Sunday, October 29, 2006

My Completely Pointless Week 9 Rankings

1. Ohio State (9-0, W 44-0 vs Minnesota)
2. Michigan (9-0, W 17-3 vs Northwestern)
3. West Virginia (7-0, idle)
4. Notre Dame (7-1, W 38-14 @ Navy in Baltimore)
5. California (7-1, idle)
6. USC (6-1, L 31-33 @ Oregon State)
7. Texas (8-1, W 35-31@ Texas Tech)
8. Arkansas (7-1, W 44-10 @ Louisiana-Monroe)
9. Louisville (7-0, idle)
10. Auburn (8-1, W 23-17 @ Mississippi)
11. Florida (7-1, W 21-14 @ Georgia)
12. Tennessee (7-1, W 31-24 @ South Carolina)
13. LSU (6-2, idle)
14. Boise State (8-0, idle)
15. Rutgers (8-1, @ 24-13 vs Connecticut)
16. Oklahoma (6-2, W 26-10 @ Missouri)
17. Boston College (7-1, W 41-0 vs Buffalo)
18. Pittsburgh (6-2, idle)
19. Wisconsin (8-1, W 30-24 vs Illinois)
20. Washington State (6-3 @ 37-15 @ 23 UCLA)
21. Virginia Tech (W 24-17 vs 18 Clemson)
22. Oregon State (5-3, W 33-31 vs 3 USC)
23. Clemson (7-2, L 7-24 @ 24 Virginia Tech)
24. Missouri (7-2, L 10-26 vs 16 Oklahoma)
25. Georgia Tech (6-2, W 30-23 vs Miami)

Best of the rest: 5-3 South Carolina, 7-1 Wake Forest, 6-2 Oregon

Dropped Out: 19 Nebraska, 23 UCLA
25.

60 Minutes of Weis

For those that missed it, 60 Minutes had an excellent piece tonight on Irish head coach Charlie Weis. Clips can be found here.

Monday, October 23, 2006

My Week 8 Top 25

1. Ohio State (8-0, W 44-3 vs Indiana)
2. Michigan (8-0, W 20-6 vs Iowa)
3. USC (6-0, idle)
4. West Virginia (7-0, W 37-11 @ Connecticut)
5. Notre Dame (6-1, W 20-17 vs 22 UCLA)
6. California (7-1, W 31-24 vs Washington)
7. Texas (7-1, W 22-20 @ 21 Nebraska)
8. Arkansas (6-1, W 38-3 vs Mississippi)
9. Louisville (7-0, W 28-13 @ Syracuse)
10. Auburn (7-1, W 38-13 vs Tulane)
11. Florida (6-1, idle)
12. Tennessee (6-1, W 16-13 vs Alabama)
13. LSU (6-2, W 38-6 vs Fresno State)
14. Boise State (8-0, W 42-26 @ Idaho)
15. Rutgers (7-0, W 20-10 @ 16 Pittsburgh)
16. Oklahoma (5-2, W 24-3 vs Colorado)
17. Boston College (6-1, W 24-19 @ Florida State)
18. Clemson (7-1, W 31-7 vs 14 Georgia Tech)
19. Nebraska (6-2, L 20-22 vs 8 Texas)
20. Pittsburgh (6-2, L 10-20 @ 16 Pittsburgh)
21. Wisconsin (7-1, W 24-3 @ Purdue)
22. Washington State (5-3, W 34-23 vs 18 Oregon)
23. UCLA (4-3, L 17-20 @ 6 Notre Dame)
24. Virginia Tech (5-2, W 36-6 vs Southern Mississippi)
25. Missouri (7-1, W 41-21 vs Kansas State)

Best of the Rest: South Carolina (4-2), Texas A&M (7-1), Wake Forest (6-1), Tulsa (6-1)

Dropped out: 14 Georgia Tech, 16 Pittsburgh, 18 Oregon, 25 South Carolina (pushed out by Washington State)

Defense Better Than Offense

The defense played very well on Saturday, and the offense played well on one drive. On 25 first downs, UCLA gained just 29 yards, or 1.2 yards per play. Irish head coach Charlie Weis had glowing remarks for the Irish defense. “The defense had one mental error for the entire game. That’s almost unbelievable,” said Weis. He added, “If we hold them to 17 points, I’m expecting to win…and that’s what the defense did. The defense should be commended.”

Weis had fewer positive remarks for the offense. He pointed out that “we were 4 and 19 on third down…gave up 5 sacks and 9 pressures. That’s horrendous.” In addition to those numbers, Weis could have also pointed out that ND’s offensive line played very poorly. ND gained 79 yards rushing while losing 38. The offensive line is going to have to play much better if ND the rest of the season.

One positive offensively was the play of wide receiver David Grimes. ND has been waiting for a third receiver to step up and supplement Rhema McKnight and Jeff Samardzjia, and Grimes appears to be the guy they have been waiting for. He has battled injuries, but he bounced back to catch 8 passes on Saturday, which more than doubled his career total. Grimes gives The Naval Academy one more weapon to worry about next Saturday.

Thursday, October 19, 2006

My Week 7 Top 25

1. Michigan (7-0, W 17-10 @ Penn State)
2. Ohio State (7-0, W 38-7 @ Michigan State)
3. USC (6-0, W 28-21 @ Arizona State)
4. West Virginia (6-0, W 41-17 vs Syracuse)
5. Tennessee (5-1, idle)
6. Notre Dame (5-1, idle)
7. California (6-1, W 21-3 @ Washington State)
8. Texas (6-1, W 63-31 vs Baylor)
9. Arkansas (5-1, W 63-7 vs Southeastern Missouri State)
10. Louisville (6-0, W 23-17 vs Cincinatti)
11. Auburn (6-1, W 27-17 vs 3 Florida)
12. Florida (6-1, L 17-27 @ 12 Auburn)
13. LSU (6-2, W 49-0 vs Kentucky)
14. Georgia Tech (5-1, idle)
15. Boise State (7-0, W 40-28 @ New Mexico State)
16. Pittsburgh (6-1, W 52-7 @ UCF)
17. Rutgers (6-0, W 34-0 @ Navy)
18. Oregon (5-1, W 30-20 vs 17 UCLA)
19. Oklahoma (5-1, W 34-9 vs Iowa State)
20. Clemson (6-1, W 63-9 @ Temple)
21. Nebraska (6-1, W 21-3 @ Kansas State)
22. UCLA (3-2, L 20-30 @ 21 Oregon)
23. Virginia Tech (4-2, L 3-22 @ Boston College)
24. Missouri (6-1, L 19-25 @ Texas A&M)
25. South Carolina (4-2, idle)

Best of the rest: Wisconsin (6-1), Boston College (5-1), Texas A&M (6-1), Wake Forest (6-1), Tulsa (4-1)

Dropped out: none

Sunday, October 15, 2006

Smith the Heisman Favorite?

The NDNation website posts an interesting statistical comparison between Brady Quinn and Troy Smith. It turns out that Quinn's numbers are much better than Smith's when comparing common opponents. Quinn even has posted better rushing numbers than Smith has against Michigan State and Penn State. Of course, none of this matters since Smith has already been declared the favorite by ABC.

2008 Schedule Released

Notre Dame’s 2008 schedule:

2008 ND FOOTBALL

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

This is an interesting schedule. ND plays two difficult teams, and they are well spaced apart. The schedule also includes a tune up game before the Michigan game. Overall, I like this schedule. The only change I would make would be to replace Washington or Pittsburgh with a more powerful team. This would break up the monotony of mediocre opponents between Michigan and UM. However, I understand that Washington would have been considered a tough opponent when the game was scheduled.

Class of 2010

In case someone has not noticed, Charlie Weis has played a ton of freshmen this year, seventeen to be precise. By comparison, only ten have failed to see the field this year, and the departure of Ronald Talley could free up some playing time for Kallen Wade to log his first minutes, as well.

Have Played: S Sergio Brown, WR Richard Jackson, CB Raeshon McNeil, CB/KR Darrin Walls, WR/KR George West, TE Will Yeatman. RB James Aldridge, K Ryan Burkhart, OG Matt Carufel, S Jashaad Gaines, OG Eric Olsen, WR Robby Parris, RB Munir Prince, TE Konrad Reuland, DE Morrice Richardson, DE John Ryan, LB Toryan Smith.

Have Not Played: QB Zach Fraser, WR Barry Gallup, S Leonard Gordon, QB Demetrius Jones, DT Paddy Mullen, HB/FB Luke Schmidt, OG Chris Stewart, DE Kallen Wade, OT Bartley Webb, C Dan Wenger.

This is worth noting because it can mean a couple of things. One is that the current roster is very thin necessitating freshmen burning up a year of eligibility. The other is that Weis does not believe in redshirting people. Either way, it is worth noting whom will still have their fifth year available after this year.

Aftermath of Talley Departure

With Ronald Talley leaving the Notre Dame football team, now is as good a time as any to look at ND’s defensive end position. The Irish currently have nine defensive ends on scholarship. Talley’s departure likely means more playing time for Chris Frome, Justin Brown, and Maurice Richardson. This is not a bad thing. Frome, Brown, and Victor Abiamiri are all seniors. Getting Richardson experience could be very beneficial for next year’s team.

Now, let us look at the class of 2008. Talley’s departure leaves ND with eight players in that class. In other words, next year’s team will have nine percent of its eighty-five man scholarship limit filled by Tyrone Willingham’s last full recruiting class. Willingham is truly the gift that keeps on giving.

Sunday, October 08, 2006

1. Michigan (6-0, W 31-13 vs Michigan State)
2. Ohio State (6-0, W 35-7 vs Bowling Green)
3. Florida (6-0, W 23-10 vs 9 LSU)
4. USC (5-0, W 26-20 vs Washington)
5. Tennessee (5-1, W 51-33 @ 21 Georgia)
6. Louisville (5-0, W 44-17 @ Middle Tennessee State)
7. West Virginia (5-0, W 42-14 @ Mississippi State)
8. Notre Dame (5-1, W 31-10 vs Stanford)
9. California (5-1, W 45-24 vs 11 Oregon)
10. Texas (5-1, W 28-10 @ 14 Oklahoma)
11. Arkansas (4-1, W 27-10 @ 2 Auburn)
12. Auburn (5-1, L 10-27 vs Arkansas)
13. LSU (5-2, L 10-17 @ 5 Florida)
14. Georgia Tech (5-1, W 27-23 vs Maryland)
15. Boise State (6-0, W 45-14 vs Louisiana Tech)
16. Virginia Tech (4-1, idle)
17. UCLA (3-1, idle)
18. Pittsburgh (5-1, W 21-11 @ Syracuse)
19. Rutgers (5-0, idle)
20. Missouri (6-0, W 38-21 @ 23 Texas Tech)
21. Oregon (4-1, L 24-45 @ 13 California)
22. Oklahoma (4-2, L 10-28 vs 16 Texas)
23. Clemson (5-1, W 27-17 @ Wake Forest
24. Nebraska (5-1, W 28-14 vs Iowa State)
25. South Carolina (4-2, W 24-17 @ Kentucky)

on the bubble: 5-1 Nebraska, 4-1 Tulsa, 5-1 Wisconsin, 5-1 Wake Forest

dropped out: 21 Georgia, 23 Texas Tech, 25 Purdue

Sunday, October 01, 2006

Wither Minter?

Irish fans have been gnashing their teeth over the play of Rick Minter's defense this year. The Irish defense has repeatedly given up deep passes to the likes of Tedd Ginn Jr., Mario Manningham, and Selwyn Lymon over the past two seasons. The Irish rank 91 in pass defense this year and 69 in passing efficiency.They rank 88 in scoring defense, and 79 against the run. Is Rick Minter the problem?

On one hand, a compelling argument can be made against Minter. The defense is not performing well. There is no debate about that. They have been statistically very poor, and their inability to prevent deep passes has been very alarming.

More alarming was a recent comment made by strong safety Tom Zbikowski. In a recent press conference, Zbikowski said that the Irish have struggled in the first half because the defense reacts to the offense in the first half. He said that ND's defensive coaches are very good at making adjustments, which explains why their play improves as the game wears on. However, this brings up an intriguing question. Couldn't first half defense be improved through better film study, game planning and preparation?

On the other hand, Minter is coaching a defense that has to compensate for undersized linebackers. This forces the safeties to cheat forward to help out on run defense. When the safeties have to keep one eye on the linebackers, they are succeptible to long passes. Rick Minter is a Monte Kiffin disciple and would like to be able to play Tampa 2 like the Bears, Colts, and Buccaneers. They were the top three teams in NFL scoring defense last year. However, Tampa 2 requires strength up the middle and quick pass rushers, which he does not have. Instead, he is forced to compensate for his defenses inadequacies through unconventional scheme selection.

There is something to be sadi for both sides of the argument. However, the most important thing to keep in mind is that Charlie Weis was one of the best minds in the NFL, and he demands success. Whether Weis keeps or retains Minter at the end of the season, his actions will have told us which school of thought was correct.

Week 5 Top 25

For the second week in a row, only two teams were upset in my top 25, which leads me to believe that I do better than the AP. I just try to rate teams based on the quality of their wins rather than on how good I perceive them to be. It isn't rocket science.

1. USC (4-0, W 28-22 @ Washington State)
2. Auburn (5-0, W 24-17 @ South Carolina)
3. Michigan (5-0, W 28-14 @ Minnesota)
4. Ohio State (5-0, W 38-17 @ Iowa)
5. Florida (5-0, W 28-13 vs Alabama)
6. Tennessee (4-1, W 41-7 @ Memphis)
7. Louisville (4-0, idle)
8. West Virginia (4-0, idle)
9. LSU (4-1, W 48-17 vs Mississippi State)
10. Notre Dame (4-1, W 35-21 vs Purdue)
11. Oregon (4-0, W 48-13 @ Arizona State)
12. Georgia Tech (4-1, W 38-27 @ 16 Virginia Tech)
13. California (4-1, W 41-13 @ Oregon State)
14. Oklahoma (4-1, idle)
15. Boise State (5-0, W 36-3 @ Utah)
16. Texas (4-1, W 56-3 vs Sam Houston State)
17. Virginia Tech (4-1, L 27-38 vs 12 Georgia Tech)
18. UCLA (3-1, W 31-0 vs Stanford)
19. Pittsburgh (4-1, W 45-3 vs Toledo)
20. Rutgers (5-0, W 22-20 @ USF)
21. Georgia (5-0, W 14-9 @ Mississippi)
22. Missouri (5-0, W 28-13 vs Colorado)
23. Texas Tech (4-1, W 32-27 @ Texas A&M)
24. South Carolina (3-2, L 17-24 vs Auburn)
25. Purdue (4-1, L 21-35 @ Notre Dame)

dropping out: 17. Michigan State 19. TCU

Irish Over Purdue

More to come tomorrow.