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cloudboy -> RE: Notre Dame: 0-4! (9/24/2007 9:33:30 PM)
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One might argue instead that ND was "surprising" the last two years.
>In assessing Penn State’s 31-10 victory over Notre Dame, Coach Joe Paterno said at his weekly news conference: “Notre Dame has got some problems. They didn’t challenge us, really.”
Such underperformance raises a serious question about whether Notre Dame, and similarly Michigan, can hope to contend regularly for national championships without lowering their academic standards. This quandary occurs as many top recruits seem less sentimental about tradition and more interested in positioning themselves for big money in the N.F.L.
“The balance of power will shift to universities that have the lowest resistance to taking the top athletes with weaker academic preparation,” said Michael Oriard, an English professor at Oregon State and a former Notre Dame captain. “It’s already happening.”
Effectively, Notre Dame is now a third-tier team, Stanford with a national television contract. The Fighting Irish are 19 years removed from their last national championship, and they have endured nine consecutive losses in bowl games.<
From what I've seen myself, ND simply isn't competitive in the trenches. This season promises to be the worst the school has ever had in many, many years --- making the Faust and Davie teams look remarkably good.
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