Expectations: Somethings Gotta Give
We love team homerism. It usually peaks right before the season starts. Every fan has a license to dream and they utilize that freedom to dream big. Not one football has been snapped, but the prognosticators, the pollsters, and the fans have already figured out that this year is their team’s year.
A great example of team homerism is coming out of the Pacific Northwest. Washington has a freshman quarterback, a terrible coach, and the nation’s toughest schedule. That’s not stopping Washington fans from dreaming big. Check out this projection from the Washington Husky Sports blog: 8-5. Yeah, right. That’s got as much of a chance as Notre Dame starting 1-7.
Closer to home, the IRT wanted to take a look at the Georgia Tech/Notre Dame match-up from a fans perspective. We headed over to StingTalk.com and took a sample of their posters predictions on the game. 30 projections came to the average conclusion that Notre Dame would lose this Saturday 25.5 to 14.4.
Over at NdNation’s OWHF Prediction Contest a random sampling of 39 predictions foresee a 25.5 to 15.6 Notre Dame victory.
So GT fans expect an eleven point victory for the Wreck and ND fans expect a ten point victory for the Irish. Homerism at its best.
The only thing for certain is that somethings gotta give and one of the fan bases will truly be disappointed come Saturday evening.
We predict it’ll be the Yellow Jackets feeling yellow after a 31-10 drubbing at the hands of the mighty Irish. Ahhhh, homerism.
August 29th, 2007 at 5:18 am
[...] Today’s Roundup: 8/29/07 News: The biggest news from yesterday is that junior nose guard Derrell Hand, who was arrested for soliciting a prostitute a few weeks back, has been suspended for the first three games of the season. Coach Weis says the decision to suspend Hand was his, not the school’s.Contrary to the BGI report that sophomore WR Richard Jackson will miss the entire season with a fractured wrist, Coach Weis says he has been practicing and will be available to play. Jackson was not, however, listed among the top seven receivers on ND’s depth chart.There was practice yesterday, the first twenty minutes of which are dutifully covered by Ben Ford and Michael Rothstein.After practice, Weis told the players – but not the media – who the starting quarterback will be. The SB Tribune offers some insight into the QB situation, together with a quick rundown of some other news.UND.com has transcripts of the press conferences with Charlie Weis and John Carlson and Travis Thomas.Views:eTruth’s Ben Ford offers a rundown of the depth chart released yesterday, with a bit of commentary. Michael Rothstein weighs in with some analysis as well, as does the Domer Law Blog.AOL Fanblogger Brian Stouffer offers some perspective on the Derrell Hand situation.The Rock Report offers some sane analysis of what we should expect for the ‘07 season.The IRT points out that with fans of both ND and GT expecting big wins on Saturday, something’s gotta give. No prizes for guessing their pick.I’m not sure if I should link to it, but the other day I failed to mention Stewrat Mandel’s wonderful bit of, err, analysis of Charlie Weis’s decision not to reveal the starting QB before the GT game. Shove it, Stewrat.Players and Coaches:The Observer has a nice piece on the status of the kicking game – where sophomore walk-on Nate Whitaker and freshman Brandon Walker are currently listed as co-starters. Walker is also profiled by the South Bend Tribune.Ben Ford’s eTruth blog has a nice piece on QB coach Ron Powlus.The Fort Wayne Journal-Gazette has an article on freshman kick-returners Armando Allen and Golden Tate.The South Bend Tribune has a profile of first-year defensive coordinator Corwin Brown.The Chicago Tribune discusses defensive lineman Pat Kuntz and his crazy mohawk hairdo.Recruiting:’08 RB prospect Carlton Thomas is expected to be making an official visit to ND this weekend, and there are reports that ‘08 WR prospect Jonathan Baldwin may be visiting as well.Opponents:The Blue-Gray Sky continues their position-by-position analysis of our ‘07 opponents with a discussion of the linebacker position. In case you’ve missed it, they’ve already covered quarterbacks, running backs, wideouts, offensive linemen and tight ends, and defensive linemen.The AJC reports that Georgia Tech coach Chan Gailey won’t say whether freshman QB Josh Nesbitt will see the field in some special offensive sets.Alumni:Michael Rothstein’s Irish Insights blog has an interview with former Irish defensive lineman Ronald Talley.Patriots CB Mike Richardson, who seemed to be doing really well in camp, has broken his hand and will be on injured reserve for the season. __________________ irishroundup.blogspot.com [...]
October 4th, 2007 at 8:50 am
[...] IRT points out that with fans of both ND and GT expecting big wins on Saturday, something’s gotta give. No prizes for guessing their [...]