ND head coaches are often judged by what they achieve in their 3rd year at the helm. Some of the greats won it all in their third year. Kelly failed but did bring ND to the finals in his third year.
Things have changed a bunch since then (NIL, transfers, playoffs) but the end goal remains the same.
Just curious as to how you folks will judge Freeman after his 3rd year. Do you think getting to the playoffs is sufficient to judge Freeman as successful (i.e. as successful or more than Kelly)? If not, what? Winning the first playoff game? Making it to the quarterfinals, semifinals, finals?
Trying to be fair considering all the changes, doesn't ND have to finish 5th or better in the polls before the playoffs in order to say that Freeman is as successful as Kelly was in his third year?
That means they’d face the 12 seed and the worst of the 4 champs. 12-0, 11-1 gets them the “5” seed and should get them to the Final 4
To hear the lamentations of their women.
That’s what I expect.
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That being said, Brian Kelly borrowed too much from Lady Luck's bank, and reached his credit limit.
There was absolutely no doubt that Alabama was easily a head and shoulders above us that year. There's no shame in having lost to a much superior team.
However, either Oregon or especially Kansas State was easily beatable, but unfortunately for the Purple One, both of them choked at the end of the season.
Maybe it would have been for the better, since he would probably have had a better chance of getting a NFL job right there and then, had he won the NC.
What a dream scenario that would have been.
Agree with balance of your post as well.
A little insiight on why ND couldn't pull it off.
defense would keep it closer than they did but fully expected a Bama victory...yet I still paid for the trip.
Interestingly Rockne is our lone head coach who was successful without prior HC experience, and he won first consensus NC in 7th season.
Leahy, Ara, Devine and Holtz all came in with prior HC experience and all won a consensus NC in year 3.
Holding Freeman to the standard of winning a NC this season is unreasonable, but by year 5-7 he better have one under his belt or it's time to move on 100%...can't be giving guys 12 years anymore.
Link: ND NCs
Maybe people meant undefeated, and not natty...maybe it was the beer we were drinking...or maybe it was just the lack of Internet links and mobile phones for fact checking, but the proposition was never challenged when voiced.
Not challenging you now. Just saying fans can be fans.
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Link: https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/1920_Notre_Dame_Fighting_Irish_football_team#:~:text=In%20their%20third%20year%20under,total%20of%20251%20to%2044.
as the troll I've always suspected.
Actual ND fans know that we don't claim shared NCs. We claim consensus NCs...11 of them, not 12, not 13, not 22 and 1920 isn't one of them.
If you're going to try to cite 1920 as one, why not 1919 as well, or 2012..?
Claimed national titles
11 (1924, 1929, 1930, 1943, 1946, 1947, 1949, 1966, 1973, 1977, 1988)
Unclaimed national titles
11 (1919, 1920, 1927, 1938, 1953, 1964, 1967, 1970, 1989, 1993, 2012)
Link: Notre Dame Claimed National Championships
Don is right on this one.
AP didn’t start until ‘36 I believe.
We claim NCs for three of Knute Rockne's squads (1924, 1929, 1930) all before the AP and none were named '19 or '20.
Don is full of dog shit...here is a recognized list of NCs (we have a better claim to 1919) as Cal was named NC by the ones who were doing the naming of NCs at that time. https://www.ncaa.com/history/football/fbs
Billingsley is the one he's citing...as you can see below they didn't even exist until over 40 years after the year in question...and they didn't retroactively list ND as a 1920 NC until 2001 (81 fucking years after year in question) but Don fuckin Miller wants to claim the 1920 Natty even though ND doesn't.
FACT
Notre Dame claims 11 NCs...1920 ain't one of them.
Link: The Billingsley Report is a college football rating system developed in the late 1960s
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conquering all challenges placed in front of him.
If Freeman conquers all challenges placed in front of him in 2024 season, now 16 games, ND will be National Champions.
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Notre Dame has won 11 CONSENSUS national titles since their debut season in 1887, including 8 from major wire services (AP, Coaches), and they have a total of 22 titles if you include 11 unclaimed co-national champions.
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I think it's fair given the talent here to expect a top 5 finish. If Riley Leonard gets injured or shits the bed, we should still have very competent backups, but then I'd need to see some good decision making on who he plays to give us the best chance to win
made the playoff and won a playoff game by year 5 he should be gone.
Making the playoff at 11-1 or better and losing the first round would not be successful but it would be acceptable for a 3rd year HC.
Sneaking into the playoff at 10-2 and losing the first round would be no better than missing the playoff.
Making the playoff and winning a game would be a very positive indicator and should probably bring about a short term extension.
Making playoff and winning two or more games and we should probably lock him down long term.
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10-2 or 11-1 is minimum acceptable. Which should get them playoffs. Would love for them to go further but I would be satisfied. No more 3/4 loss seasons; not with this schedule.
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