How many SEC teams would beat Notre Dame

[autigeremt 6,776]

ND last night would have lost to Ole Miss by 10. That was pathetic.

That being said, I think if we can tackle the defensive lineman down low on most plays and grab outside the pads the rest....and not get called for holding...we could win 5 straight BCS titles starting this year.

Oh...and interfere with the WR and TE until the bitter end of a pass play.

[PoetTiger 1,901]

ND had one good linebacker...and by the 2nd half their dline was gassed from the physical nature of the UA linemen. It's no coincidence Stanford nearly took them down - by physical hard nose play. ND would have went 8-4 at best in the SEC this year....

[mcgufcm 4,107]

So no one has a rebuttal on 2011 LSU? Funny. I didn't hear any "They're overrated!!" last year when an undefeated SEC team got their butts handed to them. One game doesn't make a team bad.

Take 2006 Auburn if you like. Were we talentless even though we got blown out by a bad UGA team? Of course not. Auburn had loads of talent then just like the only team that went undefeated in the regular season. Stop being silly revisionists.

[NoALtiger 3,873]

UGA and A&M would beat the crap outta ND. I think South Crackalacky, LSU, and UF would beat them too, just not as bad. You know, just a regular beatdown.

[tgr4lfe 220]

Yeah, I'm sure one game will erase four years of dominant play. Fellas, again, you're deluding yourself if you think that's a team without talent.

LSU looked worse last year than ND this year, but LSU ran the table in the SEC before getting housed. That was a very, very good team Alabama beat the brakes off last night. Nix, Teo, and Tuitt will all be very, very high draft picks. That's not a mistake. They're all top level players. They just got punished last night by a better coaching staff and an OL that was better than any line in college football by a wide margin.

According to y'all's standard, UGA was an awful defense too, and Jarvis Jones probably won't cut it in the NFL. I mean, Lacy and Yeldon made them look worse than Notre Dame. They racked up over 300 yards rushing. If Bama did that to John Jenkins and Jarvis Jones, they must be overrated, right?

Hey bammer they are saying what the whole country is saying right now, not trying to belittle your uat just saying what we all watched with our own eyes

You better check yourself, mcgufcm has been around here LONG before your ass & he is HUGE AU fan.

[AUGoo 2,666]

I remember two years ago allegations of Saban sign stealing. I have thought that Bama has looked too well prepared for the last two MNC games to the point of knowing what the other team is calling.

Thoughts?

[PowerOfDixieland 3,226]

And just so you don't launch into the "you're crazy about the talent level!" thing. Please. Nix, Tuitt, Lewis-Moore, Teo, and Shembo are all going to have very, very long NFL careers (barring injury). At least 3 of those guys (Nix, Tuitt, and Teo) are going to be first/second round type of guys. They were loaded. They just got out-coached and out-played.

Te'o was the first Notre Dame Heisman finalist since Brady Quinn

Te'o was the first Notre Dame unanimous all-American since Golden Tate.

Te'o was the first Notre Dame unanimous all-American linebacker since Michael Stonebreaker.

Those great college players didn't quite turn out to be great pros.

I am no pro talent evaluator, but Notre Dame greatness is a little bit like Bama national championships (made up). Te'o had a great season, but I'm a little suspicious that he was over-hyped by ESPN.

[johnjacob 44]

You fellas are deluding yourselves into thinking the layoff and the fast start didn't impact the final score. Notre Dame had as much talent in it's front seven as any team in the SEC, Bama included. Saban and that offensive line just schooled them. It happens.

Think about this. If LSU had come from a different conference last year (say, the Big 12) as an undefeated team and gotten spanked the way they did (basically never threatening to score, ever), you would've thought the same thing right? Multiple SEC teams looked better than the LSU team that no-showed for the national title game. But in reality, that was the best team in the conference over the regular season. Don't let one really, really bad game against a coach that clearly had his boys more prepared skew your view.

If they had played the full season in the SEC, that ND team would've been right there with Alabama, Georgia, Florida, LSU, A&M, and South Carolina. They probably would've lost a game or two (just like every single team in the prior list), but they probably would've scored a win against the conference elite as well (just like every single team in the prior list).

I'm mostly with you on this. I grew up an ND fan and glad, unlike most, that they are relevant again---aside from their spanking last nite. ND has talent and good coaches as you and others mention here. Te'o obviously was not a factor last nite. but saying he was overrated after the schedule they played and the hardware he picked up last month is very shortsighted (later post, not yours). He may or may not make it as an impact player in the pros, but he certainly made an impression in the college ranks this year...just not last nite...his stats and hardware speak for themselves. If ever a defensive player deserved the Heisman, he did.

And the fact they won close games should not take away from the season they had. As I recall, we had a few very close games that we probably should have lost in our NC run. Same could be said for the Turds the year before us...UTk missed three FGs, any which would have won them the game. We lead the Turds the whole game until the last minute and a half. So it would seem winning some close games and having a little luck is part of it.

If Oregon and K. State had not lost after UAt did, we would not even be having this conversation.

And I certainly agree that the time off affected ND more than UAt...and I think there is more than a little to having been there and done that than some gave due last nite.

I hate them, but that was as impressive a win as I have seen. The only team I see beating them next year is A&M. And think we will probably have a repeat with UGA in the SEC champ. again too. Hopefully, I will be wrong here and we'll make our presence felt again.

Their schedule was overrated. Michigan was average. USC was below average. Mich St was average. Stanford was good, but not SEC good. Like the poster earlier said they struggled to beat Pitt and an Ole Miss team that was 6-6 before the bowl game whooped Pitt easily. Sorry, but ND was overrated and didn't play anyone tough till bama.

[PoetTiger 1,901]

So no one has a rebuttal on 2011 LSU? Funny. I didn't hear any "They're overrated!!" last year when an undefeated SEC team got their butts handed to them. One game doesn't make a team bad.

Take 2006 Auburn if you like. Were we talentless even though we got blown out by a bad UGA team? Of course not. Auburn had loads of talent then just like the only team that went undefeated in the regular season. Stop being silly revisionists.

LSU played way to conservative for that 2nd game, and tried to use the same formula to beat them again, and it did not work.... Les played that game close to the vest with no offensive creativity........and deep down I believe his team felt they should not have to play a team they had beat already....no motivation IMO. The game was still a one possession game through second half and only one touchdown was scored...in the 4th qtr. So no LSU was not overrated......not to mention they went undefeated in SEC with two solid ooc wins against Oregon and WVU.....Notre Dame barely escaped Pitt and USC, and got some good luck against Stanford......

[phillyeagle 130]

Things we all know:

1.) ND was the only team to win all their games, so they got to play in the NCG.

2.) ND wasn't really that great (a top 10-15 team), and did not match up well with Bama, or Oregon, K State, or half of the SEC.

3.) ND played their worst game of the season last night by far.

4.) Bama was at the top of their game last night, both coaches and players.

All of those factors combined for a blowout victory for Bama. So what exactly are we arguing about?

[Stripe 5]

You guys that think ND is a good team and deserving to be in the NC game because they went undefeated are delusional. I'll give them the fact that they were undefeated, but thats where the credit stops. This is the same team that had to go in to overtime to beat Pitt. The same Pitt that Ole Miss stompped in their bowl game. I'm not saying that ND doesn't have some great players because they do, but as a team talent wise they are no where close to being able to compete with most teams in the SEC. Besides I think there are actually very few teams nationwide that could hang with Bama this year. As much as I hate it, they played a lights out season with the exception of the TAMU game.

[TheBlueVue 177]

Im not cnvinced Teo is going to be an NFL star. In fact, its my opinion if he played for Alabama he might not have even gotten to play in that BCS NC game. He looked average at best and he did not "miss" all those tackles....he could not tackle Bamas Rs, period. If he cant tackle college RBs he might struggle a little as a pro.

[TheBlueVue 177]

So no one has a rebuttal on 2011 LSU? Funny. I didn't hear any "They're overrated!!" last year when an undefeated SEC team got their butts handed to them. One game doesn't make a team bad.

Take 2006 Auburn if you like. Were we talentless even though we got blown out by a bad UGA team? Of course not. Auburn had loads of talent then just like the only team that went undefeated in the regular season. Stop being silly revisionists.

LSU didn't trail 28 - zip at the half either. Lets be honest here, if Bama had wanted to they could've put a 100 on the Domers Monday night.

[aucanucktiger 1,805]

Beat Notre Dame as in the way they played the other night or as in when Notre Dame pummled Oklahoma on the road or as in when they beat a Stanford team that finished in the top 5?

Bama is now 1-4 against Notre Dame in national title games. Bear was 0-4 against them.

[TheBlueVue 177]

Beat Notre Dame as in the way they played the other night or as in when Notre Dame pummled Oklahoma on the road or as in when they beat a Stanford team that finished in the top 5?

Bama is now 1-4 against Notre Dame in national title games. Bear was 0-4 against them.

That record is archaic. Its been SO LONG since Notre Dame was even competitive in bigtime college football and they certainly were not Monday night. In considering the shellackimg A&M put out on the Okies... it seems beating them isn't all its cracked up to be. If ND and Alabama played 10 times i dont think they'd fare one bit better in the other 9 games..thats just how i see it.

**Winning a couple games a year does not make a CS caliber team and I didn't see but one that I consider NC caliber Monday night

[keesler 5,932]

Notre Dame got man-handled, period. We ALL should know what that looks and feels like. When you go up against a team that is physically and mentally stronger than your team, when they are more prepared and better coached than your team. It sucks!

[TheBlueVue 177]

Notre Dame got man-handled, period. We ALL should know what that looks and feels like. When you go up against a team that is physically and mentally stronger than your team, when they are more prepared and better coached than your team. It sucks!

It amazes me how much credit ND gets for beating Oklahoma and Stanford. Having to come from way back against Pitt tells me all I need to know. With a schedule consisting of the service academies, Purdue, Indiana, etc...come on!!! They get credit for winning a couple games but please anybody who honestly believe that ND team would EVER beat that Alabama team is having a pipe dream.

[stryker 0]

You fellas are deluding yourselves into thinking the layoff and the fast start didn't impact the final score. Notre Dame had as much talent in it's front seven as any team in the SEC, Bama included. Saban and that offensive line just schooled them. It happens.

Think about this. If LSU had come from a different conference last year (say, the Big 12) as an undefeated team and gotten spanked the way they did (basically never threatening to score, ever), you would've thought the same thing right? Multiple SEC teams looked better than the LSU team that no-showed for the national title game. But in reality, that was the best team in the conference over the regular season. Don't let one really, really bad game against a coach that clearly had his boys more prepared skew your view.

If they had played the full season in the SEC, that ND team would've been right there with Alabama, Georgia, Florida, LSU, A&M, and South Carolina. They probably would've lost a game or two (just like every single team in the prior list), but they probably would've scored a win against the conference elite as well (just like every single team in the prior list).

Hard to believe you watch football and draw these conclusions. This ND team went to overtime with a average, at best, Pitt team and barely beat a poor USC team. This ND team was the worst NC contender since the BCS was formed. Depending on how the schedule fell this ND team would have lost 5 or 6 games in the SEC, .

[phillyeagle 130]

Notre Dame got man-handled, period. We ALL should know what that looks and feels like. When you go up against a team that is physically and mentally stronger than your team, when they are more prepared and better coached than your team. It sucks!

It amazes me how much credit ND gets for beating Oklahoma and Stanford. Having to come from way back against Pitt tells me all I need to know. With a schedule consisting of the service academies, Purdue, Indiana, etc...come on!!! They get credit for winning a couple games but please anybody who honestly believe that ND team would EVER beat that Alabama team is having a pipe dream.

Sometimes championship teams have bad games during the season. Not saying that ND was that great, but at least they had a strong enough schedule to deserve to play in the NCG with an undefeated record. With 1 loss, they would have been about #10, which would have been more accurate. On top of that, they played like crap, so they got blown out. I thought they'd lose by 3 TDs, but that they would at least make a game of it. Their undefeated record gave them a chance to prove us doubters wrong, but it turns out we were right to doubt them.

All the more reason for an 8-team playoff, so that we'll always have a couple of SEC teams represented, and a loss in the SECCG wouldn't necessarily knock you out of the playoff. Most of the time, even the #1 team losing the last game of the year would get knocked out of the top 4.

[auburn4ever 1,266]

I think we could have beaten the all powerful Notre Dame. But to answer your question, any SEC team would handle Notre Dame with no problem.

[TheBlueVue 177]

Both teams had a lay off. Why did it affect ND but not Alabama? As for the quick start...the game is for 60 minutes. Alabama got a pretty quick start on Auburn in 2010 but Auburn didn't fold like Notre Dame did. There are no excuses for what happened that changes the fact that Alabama's scrubs would've waxed ND 1st stringers. I thought to myself when Teo was doing his pregrame "strut'...dude! you're making a huge mistake and i didn't realize how right I was til Alabama got the ball on their 1st possession...after that the game was over!

[mcgufcm 4,107]

Who the hell did Bama beat?!? You're talking about what ND didn't do, but that's a joke. They beat a Stanford team that won the PAC 12 and finished in the top ten. They also beat an OU team in Norman that has lost 3 home games in seven years (you read that right) and tied for the Big 12 title. They embarrassed that OU team. They beat seven other bowl teams.

Bama, in comparison, beat a one-loss UGA team that won the East. They beat a three-loss LSU team. They beat three other bowl teams.

So you're telling me Alabama was the team with a great schedule and Notre Dame was undeserving? Give me a freaking break. They played like crap on the biggest stage and got embarrassed by the best team in the SEC (and the country). That doesn't diminish what they did in the regular season. Stop being revisionists.

[HarpyTrain 1]

Who the hell did Bama beat?!? You're talking about what ND didn't do, but that's a joke. They beat a Stanford team that won the PAC 12 and finished in the top ten. They also beat an OU team in Norman that has lost 3 home games in seven years (you read that right) and tied for the Big 12 title. They embarrassed that OU team. They beat seven other bowl teams.

Bama, in comparison, beat a one-loss UGA team that won the East. They beat a three-loss LSU team. They beat three other bowl teams.

So you're telling me Alabama was the team with a great schedule and Notre Dame was undeserving? Give me a freaking break. They played like crap on the biggest stage and got embarrassed by the best team in the SEC (and the country). That doesn't diminish what they did in the regular season. Stop being revisionists.

Choklahoma was over-rated (again) and btw, got their butts handed to them by a&m. Notre dame did not embarras OU; that game was close until the 4th quarter. Did you notice the big 12's bowl performance this year? Tcu, west Virginia, And Iowa state lost games they shouldn't have; both of their conference champs got blown out in their respective bowl games. Over all the big 12 finished 4-5 in their bowls. I would say that is weak and makes the win against Oklahoma not that huge of a deal. The only really food team they beat was Stanford, at home, with an extremely questionable call that gave them the win. The seven other bowl teams ND beat were mediocre teams with mosty 6-6 or 7-5 records; I mean heck, OU beat seven bowl teams in their conference . In short, ND's schedule was fairly weak. It may have looked good at the beginning of the year, but when it's all said and done they beat mostly average teams at best except Stanford. While I agree that a very good undefeated team can have a bad night like LSU last year; but this isnt a case where ND already played and beat bama once and had to play them again (say what you will but I dont see how any of that LSU team took that game seriously). This was a completely media driven matchup just like last year. It's both irritating and ridiculous. If we had a proper playoff (16 teams; 10 conf champs + 6 at large) non of us would be arguing over useless semantics. And I doubt ND would have gotten past the second round.

[mcgufcm 4,107]

ND deserved their spot in the championship over anyone else. Period. Any argument to the contrary is silly.

Should their spot have been given to an Oregon team that lost to Stanford (a team ND beat)? Should it have gone to KState? Didn't they both have the same marquee win? Isn't Stanford better than anyone KState played? Should it have gone to UGA even though they lost to South Carolina, had a shot at Bama and lost? Should it have gone to UF who wasn't good enough to win their division? Should it have gone to anyone else? Give me a break. This wasn't a media driven championship. The most deserving teams played for the title.

I don't care how you measure schedules. Find me the team that had more good wins (not the team that played more good teams and lost... Notre Dame never lost). They had a very, very good win in Stanford. They have a very good win in Oklahoma. They did beat the crap out of OU. I saw the game. It wasn't close in the fourth. It never felt like OU could score on them. They led at the half, led after three, saw OU score to even the game, and ran away from them. They held OU to 15 yards rushing. It wasn't particularly competitive. You can belittle the wins over 6 and 7 win teams if you want, but Bama didn't even have THOSE wins. They had wins over 9-loss Auburn, 8-loss Arkansas, and 7-loss Tennessee. If you think Pitt sucked, just imagine what they would've done to us.

If you want to rank the wins, Bama has the best win (UGA), then Stanford, then LSU (I guess), then Oklahoma, then Michigan (both teams), then there's a mess of average teams Mississippi State, Michigan State, Ole Miss, BYU, Miami, USC; then you have a mess even worse bowl teams: Purdue, Pitt. Note how the average or below average teams included mostly ND opponents. Bama had like 7 off weeks. Auburn sucked. Arkansas sucked. Tennessee sucked. Mizzou sucked. FAU, WKU, and WCU don't really deserve discussion. Despite that, I think they were the second most deserving team for a title shot. Notre Dame did the most to earn that spot. I genuinely don't understand arguments to the contrary.

At the end of the season, polls are not (or should not be) about what you think might happen if maybe Team A played Team B. It should be about one thing: what have you done? Period. Notre Dame did more than anyone to earn that shot at a title. One bad night doesn't change that. They didn't deserve a ring based on that no-show, but they definitely deserved the shot.

[bwillaub 0]

Well, chalk me up as a "silly" one too then. Notre Lame had no business in that game. They certainly proved they weren't a TOP 2 team in the country. Oregon would have beaten them by three touchdowns. UGA and USC1 would have beaten them too.