Irish Get One First Place Vote In The Polls… From Brian Kelly
Chicago Sun Times - Brian Kelly believes he has the best college football team in the country. Kelly voted the Irish No. 1 on his coaches’ poll ballot, the only coach to do so. No. 1 Oregon got 44 first-place votes, and No. 2 Kansas State garnered 14. Notre Dame is third in the poll and third in the BCS standings (Kansas State is No. 1, Oregon No. 2) as Alabama fell to No. 5 after its loss to Texas A&M on Saturday. The reason Kelly believes his team is the best is because the numbers say his defense is the best. And Kelly, long known for his offensive-minded approach, is now a firm believer that defense wins championships.
‘‘The distinction of this team is it’s the No. 1 scoring defense in the country,’’ he said. ‘‘It’s proven that against very good teams all year. If you look at national championship-caliber football, you’ve got to look at a defense. That’s why we feel strongly that our football team has put [itself] in the discussion.’’ Saturday’s 21-6 win over Boston College was the latest example of the Irish’s defensive prowess, as they held a team out of the end zone for the fifth time this season. The Irish — tied with Alabama atop the charts, allowing a scant 11.1 points per game — have given up just nine offensive touchdowns in 10 games. No other team has allowed fewer than 14.
Can’t say I don’t respect this move by Brian Kelly. If you’re going to give a coach a ballot and tell him he can vote for his own team don’t be surprised if he’s riding high after laying wood to a 2-8 powerhouse like Boston College and throws his squad up at the top. I mean yeah it might make more sense to vote Oregon because they put up like 85 points a game and are totally unstoppable or Kansas State because they actually play good teams most weekends. But that’s why Brian Kelly’s a head coach and you and I aren’t. Dude knows a little BC and Pittsburgh sprinkled in here and there is a golden recipe for National championship glory. Unless there’s other teams that just win out and are probably better than you. Then you’re fucked.
neil and notre dame. a perfect match
Oregon has no defense and plays scrubs; K State is legit but would struggle against ND’s Def and Oregon’s Off; ND has no offense but has the toughest schedule in football and is still 10-0.
K St 1; ND 2; Alabama 3; Georgia 4; Oregon 12.
great write up neil, except for the part where you didnt go fuck yourself
#21 Michigan, #13 Stanford, #12 Oklahoma, #18 USC. Do you even watch sports, or do you just base your opinion on what you hear your BF and his friends talk about while you bring them beers during the game?
Neil how are you still employed? This is an honest question
neil k state and notre dame have both played and beat 4 top 25 ranked teams. and notre dame has held those teams to 11.1 points per game. id say they are pretty dam even. although i think nd could stop that wannabe tebow klein dead in his tracks. and oregon would absolutely blow k state the fuck out. so shut the fuck up. if kelly wants to vote for his team he can vote for his team. hoping for an ND vs. Oregon Nat’l title game
how is it that Kansas St is number 1 …does a big 12 team have any signature wins at all..compare their schedule to the schedule that ND pplays…it is not even close…who cares how u win ( i don’t hear a single person talking about how Florida barely beat La Lafayette)…Brian Kelly is the only guy who got the vote right….it will work out int the end…prolly be ND over Bama.
neil, you’re like the unathletic lame 5th grader who my mom made me play with because she was friends with your mom, and you’d inevitably start crying when you got hit in the mouth with the basketball
Neil: a gentleman named mudbutt just owned you. Time to hang up the bloggers hat and try something new in life.
God I hate ND. Can’t wait until they lose regular season or get their ass kicked in a BCS bowl.
Pre-season unanimous toughest schedule. ND can’t hlp how the season shakes out but they started the schedule with what EVERYONE believed to be the nation’s toughest schedule and are UNDEFEATED. SHUT UP NEIL
@Murphy82 – You’re an idiot
Every team in the SEC has a tougher schedule than ND, K-State, and Oregon. Once one of those teams takes out an SEC opponent I will start giving them more credit. I mean, we all remember what happened the last time we let Oregon play for the title…
you do not know what the fuck you are talking about in the world of sports. there are other things you are good at that you should stick to…like posting pictures of tits and asses and not providing any further thoughts on them, because you love balls in your face
The problem is preseason polls. As an article on Yahoo put it:
“Who’s more deserving of No. 2 isn’t the point here. Just know that if Notre Dame held off FSU LAST YEAR, the Irish would have started the season well ahead of Kansas State in the preseason polls, and due to their computer strength would today have a clear path to play for the title this year.”
Neil, I have tried to stay out of the whole everyone hates you, your own boss ridicules you and laments the day he hired you stuff. but Christ almighty, you really are a fucking incompetent, humorless faggot, aren’t you?
nixtysine, Oregon lost the National Championship on a last second field goal. That might not be the best example for SEC dominance.
@MonkeyKnifeFight – key words in your comment “Oregon Lost”, the SEC has claimed the last 6 National titles, 7 total over the last decade. Hows that for a good example of dominance???
this is a chicago blog, bashing notre dame is a baaaaad career move. That being said they need to blow out wake forest by 30+ and handle USC, and have KState and Oregon lose to get in. Part of the problem of not being in a conference is the lack of comparables in a consistent schedule. ND is a good squad, but they needed to win their games by a wide margin to garner more respect and be in the top2. it is kinda a shame that its not whether you win its by how much that counts in college football these days.
^^*KState OR Oregon on my above comment, not and
ND is hurt by the fact that its not in a conference. Coaches have incentive to rank teams in their conference high to help build the conference brand and share in the financial rewards of making a National Championship game. Because ND is independent, Brian Kelly will likely be the only coach giving the Irish a #1 vote.
notre dame fucking blows. right on neil
Has there ever been an employed human being in history that deserves to be fired more than Neil?
ND is going to get shit on in whatever bowl they show up at