowout.

Oct03 WASHINGTON 3:30pm NBC
Prediction: W
Once again, you are dealing with a terrible team. The addition of Steve Sarkisian as head coach provides an interesting wrinkle. Jake Locker is a stud, but he doesn't have much in the way of talent around him. Further, ND by my logic should be undefeated to this point, and the possibility of taking a perfect slate into USC will be a huge motivator.

Oct17 SOUTHERN CAL 3:30pm NBC
Prediction: L
Like I said, I'm trying to be logical and non-homerish here. If there is a year where USC can be beat, it's this year. I truly believe ND can beat USC this year, but if someone put a gun to my head, I'd probably have to pick the Trojans. HOWEVAH, USC is running out a true Freshman QB and lost a TON of talent last year. Sure, the cupboard is full of 5 stars pretty much at every position. But when was the last time a USC recruit busted? They can't all work out so well. Add in the recent loss of starting CB Shareece Wright for grades, and the Trojans are looking as vulnerable as we have ever seen them. ND will have to play clean and execute on all cylinders, and probably get some lucky bounces if they want to win, but this is the best shot ND has had in years to take down the Trojans.

Oct24 BOSTON COLLEGE 3:30pm NBC
Prediction: W
Notre Dame gave this game away last year by committing turnover after turnover. Based on talent, ND should win this game fairly handily. Coming a week after USC though, there are some interesting possibilities. Let's say ND wins this game, do you get a repeat of 1993 here ND let's down a bit after a huge upset? If they lose a heartbreaker can ND rebound to full form in a week? God forbid, what happens if USC takes ND behind the woodshed again? In a vacuum, ND wins this going away, but we don't live in a vacuum, so this could be a very telling game for the rest of the season.

Oct31 Washington St. 7:30pm NBC(San Antonio TX)
Prediction: W
Ahh the barnstorm. The Irish are inexplicably coming down to my neck of the woods for a Halloween Soire with the Cougars. Luckily for the Irish, the Cougars may very well be the worst BCS conference team in the land. This will be violent.

Nov07 NAVY 2:30pm NBC
Prediction: W
Navy finally broke the streak during the abortion that was the 2007 season. They even put up a bit of a comeback last year because ND took their starters out and their foot off the gas. However, the talent discrepancy will be too much this year for Navy to overcome.

Nov14 @ Pittsburgh TBA
Prediction: L
This game scares me. Sure it's the Wannestache, and there is no more Shady McCoy. But I don't see the Irish getting through the year with only 1 loss. This game can easily be interchanged with Stanford as the game that scares me as a loss. Late in the season, on the road, anything can happen. This game screams trap game at me, I hope I'm wrong.

Nov21 CONNECTICUT 2:30pm NBC
Prediction: W
This game however, does not scare me. Interesting enough, former ND QB Zach Fraser is now at UConn and may have a bit of an axe to grind, or at least want to prove something to his old team. Sadly for him, his team is terrible, this will be a blowout.

Nov28 @ Stanford 8pm ABC
Prediction: W
Again, this game terrifies me. The reason I think the Irish will win this game however, even on the road, is that if I'm right and ND comes in with only 1 or 2 losses, the BCS will be a genuine possibility. That carrot will be too tempting to ignore and should push the Irish to one of their best performances. Jim Harbaugh is a hell of a coach and has started to recruit some really good talent to Palo Alto. This is not the typical Stanford team you see and chalk automatically, should make a fun game.

So 10-2 is my prediction for the year. Honestly this should be an 11-1 season considering the talent we return and the weak schedule we play this year. ND needs to get back to the BCS this year. Weis is out of excuses and chances. If he doesn't get the job done this year, he is gonezo. What do yall think? Am I too much of a homer, or am I right? Let me know in the comments. And if you haven't made your picks yet, get em in down below in the last post. GO IRISH