Indiana at #5. That's a little disrespect to work with. I do think the national polls will have us 3rd or 4th. Objectively, I understand. Losing the Heisman winner; the best DB we've had in 50 years; Fisher; Kamara and the other DEs; Cooper & Sarratt; Niekowski; Hemby & Black; Moore; Googan; Boykin. Daunting for a program with so little 4 & 5 * talent. But I was impressed with what I saw at the spring game. Hoover is the key. We know what Cig has done with QBs. There's a certain cockiness about Hoover that scares me. Confidence yes; cockiness not so much. Stay hungry & humble, please. Thanks.
Their top 10: OSU; ND; Texas; Georgia; IU; Miami; Oklahoma; Texas Tech; Oregon; Ole Miss.
SEC with 8 teams, BT 7, ACC & Big 12 4 each + ND & Boise.
Latest Vegas odds: OSU, ND & IU +700; TX +750; Oregon +900; GA +1100.
It just feels like ND to me this year, unfortunately. They have a perfect schedule and I'm impressed with Freeman as coach and Carr as QB. My NC favorites would be, in order: ND; IU; OSU; Georgia. Georgia has a nice edge with Smart as HC and I really like Stockton at QB. I'm not as high as Vegas on Texas & Oregon, due to questions with Sarkisian & Lanning as HCs. Manning really came into his own at the end of the year though. I view Smart as the 2nd best coach nationally, behind only Cig.
A question for the board: How would the rank the HCs of the HCs for the top 10 teams listed? I'd go Cig; Smart; Freeman; Day; Kiffin; Cristobal; Lanning; Golding; Venables; McGuire. Some thoughts about that--Freeman looks to be growing into the job. Seems to have the CEO skills of Day, but with a less abrasive personality. And I say that as a ND hater--he's hard to dislike. Best thing about Day is that he's been there & done that. Seems able to get and manage talent. Driven as hell. But not as inspirational as a Smart. Speaking of Smart....very tough, personable, organized. I was impressed with Cristobal in the NC game. Another tough guy. Miami pretty undisciplined, but that's the way they ride. He seems like a guy who could win a NC, but also one who could implode. Lanning's been viewed as a coming star for a few years....just seems like something's missing....maybe the ultimate confidence of guys like Saban & Smart? I've just not been impressed with Venables as a HC. Maybe one of those guys who was a great Coordinator but lacks HC talent? Golding was impressive last year under the circumstances, but we must see more. Know nothing about McGuire, but their loss to Oregon was embarrassing.
@mushroomgod Good questions. IU at 5 is fair, especially when you look at it for 2026. There's an argument to put them ahead of both Georgia and Texas, though.
The path to the Playoff for ND looks well paved. They have a very manageable schedule and if they are in the top 12 they get an auto-bid. However, with that "easy" schedule comes very little margin for error. ND can't afford to slip up all that much. There's a trip to BYU and November home games against Miami and SMU. They need to at least go 2-1 in those games. I doubt a 2-loss ND team, especially losing late, gets the benefit of the doubt.
As far as the top coaches in the sport...Cig has to be at the top of the list. IU's success is no longer a blip and people discount what he's done at lower levels. Transitioning JMU from FCS to FBS is an underrated feat that nobody talks about.
The group behind him of Smart, Day, Freeman and Lanning can be interchanged anywhere from 2-5. I think you underrate Lanning, which I get since Cig and IU body bagged him twice in 2025 and Day did it in the Rose Bowl.
I like Freeman too, I think he's a great fit for ND as well (we'll see if he jumps to the NFL). And your point on being CEO's is spot on. It's no long being the best recruiter or X and O guy, it's being the best CEO. Cig is the best CEO of a program.
The dream scenario is to meet Notre Dame in the national title game. Their fans keep talking shit about the playoff game in 2024. Cignetti has beaten every other team he has faced except Notre Dame. Get that monkey off his back.
As for Hoover, he didn’t strike me as cocky. He says all the right things.
I believe this is the same Marcus Freeman who has lost at home to Marshall, Stanford and Northern Illinois?
Do any of your top coaches COMBINED have losses that bad?
I understand Notre Dame being elated to have beaten a powerhouse team that won the national championship the very next year and went 16-0, with a schedule the likes Notre Dame will never see.The dream scenario is to meet Notre Dame in the national title game. Their fans keep talking shit about the playoff game in 2024. ...
Its a feather in their cap, even though they had home field to help out.
No hard feelings.
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@gros-louis He seems to build teams well throughout the year. But he needs to figure out how to come out of the gate stronger. Many of his losses have come early in seasons. They should make the CFP this year. And I assume they'll be a very dangerous opponent if they do. Obviously I'd love for IU to run the table again, and get a bye in the CFP. But it'd also be very cool to host ND at Memorial Stadium in the CFP. That would be a wild atmosphere.