Forde doesn't always get it right, but he got it right this week in his column about the 1-Loss Wonders on ESPN.com. What I like most about it is that he finally puts the Irish loss to Michigan in perspective. He doesn't forgive ND for crapping the bed in their own house, but unlike the rest of the sports nation he doesn't crucify the team either. Which is refreshing. His two main points are
1) Michigan is the #2 team in the country
2) The score looked a lot worse than it was
Excuses: The pass that went through tight end John Carlson's hands and was returned for six on the opening series inflated Michigan's confidence. Last Wolverines touchdown -- another defensive TD -- was a fluke that made the score look worse than it was. Leprechaun didn't bring his A game.
Case for: [ND is the only one-loss team that] has played a schedule exclusively against opponents from the Big Six conferences to date. Nobody else has two comeback wins as dramatic as Notre Dame's. Irish's first five opponents all were undefeated at kickoff. Losing to Michigan is clearly not a sin.
Thanks for the 'dash' of reality. I will not mock you for at least a week now.
And to top it off, he threw in this predction that I happened to like as well:
Still simmering from last year, Notre Dame turns USC game into a crusade and wins on a last-second Brady Quinn sneak, with a push from Darius Walker. Irish go 11-1 and throw the BCS Standings into complete chaos.
Instead of the Bush Push we get the Quinn Win? The Walker Shocker? The Samardzija Batmitzvah? Okay, so that didnt quite rhyme. But it's as close as anyone could get dammit! Do me one better, try it. Go 'head. Seriously, I triple dog dare you.
By Deep TeaKup October 25, 2006 - 1:55 pm
Are you freaking kidding me? Are we going to really try to revise history on the Michigan game now? As a UM fan I know I am biased but come on, let’s be honest, it was a whipping.
You can’t have it both ways guys, if we’re going to play the “if” game on the final score on that game can we also throw out ND’s 4 yard TD drive? Can we also throw out the end of the first half where UM went into a prevent, incidentally the DC did end up blaming himself for that one. We might as well also throw out the TD that ND scored when it was 40-14, garbage time all the way.
So if we subtract those scores and UM’s two defensive TD’s (clearly they were not earned), we end up with a 26-0 score. Actually make that 27-0, you shouldn’t even have to try PAT’s. Sounds about right.
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By domer.mq October 25, 2006 - 2:27 pm
DTK,
It was a whipping. But would you argue that it was a whipping by one team playing it’s best on another team playing it’s best.
That game was the pefect storm of ND playing as bad as it has in 2 years and UM playing better than it had (or has since) in 2 years.
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By Deep TeaKup October 25, 2006 - 3:40 pm
That is the nature of college football though, there are no do-overs. UM ND will not meet in the first round of the Midwest Regional NCAA football tourney will they? Cliche I know, but you have to be the best every week.
You can’t just say that ND has looked good lately so everyone shold forget that they lost badly at home. Believe me, as a Michigan fan I have gone through the following exercise every year “if Florida beats Auburn and ASU beats USC and OSU loses to Northwestern, then UM has to get into the title game”. To make it worse, I ususally have to do it in Sept.
Bottom line, you just can’t explain away a loss like that though. ND is a decent team this year, the schedule makes it tough to tell though (not a shot at you guys, can’t control how many teams will suck before the year starts). Beat USC and you’ll be in the BCS , if you don’t then you deserve the Gator and nothing more.
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By domer.mq October 25, 2006 - 3:47 pm
Well, at least we could finally get that Gator Bowl monkey off our backs.
I’m not trying to explain away anything. I can explain what happened though. That doesn’t make it magically go “poof.”
I leave you, DTK, with these 2 thoughts…
1) How much will you stroke when Ron English leaves UM for a HC job this year, and…
2) I wonder how many other tongues touched that poll before his.
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By The Biscuit October 25, 2006 - 4:43 pm
And I was not trying to ‘explain away’ the loss to Michigan. We got our asses handed to us, we got outplayed, all the things you’d want to say.
What I was saying is that ND should not be penalized any WORSE than ANYONE ELSE in the polls because of that loss. Others have been crushed by UNRANKED OPPONENTS (Auburn) and still remain above ND. We were beat by #2 in a blowout, but in a blowout that looked like more of a blowout than it actually was a blowout by the final score. Others move UP when they barely beat an unranked foe in the last minute (and not in the amazing way we did), but ND drops 2 spots.
It’s a question of relative reporting. Like the journalists that talked about the amazing pick on our opening drive returned for 6. What amazing pick? Carlson whiffed, that’s it. And I like that Forde finally squared it up and made it a bit less unbiased (or biased in our favor, if you want).
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By Deep TeaKup October 25, 2006 - 8:01 pm
Domer,
English leaving is a ral concern, the one consolation I have is that I don’t think (or hope anyway) he would be leaving for an MSU-type job.
To a certian extent I even understand the frustration about the poll rankings but I would offer two alternate theories. One, you squeaked by UCLA at home with their backup QB, UT beat a “heated” rival. Two, some people are punishing you guys for making there lofty preseason poll look bad.
But seriously, in the end it does not matter where you are ranked right now. Win out and you are in the BCS as at an large team. I don’t see any way for ND to get to the title game.
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By Deep TeaKup October 25, 2006 - 8:07 pm
can’t believe I used there instead of their
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By domer.mq October 25, 2006 - 9:50 pm
That’s what happens when English leaves.
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By JVH October 26, 2006 - 12:49 am
How about “Damn aren’t cha” Samardzija, as in “Damn, aren’t cha” glad he just carried that guy over the goal line. No? Then I’ll go with the Schwapp Pop. Or the Ndukwe Nudge.
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By Biscuit October 26, 2006 - 1:14 am
Ndukwe Nudge is good, except that he’s not on the O.
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