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Are College Football's Odds Stacked Against ND?

  • On January 1, 1989, ND won its last consensus national championship
    (some of us would claim that ND won another in 1993 but that's another
    story).

    Since that time what, in my fellow posters opinion, has changed in college
    football to prevent or at least make it very tough for ND to win another?
    For purposes of this thread, I thought we could dispense with ND's
    administrative deficiencies (real or imagined) as that has been recently
    covered in another thread. I also thought we would not focus on our
    coaching staff (also discussed repeatedly on different threads) or
    our players' attitude and morale since these are internal to ND.

    My question goes to a feeling I have seen expressed without much
    elaboration, that since the Holtz Era "college football has changed
    and not to ND's benefit." If so, in what way has college football changed?

    For example, conference realignment has implications for ND's
    independence but in and of itself, has conference realignment
    dimmed ND's national championship aspirations?

    Our schedule vs. others' schedule is certainly a topic but is
    our schedule our problem or college football's problem?

    The creation of the BCS? or a playoff? If we were winning
    enough, would this be a problem?

    Influx of money?

    Willingness to cheat (but haven't we always had "renegade"
    programs?

    Academics? But, wasn't this an issue in Holtz's time too?

    ESPN? David Haugh? Brian Hamilton? A Conspiracy at
    the Chicago Tribune?

    One thing that has struck me is that there seems to more "parity"
    in college football today than there was in Lou's time, that
    maybe in Lou's time, fewer teams could really challenge the
    NDs, Michigans, USCs, Miami, Oklahoma, Nebraska, Florida
    State, Ohio State and the like. There seems to be more talent
    spread out over more teams which makes it tough to run the
    gauntlet (but doesn't Alabama, LSU , Florida have gauntlets
    to run?).

    So, as long as we are in that time of year when philosophical
    threads like this are more appropriate, I thought I would
    ask---has college football itself changed in a way that
    the cards are stacked against ND? If so, How?

    What say you?

    hemy ●

  • Good thoughts.

    One factor IMO, is not necessarily college football changing, but communication and exposure.

    Not that long ago, there were practical limits on TV exposure for teams. There were only a few TV stations that carried games (almost all network) and they limited programming to only the top games each week. Therefor, potential recruits only saw only a limited number of teams, and if they wanted to play on TV in college, the available schools were limited. ND was shown frequently, even before the NBC contract, and that which was greatly multiplied by that contract. As a consequence, the better recruits were not as familiar with as many schools, and the TV lure also limited selection.

    Now, there are more than 30 stations broadcasting games each week, and most of those are devoted to showing several games a day. Recruits are exposed to many more schools,every week, and the lure of playing on TV is not as decisive, since almost every decent team will be shown at least several times a year.

    This has greatly increased the opportunity for a much larger number of schools to reach out to more recruits.

    Unfortunately, for various reasons, what has been shown on TV for Notre Dame in the past 2 decades, has not been always persuasive to many recruits. We live in an age of instant gratification, and rebuilding projects do not always interest many. Notre Dame's mystique and legend is based on events and times long before current recruits were born.

    Just a thought.

    However, without trying to sound trite about it, winning cures a lot of ills. I believe we're on the right track. Go Irish!

    This post was edited by nd3b on 5/12/2012 at 11:25 AM

    nd3b ●

  • Since Oaklahoma and Texas started winning again in the late 90s,the Irish get shut out landing 4 or 5 goods prospects almost every year in both States,thats hurt Notre Dame alot the last decade.

    canuck118

  • If we were going 10-2 every year and being screwed out of a shot, I'd say this thread made sense but since the on field product has been mediocre it is hard to say that somehow the deck is stacked against when we haven't even won a hand.

    signature image signature image signature image

    NDNJ96 ●

  • NDNJ96 said...

    If we were going 10-2 every year and being screwed out of a shot, I'd say this thread made sense but since the on field product has been mediocre it is hard to say that somehow the deck is stacked against when we haven't even won a hand.

    This.

    signature image signature image

    2011 B&G Poster of the Year, 2012 B&G Poster of the Year, 2013 Preseason B&G Poster of the Year

    merlin08 ●

  • merlin08 said...

    This.

    yep, i agree with that also.

    First time POTW for 4/18/2011-4/24/2011.

    edd1066

  • changing demographics in the last 25-30 years. ND's base, the midwest, is the rust belt; more people living in the south and west; less kids going to Catholic schools, which used to be a pipeline to ND. These changes have negatively impacted ND.

    Tshea ●

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