Top Sportsbooks
Reduced Juice wagering only at 5Dimes - A Top Rated Bettorsworld Recommended Sportsbook - Click Here to sign up! |
2010 Notre Dame Football Preview
Odds - Analysis - Win Total Predictions
Notre Dame - Mediocrity has been a problem for this storied program. Charlie
Weis entered the program and showed off his Super Bowl rings to bring in
recruits. In the end, the offensive mastermind couldn't get the Fighting Irish
to the BCS Title Game. Weis wasn't all bad; he had the high powered offense
going well and he groomed QBs Brady Quinn and Jimmy Clausen. They rank 1-2 in
passing all time at Notre Dame. Weis resigned at the end of last year.
Enter boy genius Brian Kelly. He was the HC at the University of Cincinnati
prior to jumping ship to Notre Dame. He led the Bearcats to 3 10+ win seasons
and a 12-0 undefeated regular season in 2009. He was COTY three consecutive
years in the Big East. Kelly is a charismatic coach who can bring the best
players to Notre Dame. He runs an offense that has a furious pace. He is a
mastermind when it comes to developing young QBs. Kelly will have Notre Dame
winning games very quickly.
The The current odds at sportsbook.com on Notre Dame to win the BCS Title are a modest 50/1. A long shot, yes, but what stands out is that there are clearly several teams that are better than Notre Dame that have much longer odds. A picture perfect example of how Notre Dame attracts public money. Put another way, there's no value at 50/1 odds in backing the Irish to win the National Title.
Some coaches can flat out coach. Kelly is one of those coaches. Doesn't
matter where he coaches, he'll find a way to win. Here at Notre Dame, he will
have something that's easier to come by than other at colleges.........talent.
Notre Dame will always attract talent. That and the fact that their schedule is
generally never all that challenging, is why there are no excuses for
mediocrity. Looking at this years schedule, they should be able to to win at
least 7 games perhaps as many as 10. There no one on their schedule that would
make you say, no way they are beating them. Even USC is down a notch or two.
Jimmy Clausen opted to leave ND early and head to the NFL Draft where he was
taken by the Carolina Panthers who also selected Tony Pike, a protege of Brian
Kelly at Cincinnati. It's tough to say who will come out on top in the QB
battle. Right now Dayne Crist looks like the leader, but Coach Kelly can make a
change on a dime. He won the 2008 Big East title using 4 different QBs. Nate
Montana, son of NFL HOFer Joe Montana has been getting a lot snaps as well.
The WR corp looks great for the Fighting Irish. They have the best TE in the
NCAA thanks to Kyle Rudolph. He will be a top TE in the NFL when he goes pro.
Michael Floyd is back after a stellar 2009 season. The offensive line has lost a
chunk of starters, but Brian Kelly has enough talent to work with in order to
have them protecting the QB well. The LB corp is among the top in the country.
This is great for a team that gave up a ton of points in 2009.
It would seem almost impossible for Brian Kelley not to succeed and be a big hit at Notre Dame. It's not as if he's taking over a program that wins 10+ games year in and year out. He's taking over a 6 win on average team, that has the talent to win +10 games year in and year out. A perfect situation for him.
While we are looking at the Independents, let's take a look at the two
service academies. Army and Navy.
Navy Midshipmen - This service academy has been the best independent school in
recent years. They ended the 2009 season with a 10-4 record after rocking
Missouri in the Texas Bowl. Star QB Ricky Dobbs returns for his senior year. The
dangerous weapon ran for 1367 yards and 27 TDs in 2009. He passed for 1031 and 6
TDs. The running game will obviously power the Midshipmen. They open 2010 on the
road against Maryland. They then have easy games against Georgia Southern and
Louisiana Tech. They will then have tough games against Air Force and Wake
Forest, both on the road. Games with Notre Dame, East Carolina, and Central
Michigan won't be easy either. The Midshipmen should thrash Army like they did
last year and have for several years. With a bit of luck they may be able to
match last year's win total of 10.
Army Black Knights - With 16 returning starters the Black Knights will improve
on 2009's 5-7 mark. Games with Temple, Rutgers, and Notre Dame will be virtually
unwinnable. Taking on rival Navy will be no easy task either. On the flip side,
Army can handle Eastern Michigan, North Texas, Hawaii, VMI, and Kent State. They
have enough talent to make it back to Bowl play for the first time since 1996.
If they do they will compete in the Armed Forces Bowl.
Become a fan of Bettorsworld on Facebook
Follow us on Twitter and receive Key Releases
Get our Key Releases via E-Mail!
Other Conference Previews by Bettorsworld
Big 12 Football Picks and Preview
2010 Notre Dame Football Preview
ACC Coastal Football Picks and Preview
ACC Atlantic Football Picks and Preview
PAC 10 Football Preview and Team Analysis
2010 Big 10 Football Preview and Picks
CUSA West Football Picks and Preview
2010 Big East Football Predictions
Mountain West Football Predictions
2010 MAC West Football Preview
2010 MAC East Football Preview
Sun Belt Conference Football Preview
SEC Football Preview and Predictions 2010