Weis Thinks Irish on Cusp of Top 25, I Agree
When asked whether or not he thought his team should be ranked in the top 25 on Sunday, Charlie Weis said that his team was on the cusp of the top 25, but probaby not quite there yet.
Well, looking at the number of teams that have been evolving, and because I vote, you know, looking at the number of teams that have been going in and out of that bottom 15 to 25 range, I’d say you’re on the cusp. You’re one of those teams in that mix, in the conversation piece.
I mean, like Pittsburgh this week is not in the top 25. North Carolina’s not in the top 25. In the coach’s poll they aren’t because that’s the one I ended up seeing. But they weren’t in the top 25. So I’m looking at those teams. Those teams were in my top 25 because I’m looking at Pittsburgh just beat South Florida, who is ranked 10th, on the road. You know, how could I not put them in the top 25? But South Florida I saw was ranked 20th. I mean, I just don’t understand. Sometimes I just don’t understand how that happens. You beat a team, you have the same number of losses, you beat them at their place. I mean, that’s got to stand for something.
But I think that we’re on the cusp. I think this game this week, you know, you talk about polls, I can’t worry about the polls. But you go beat North Carolina at North Carolina, I’d say the odds are you’ll be in the top 25 next week.
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I agree with Weis here. Up until now, the Irish haven’t really done a whole lot to be upset about not being ranked at this time. A fourth quarter comeback over San Diego State, a win over a Michigan team with a losing record, a 14 point win over Purdue, and just a 7 point win over Stanford is not really the resume for a top 25 team. Now, if the Irish go into Chapel Hill this weekend and beat North Carolina, who is ranked #22 in the AP Poll, then we have a case.
It is odd to think of a 4-1 Notre Dame team not being ranked since it literally has never happened before, but that is the situation we find ourselves in because of being 3-9 last year. Notre Dame being absent from the polls this week is not the result of any media bias or conspiracy. It’s a result of coming off one of the worst season’s in school history.
If we keep winning, the rankings will take care of themselves and honestly, there are way too many problems left to fix on this team to even be worried about the rankings yet.
Frank Vitovitch has been Co-Owner and Editor in Chief of UHND.com since joining forces with Kyle Flavin in 1999. Since that time, he has written over 2,000 articles covering Notre Dame football, recruiting, and basketball. He also works with all staff and external writers on all articles published on UHND.com. Frank's love for Notre Dame football started at a young age watching Rocket Ismail give opposing coaches ulcers in the late 1980's. By day Frank works in marketing and holds a degree in Digital Media from Drexel University. Frank's work has been cited by online/print editions of NBC Sports, ESPN, and Sports Illustrated and has been quoted on air by ESPN's Collin Cowherd. He's conducted interviews with Notre Dame legends Rocket Ismail, Randy Kinder, Lee Becton, Reggie Brooks, Michael Stonebreaker, and Ned Bolcar among others over his 20+ years of covering Notre Dame football. He's also been published in the print edition of USA Today Sports Weekly and the USA Today College Football Preview multiple times. Other Published Works/Citations for Frank Three Reasons Notre Dame Will Beat Alabama - USA Today Notre Dame Suspends WR Kevin Stepherson, RB C.J. Holmes Indefinitely - Bleacher Report Notre Dame / Ohio State Fiesta Bowl Preview - Eleven Warriors Brace Yourself: The Fighting Irish are Relevant Again - Sports on Earth Interviews with the Enemy: A Q&A with Frank Vitovitch of UHND - Yahoo! Sports Five Good Minutes: Notre Dame Football Preview With UHND.com - BC Interruption Vicious Electronic Questioning with UHND - MGO Blog
We will be hard pressed to make any headway in the polls as long as Charlie is in charge of things. He doesn’t have a clue. He has to run the ball if he wants to win games.
Why do the sports writers waste time asking about this. It only really counts in November. Pretty simple too, Wins and Losses, and take a look at your opponents’ wins and losses. Throw some other indicator for strength of schedule and have at it. It only really matters for teams moving in and out of the Top 10. By November you have a pretty good idea.
And yes, Notre Dame is not overrated. But for all who say we are, or otherewise are haters, I say, every time they go out of their way to blast Notre Dame, the make us more relevant.
I agree on the running game and defense. We need 200+ yards on the ground and a new knock-out punch mentality…………KEEP SCORING and no FREE POINTS.
Goooooooooooo Irish!
I feel confident enough that the Irish will beat North Carolina if they bring their A+ game. Of course, they’ll have to bring their running game with them too if they want to win.
I think if we win this game on the road at UNC we should be in the top 20 heading into the bye-week. I am not so worried about our O as I am our D. We didnt play good run or pass D. We will need to step it up against Greg Little and UNC’s good WR.
I agree entirely. We don’t deserve to be ranked quite yet.
On the flip side, this says a lot about ND not being an overrated program.