2006 Or Bust?

Good.

I hope the SC staff isn't really that foolish. However, it does sound like something Kiffin and the other young coaches might assume.

Last year's game should be Exhibit A on how a vastly inferior team nearly beat one of the most talented SC teams of all time. I can't imagine the talent gap for the forseable future ever being as large as it was last year.

But with Jimmy Clausen at QB, he will become a draw for other recruits, just as O.J. Mayo has for the SC basketball program - Marc Tyler notwithstanding!!!

Those people would be correct. The next chance ND has to beat SC if they don't get it done on Saturday is 2008. Next year they will have a freshman heavy team (probably led by Jimmy Clausen) and USC will be returning almost all their defensive starters as well as Booty and the entire backfield. They will get destroyed in South Bend. The talent gap may not be as large as 2005 but the experience gap will be huge next season. They do have a chance to get USC in 2009 in Los Angeles though it will be a battle. Mark Sanchez vs. Jimmy Clausen should be a good one. Mark Sanchez will be a redshirt junior and the WR and RB spots will both have ridiculous depth and experience.

You could say they have a lot of senior starters because they weren't good enough to turn pro after their junior year (except Fasano who was picked before Byrd). With a fourth year starter at QB who could possibly pull out the Heisman with a Palmer-Leinart-like performance, I agree this is their best chance until Clausen is a soph/junior. Just don't be over-confident for this one. The key will be to contain Quinn who is by far the best QB the Trojans have faced this year. Wouldn't it be great for Mr. Heisman to go 0-career versus SC? But if that happens, he'll be Mr. Heisman runner-up.

A Notre Dame fan here to chip in 2 cents. Many Irish fans feel that there will be a drop off next year. Ty did not recruit well in his last two years and many of those he did recruit left the program. So next year's Senior class is sparse although there are some good Seniors from this year that could petition for another year. That said, most Irish fans feel that the year after next will be a good year with Weis' recruiting and system really paying off.

Hope this weekend's game is another classic but I'd be lying if I said I wasn't wishing for a different outcome. Good luck to both sides. Go Irish!

Hey Tim,

Keep in mind Weis has not made good on his promise to ND on defeating USC. He promised that to the alumni the first year and we all know what happened.
If he gets crushed in the coliseum Saturday there may be a good chance he tucks tail and runs back to the NFL because if he loses this year, he will definitely lose the next year against the same USC team (only stronger) on both sides of the ball.
Personally I'm hoping this happens. A professional does not have to resort to such cheap tactics like growing the grass tall to help his team win the football game. He had little faith in his team to try and beat SC straight up last year.

Fight On!

Analyze this Charlie: Get ready to assume a loser's role. No tape necessary.

Clausen is a great talent, but he did not bring a bunch of other recruits to ND like people thought. ND is still having a bitch of a time recruiting on the defensive side of the ball, most notably the front 7.
In fact next years dline will be a joke. This is Irish's last shot for awhile. If not, USC will dominate next year in South Bend and will most likely beat ND the following year out here.
Best shot will be Clausens junior year out in South Bend, which may be his last year ironically.

Last shot until next year. We still have a lot of catching up to do. What was it? 11 straight losses? (or somewhere in that range)