B/R Notre Dame Community Roundtable: '09 Season Predictions, Pt. 2

Four regular contributors to the Notre Dame Bleacher Report community (Dan Scofield, Michael Collins, Marc Halsted, and Mike Muratore) take a look into Lou Holtz's magic ball and predict the fate of the '09 season in Pt. 2 of the discussion started here:

Boston College, Oct. 24

Dan Scofield: Coming off Charlie Weis’ statement win, the Irish will need to keep the momentum going with a win against one of their least favorite opponents. After the loss of the bulk of their defensive line, BC will be unable to stop the likes of Allen, Aldridge, and new fan-favorite Jonas Gray. Last year’s embarrassment will be made up for with a comfortable win thanks to Verducci and his troops.  ND, 28-14.

Michael Collins: A seasoned, tough offensive line grinds away at Notre Dame’s defense in a classic trap game. But key losses on the Eagles’ defensive line allow the Irish to control the tempo. Verducci and the O-line get the game ball.  ND, 21-14.

Mike Muratore: BC is a close second to Michigan State as the team that Notre Dame finds a way to lose to all the time. But this year key losses on the defensive line as well as a regime change will have the Eagles in a weaker state than years past. Notre Dame should be able to run well and much more freely than a year ago. I wouldn't expect a blowout, but a solid win should be probable. ND, 24-13

Marc Halsted: BC could be coming off its fourth straight ACC loss when they arrive in South Bend.  The Irish could be coming off a devastating USC loss. Weis will be coaching for his job as and could open up the offense for a Purdue redux.  The battle of Catholics ends with 40 ND points, an Irish defensive showcase, and enough payback to make every Notre Dame fan forget 16-0 in 2008.

Washington State, Oct. 31

DS: Coming as a sigh of relief for the Irish, the Cougars’ suffer a beating on a cold, Halloween night. Clausen connects for multiple touchdowns in the first half, paving the way for Crist and the predecessors to dominate the second half. ND, 38-7.

MC: Battered after two tough games, San Antonio provides relief in a bowl game atmosphere. Washington State is pounded and buried. Crist, Wood, Evans and some of next year’s O-line get significant PT. ND,49-7.

MM: Notre Dame travels a long way to beat a bad team. Washington State could be the weakest team on the Notre Dame schedule. ND, 41-10.

MH: Forget the Syracuse talk. The Irish will be 5-2 and looking to build momentum in the second half of the season. You can’t name a Cougar player on the roster and neither can Clausen. The captain passes for 300 yards and the Irish roll to a deliberate and necessary victory in the Alamodome.

Navy, Nov. 7

DS: The Midshipmen roll into Indiana with more confidence than most against the Irish. After an escape in 2008 and a loss in ’07, Notre Dame understands they cannot take the academy for granted. The triple-option poses problems for Tenuta’s defense, but the offense carries the Irish to victory, once again.  ND, 27-20.

MC: Weis uses his bigger running backs—Aldridge, Gray, Hughes and Wood—most of the day against an undermanned Navy defensive front that never gives up. ND, 31-10.

MM: The Irish return to dominating the Midshipmen with slight difficulty at controlling the triple option offense. Navy's grind-it-out style will keep the point tally low, and the score respectable, but Notre Dame should win this game easily. ND, 28-14.

MH:The last time Notre Dame played host to the Midshipmen we all witnessed an image-altering loss for Coach Weis. 2008 was almost as painful for the Irish, despite the razor-thin victory. Nobody plays harder at South Bend than Navy but the offensive production from the first eight games carries the confident Irishmen to another important win. Close, but a win is a win.

At Pittsburgh, Nov. 14

DS: The most painful game I watched last year was the overtime loss to McCoy. Even though he has moved on, I still don’t get a good feeling from this game. It sets up as the ideal trap game after an undefeated start, and the game is being played in Pittsburgh. The Irish always seem to lose “one they should win,” so I’ll take that loss here in a close game. Pitt, 24-20.

MC: The Panthers’ defensive unit slows Clausen and the Irish running game down. Weis takes advantage of a weaker Pitt linebacking corps as Rudolph and the running backs see more short passes. Frank Cignetti compensates for Pitt’s loss of McCoy with a more varied offense. ND, 27-17.

MM: Ghosts from a year ago leave a lingering bad feeling about the Panthers. Despite the Pitt losing many of the players that came back to beat the Irish a year ago, they are still enough of a threat that this should be a good game. Notre Dame on paper has the upper hand, and should prevail, but expect this one to be a little stressful. ND, 24-21.

MH: Heinz Field, a veteran QB, and a young and talented roster full of Dave Wannstedt’s recruits await the Irish in Pittsburgh. Win and the Irish go to a respectable southern location for the holidays. Lose and the Irish will be staring at 9-3, answering more questions about Coach Weis, and packing for a mid-major bowl. The Irish defensive line comes of age and the defensive backfield ball-hawks Bill Stull to an enormously important mid-November Notre Dame win.

Connecticut, Nov. 21

DS: Zach Frazier’s homecoming to Notre Dame is ruined with plenty of sacks and hurried pass attempts. Without Donald Brown, the UConn offense offers no threat to the top-25 Irish defense. Jonas Gray and Allen combine to run for 175 yards and three touchdowns. ND, 35, 17.

MC: Frazier returns to ND and is punished with sacks and tackles for losses. Armando Allen runs for over 100 yards and two touchdowns. ND, 31-14

MM: Had the Irish played UConn last year, there would have been great cause for alarm. However with the Huskies in a bit of a rebuild and the Irish believed to be reaching their peak, as long as Notre Dame's semi-annual "Senior Day Letdown" doesn't take place, Notre Dame should send the crowd away happy. ND, 28-17.

MH: The Huskies will be the victims of a video game explosion from the Irish offense. Frazer will offer up a passionate performance in his return to South Bend but the Irish will be too close to a ten-win season to let UConn into the game. Another Irish pounding, another 35-plus points, and another statement for the selection committees to consider.

At Stanford, Nov. 28

DS: It was tempting to predict the one-loss for the Irish in this game, but they will end the year on a high note. Stanford will have suffered losses to the elite of the Pac-10 and their freshman signal-caller will not be ready for Tenuta’s mastermind. This is a must-win for the BCS-bound Irish. ND, 21-13.

MC: National Championship talk and Stanford lurks.The Cardinal has veteran leadership and one less returning starters than Notre Dame. QB play is the difference. Freshman Andrew Luck cannot compete with Clausen, who has a California Dreamin’ day. Erik Lorig meets Sam Young, all day. ND, 28-21.

MM: Should Notre Dame enter the game undefeated, I believe they lose. Jim Harbaugh has the Cardinal improved from a season ago, when Notre Dame routed them soundly before surviving a furious comeback (although that was the theme last year). I think that either Notre Dame will dominate from the start or Standford will win a close one. Plus, Notre Dame will probably lose one game that they "should" win. Stanford, 28-27.

MH: Coming off blowout losses to Oregon, USC, and Cal, Jim Harbaugh will pull out his best motivational material to fire up the Cardinal for Notre Dame Week to no avail. The stars come out for this one and the Irish find their 10th win, national respect, and tickets to...

Bowl Game Projection

DS: After a disappointing loss at Pittsburgh, the Irish are left out of the national championship conversation. Notre Dame lands in the Fiesta Bowl against Alabama. Taking the Tide to the wire, the Irish lose out on yet another BCS win, but Weis is no longer on the hot seat. It may be a bit early, but I predict Notre Dame takes home the hardware in 2010.

MC: Notre Dame finishes third in the BCS Standings and goes to the Fiesta Bowl where they meet Oklahoma.

MM: ND finishes 10-2, probably getting an invite to a BCS bowl. Which bowl depends upon which teams make it to the championship game. If Florida and Oklahoma are the BCS title game, I'd expect Notre Dame to play in either the Fiesta or Sugar bowl against either Alabama or Penn State. I can't make a win/loss prediction yet...and won't until I see some actual football!

MH: Phil Steele, Scout.com, and Sports Illustrated picked the Irish to end up at the Gator Bowl and two weeks ago, so did I. I’m with Lou and Beano now and I’m buying a BCS bid. ND must be in the top eight of the rankings to make it and they’ll rely heavily on the success of teams on their schedule.

If the strength-of-schedule goes up and the 10 wins impress the writers and coaches, Notre Dame should be headed for the Sugar Bowl. The opponent? One-loss SEC champ Florida, who will be left out of the USC vs. Oklahoma national championship game in Pasadena.