2008 Previews: Notre Dame

Preview No. 25 is Notre Dame, who last won a bowl game when I was in fifth grade. Previews of all 65 BCS conference schools, plus Notre Dame and state schools, will be posted daily in no particular order. To view all previews, click here.

Notre Dame was about as bad as any team has ever been last season.

They ranked dead last in offense (including 116th in scoring, 115 in rushing and 110th in passing), and put up some exaggerated defensive numbers (39th in the nation) because team’s didn’t really bother on the offensive end against them.

Virtually everywhere you looked (especially on offense) players looked like they had no idea what they were doing, and it showed in a 3-9 season (that could’ve easily been 1-11 or even 0-12).

This year, things should be better.

Much-ballyhooed Jimmy Clausen returns for his second year as a starter and has beefed up after taking an unbelievable beating last season. Four starters return from an offensive line that has nowhere to go but up (as bad as the Irish were everywhere, they were the absolute worst up front). They return six of their top seven pass-catchers (not that anyone was catching a lot of passes).

The defense must replace six starters, but has the added presence of Jon Tenuta, who arrived from Georgia Tech to help out defensive coordinator Corwin Brown.

Charlie Weis took a lot of heat last year, and deservedly so, but he has a chance to have the Irish moving significantly forward in 08 with a little bit of luck and some strong coaching.

Here’s the schedule:

Sept. 6: San Diego State
Remember all those stories over the years about the Irish softening up their schedule? Here you go. NBC can’t be happy about this.

Sept. 13: Michigan
The Irish have a slight chance of taking this one, considering all the upheaval in Ann Arbor. But the Wolverines are good enough to win this one.

Sept. 20: at Michigan State
MSU doesn’t have a great history at home against Notre Dame, but I like their chances this year.

Sept. 27: Purdue
If the Irish are going to get back to bowl eligibility (which I think they will) they have to have this one.

Oct. 4: Stanford
These two closed out last season with a game that set football back at least 10 years (seriously, look at these stats, but the Irish win a much better played game this year.

Oct. 11: at North Carolina
The Tar Heels get a nice showcase of their newfound talents.

Oct. 25: at Washington
The Irish may very well be the final deathblow to the Ty Willingham era in Seattle.

Nov. 1: Pittsburgh
Anything’s possible with Weis and Wannstache prominently involved.

Nov. 8: at Boston College
The Eagles are rebuilding this year.

Nov. 15: vs. Navy (at Baltimore)
The Irish start another multi-generation winning streak over the Midshipmen.

Nov. 22: Syracuse
Even if Notre Dame is still really bad this year (which is possible) they still aren’t as bad as Syracuse.

Nov. 29: at USC
This will be the only time ND is blown out (probably).

I really think the Irish can go 7-5 this year and sneak their way into some bowl game somewhere.

2008 Previews: Colorado

Preview No. 24 takes us to Colorado, where they play BIG 12 FOOTBALL, BROTHER. Previews of all 65 BCS conference schools, plus Notre Dame and state schools, will be posted daily in no particular order. To view all previews, click here.

Dan Hawkins is still pulling the Buffaloes out of the disastrous last few years of the Gary Barnett regime, and they’re looking at at least one more year of rebuilding to get back to competing in the improving Big 12 North.

Coming off a 6-7 season that could’ve been worse or better, depending on your perspective, the Buffs return 14 starters, most of whom were forced into action as freshmen, sophomores or walk-ons over the last two seasons.

Quarterback and ace coach’s son Cody Hawkins returns after putting up big numbers in his freshman season, and should only be better with three offensive linemen returning and most of his receivers.

The Buffs lost super running back Hugh Charles, but return several backs with experience, as well as super stud recruit Darrell Scott, who will probably be starting by the third or fourth game. If not sooner.

Defensively the Buffs return eight starters, including five of the front seven. But they must replace linebacker Jordan Dizon and his 10 billion tackles (seriously, look it up).

The secondary is thin, which isn’t great for a unit that was 103rd in pass defense last season.

There are a lot of ways to look at this season (the Buffs, as always, face a tough conference and non-conference slate).

Here’s the schedule:

Aug. 31: vs. Colorado State (at Denver)
The Rams have won this rivalry game far more times than they should have over the years, but don’t look for that result this year.

Sept. 6: Eastern Washington
While Colorado almost always has one or more high-quality out-of-conference games on the schedule, they also always seem to schedule a game like this.

Sept. 18: West Virginia
The Mountaineers will be more tested by the high altitude than by the Buffaloes themselves.

Sept. 27: vs. Florida State (at Jacksonville, Fla.)
Colorado played the Noles tough in Boulder last year, but FSU should be rolling by this point when they get all their suspended players back.

Oct. 4: Texas
The Longhorns will struggle a bit this year, but should have enough to win this one.

Oct. 11: at Kansas
Most likely a fourth straight loss for CU.

Oct. 18: Kansas State
Nothing like facing a team deficient in the mental toughness category to get over a losing streak.

Oct. 25: at Missouri
There will be a lot of points scored in this one.

Nov. 1: at Texas A&M
If the Buffaloes plan to go to a bowl, they need this one.

Nov. 8: Iowa State
Probably the one Big XII game on the schedule that gives them a breather.

Nov. 15: Oklahoma State
See: Texas A&M.

Nov. 28: at Nebraska
The Buffs won last year, but should face a much better (and tougher) Husker squad in Lincoln.

Despite what should be a lot of improvement across the board, with that schedule I can’t see the Buffs doing better than 6-6. You could make the argument that they could get seven or eight wins, but you could also make the argument for the same amount of losses.

2008 Previews: Minnesota

The tastefully mascotted Minnesota Golden Gophers are preview No. 23 on our list. Previews of all 65 BCS conference schools, plus Notre Dame and state schools, will be posted daily in no particular order. To view all previews, click here.

Minnesota fired Glen Mason after a decade at the school for no real good reason other than that he’d been there a while and hadn’t made the Gophers a serious contender in the Big Ten. In reality, they had probably done about as well as could possibly be hoped.

The football gods, realizing this, punished the Gophers and new head coach Tim Brewster with a 1-11 record in his first season (that could’ve easily been 0-12) including a loss to FCS school North Dakota State.

There’s plenty of returning experience, including Auburn High product Ralph Spry Jr. at wide receiver, but things don’t look to be significantly better in 2008.

Sophomore Adam Weber returns after a record-setting freshman season, but considering Minnesota has been a power-rushing team since the dawn of time it’s not like those records were all that daunting (he set a school record with 2,895 yards passing). He also led the team in rushing.

Eight other starters return from an offense that did score points on occasion, but the Gophers are going to have to be better on defense if they’re going to come anywhere close to .500.

Virtually the entire front seven returns, but the front seven was probably the weakest part of the defense last season. And the Gophers must replace three of four starters in the secondary.

Phil Steele believes the Gophers might have a chance to make a bowl game, Athlon and I say otherwise.

Here’s the schedule:

Aug. 30: Northern Illinois
Minnesota should start off the year with a nice win.

Sept. 6: at Bowling Green
The Gophers couldn’t beat the Falcons in the Metrodome last year, and there’s no reason to think they can do it on the road this time around.

Sept. 13: Montana State
Considering they lost to an FCS school last year (albeit a much better one) there’s no reason to chalk this up as a gimme.

Sept. 20: Florida Atlantic
The Owls became the first Sun Belt team to beat a Big Ten school last year, and should become the first one to do it in the Big Ten school’s house this time around.

Sept. 27: at Ohio State
Unless the Buckeyes are suffering a huge hangover from their upset loss to Troy (just kidding) this one will be a walk.

Oct. 4: Indiana
If the Gophers are going to come anywhere close to five wins they need this one.

Oct. 11: at Illinois
The Illini rolled up over 650 yards of offense in the Metrodome last year, but without Rashard Mendenhall this should only be a run-of-the-mill blowout this season.

Oct. 25: at Purdue
The Joe Tiller Farewell Tour will be in full gear at this point.

Nov. 1: Northwestern
Minnesota probably has a chance in this one, but not much of one.

Nov. 8: Michigan
The Gophers aren’t getting back the Little Brown Jug this year.

Nov. 15: at Wisconsin
Minnesota has had an uncanny ability over the years to beat (or at least stay close to) Wisconsin even when they’re an inferior team.

Nov. 22: Iowa
The Hawkeyes finish another underwhelming season with a win.

I don’t see Minnesota doing any better than 3-9, but if the stars align right they might sneak their way to five wins.

Vacation

Starting tomorrow, I’ll be on vacation.

What’s that you say ... I’ve been on blogging vacation for, well, ever?

Ouch. That stings. But you’re right. The Lazy Blog has been struggling for content lately. Well, you shouldn’t be surprised, it’s called the Lazy Blog for a reason.

Anyway, I’m heading out to the Sunshine State for 10 glorious days of fun and sun and golf. A lot of golf. I’m planning to play as much golf as humanly possible on my vacation. Seriously. I’m planning on hitting 60-degree wedges at each rest stop ... that’s how much golf I’m going to play.

When I get back, football season will be upon us like a defensive lineman on a meatball. I can’t wait. Well, yes, yes I can.

I love football just as much as the next guy ... the season that is. The preseason is not so much fun. And I’m not talking about preseason practice ... I’m talking about the preseason for writers and newspaper folk. The summer is where we do all our work for football tabs, special sections, Web packages and all that jazz. Mid-July and the beginning of August is what I like to refer to as LOCKDOWN ... Getting ready for football season is like going into solitary confinement.

Just bread and water and a whole lot of planning, writing and designing. Hence the vacay now.

Anyway, when we get back, we’ll hit the ground running ... we’ve got some special things for all you Auburn football fans with a new redesign of our site AuburnVersus.com. So check that out and I’ll see you in a couple weeks ...

Cheers.

2008 Previews: Nebraska

Nebraska is 22nd on the list. Previews of all 65 BCS conference schools, plus Notre Dame and state schools, will be posted daily in no particular order. To view all previews, click here.

People in Nebraska are excited again.

Gone are the dark days of Bill Callahan, and here are brighter days of Tom Osborne as athletic director and Bo Pellini as head coach.

Nebraska’s a lot like Alabama in that the residents don’t have a lot to think about other than how their college football team is doing. But unlike our state, Nebraska only has one.

And when Callahan came in and dumped the option, that was sin No. 1.

Fans could’ve forgiven that, but then Callahan started snubbing past Cornhusker greats, and especially Osborne.

He also abandoned Osborne’s famed walk-on program.

All these things might’ve been forgiven if the Huskers had actually, you know, won. But Nebraska was just 27-22 under Callahan, and missed bowls twice after making them in 35 straight seasons prior to his arrival.

So now they’re turning a new page. Or maybe an old one.

Pellini arrives to 12 returning starters.

The passing offense will probably remain intact, since they retained Callahan’s offensive coordinator. Returning QB Joe Ganz averaged a whopping 466 yards per game in his three starts at the end of the year and should only be better

But look for the offense to rely on the run just a little bit more with a 1,000-yard rusher in Marlon Lucky returning. Because they’re going to have to take the pressure off a defense that gave up a whopping 33 points per game.

They drop Texas from the Big XII schedule but pick up Oklahoma and Texas Tech, but this should be an improved team.

Here’s the schedule:

Aug. 30: Western Michigan
A nice start to the Pellini era.

Sept. 6: San Jose State
No worries here.

Sept. 13: New Mexico State
The third tune-up for a big one.

Sept. 27: Virginia Tech
The Huskers will be fired up for this one, but VT should be able to come in and win.

Oct. 4: Missouri
The Tigers won’t beat them as bad as they did last year (41-6), but should win.

Oct. 11: at Texas Tech
The last time the Huskers visited Lubbock they lost 70-10. It won’t be that bad, but they’re not winning this one.

Oct. 18: at Iowa State
A nice salve after what will probably be three straight losses.

Oct. 25: Baylor
It’s Bear season in Lincoln.

Nov. 1: at Oklahoma
This is the one game the Huskers have absolutely no chance of winning.

Nov. 8: Kansas
I’m not sure I’m prepared for a world where Kansas is a favorite in Lincoln, Neb., but we’ve entered it.

Nov. 15: at Kansas State
This will be a tough one, but the Huskers should pull through.

Nov. 28: Colorado
The Huskers get revenge for the loss last year, but don’t look for a repeat in the score department (65-51!).

With a defense that can only go up and an offense that should put up good numbers, there’s no reason this team can’t be 7-5 or better.