While laboring through statistics class today, a classmate of mine forwarded me this link with the very appropriate heading of “Speaking of BS stats…”.  If this is true, I’m going to assume that it has plenty to do with why I always suck at fantasy sports!

There are plenty of things worth pondering in the world today.  For example, what was the rationale behind Samoa’s decision to switch its car lanes from right to left?  Does the wife of the new Japanese prime minister really believe she was kidnapped by aliens and flown to Venus on their UFO?  Is Glenn Beck putting on an act or is he really that crazy?  And why would anyone want to live in Indonesia?  You know, with all the floods, mudslides, earthquakes, typhoons, and wildfires (sounds a bit like California, actually).

Despite how enticing it may seem to noodle such conundrums, my thoughts inevitably revert to matters more germane to me.  And this time of year, those matters involve the upcoming football season and how things are shaping up for my beloved Dallas Cowboys and Notre Dame Fighting Irish.  While my love for both teams runs deep, my interest in the Irish is for some reason more obsessive.  I’m not sure why, but I have much more interest in which recruits are visiting South Bend for the USC-ND game this year than I do in Tony Romo’s latest girlfriend or Jerry Jones’ inflated ego (seriously, Jerry, did you really need a scoreboard sixty yards long?).  My Irish obsession means I get to be ridiculed by my wife for the amount of time I spend reading ND message boards, but it also enables me to wax philosophical on the state of the Irish as we head into the 2009 season.

I had originally intended to write a full and proper preview for the upcoming season.  However, between work and school, your dear blogger is swamped.  As a result, the following little tidbits will have to suffice for now.

First, let the record show that I am extremely bullish on the Irish this year.  The schedule has shaped up nicely (WSU, Nevada, Purdue, Michigan is struggling, BC has a new coach, etc.)  and the talent is finally there for Weis & Co. to deliver the Irish back to legitimate BCS contention.  Second, the offensive line will go from one of the team’s weakest links to one of its strongest.  The projected o-line starters are tied for the most combined career starts in the country coming into the season.  And they are big boys, averaging 6’5, 315 pounds apiece.  Combine this with the fact that the average recruiting ranking for the starting eleven is 4.5 stars and you get an Irish offense that will put up some video game numbers this year.  Speaking of gaudy numbers, Jimmy Clausen will emerge as a legit Heisman candidate this year.  He’ll probably get snubbed by the establishment despite matching or even exceeding the production of the likes of Sam Bradford and Colt McCoy, but he will definitely position himself as among the preseason Heisman favorites heading into next year.  A few more quickies: Armando Allen will become a household name; Michael Floyd and Golden Tate will rank among the top three receiving combos in the nation; the Irish defense will finish in the top fifteen nationally, and in the top ten for sacks (Coach Tenuta will have his quick and talented set of linebackers going gangbusters all year) and in the top ten for turnovers (thanks to the best defensive backfield the Irish have had since Lou).

Strangely, it’s become fashionable for various “pundits” to call for Nevada to defeat Notre Dame at home this weekend.  I predict that in exactly two days time, those same pundits will be excusing the Irish smackdown with grumblings like “Nevada isn’t a good team anyway, Michigan will be the real test….”.  Make no mistake: the Irish will destroy Nevada on Saturday.  Sure, the Nevada offense has some serious firepower of which the Irish need be wary, but the strength of ND’s defense will be its athleticism and speed.  Nevada runs a pistol offense that relies on a scrambling quarterback and a stretched field.  This will play nicely for Tenuta & Co., who will throw everything but the kitchen sink into the Nevada backfield to disrupt everything they do.  On the other side of the ball, the Irish will pick up where they left off last year, which was thrashing Hawaii 49-21 in the Hawaii Bowl (note that Nevada lost to Hawaii last year 38-31).  My guess is ND wins by a similar score, with the potential that Weis runs the score up even more to send a message to a watchful and skeptical nation.

In terms of my full season prediction, it shouldn’t be surprising that I’m going to fall on the upper side of the Vegas line.  Right now, the over/under is 8.5 wins and I’m gonna take the over.  In fact, I think the Irish will win 10 games this year with the remote possibility that they ultimately threaten to crash the championship party (black swans do occur, you know!).  As Lou said, the Irish will be the best team in the stadium most Saturdays.  And if they can get some lucky breaks (they’re due for some), it’s totally possible that they pull it off.  My guess, though, is that the Irish struggle with big, physical teams that can push them around and run straight at them, so I suspect ND will have a tough time against the likes of Michigan State and maybe even Stanford.  Plus, Pitt on the road will be tough and we should know better than to assume a BC victory.  And, of course, we’ve got to chalk USC up to a loss for the simple fact that they have totally dominated the series in recent years.  That said, I think the Irish will rise to the occasion more often than not this year and will finally learn how to finish games and win consistently.  This will make them a legitimate BCS contender that clearly belongs in the national discussion.  A strong showing in an upper-tier bowl game will help set the stage for what I believe will be a serious national title run in 2010.

So there you have it.  The 2009 Eddyfication Irish preview has been laid bare for all to see.  Given my track record, you should probably bet on the exact opposite of what I’ve called for above, as my talents for prognostication are absolutely horrific.  Whatever the case, go Irish!