I totally predicted ND versus Ohio State in the Fiesta... | by Jay
Remember, oh, way back, at the beginning of the season? Do you remember what you thought ND would do this year?
We do. In August we did a survey here, with 1,408 responders. Here's what you said at the time:
What games are we going to win this year?
| Pittsburgh |  94.32% |
| Michigan | 76.36% |
| Michigan State | 94.68% |
| Washington | 99.42% |
| Purdue | 61.24% |
| Southern Cal | 21.75% |
| BYU | 99.21% |
| Tennessee | 40.76% |
| Navy | 99.42% |
| Syracuse | 97.76% |
| Stanford | 97.83% |
What will ND's regular season record be?
| 3-8 or worse | 6 (0.43%) |
| 4-7 | 8 (0.58%) |
| 5-6 | 13 (0.94%) |
| 6-5 | 47 (3.41%) |
| 7-4 | 279 (20.22%) |
| 8-3 | 474 (34.35%) |
| 9-2 | 377 (27.32%) |
| 10-1 | 96 (6.96%) |
| 11-0 | 80 (5.80%) |
What would be an "acceptable" record for ND this year? (Define "acceptable" any way you wish).
| 3-8 | 6 (0.43%) |
| 4-7 | 6 (0.43%) |
| 5-6 | 35 (2.51%) |
| 6-5 | 274 (19.66%) |
| 7-4 | 756 (54.23%) |
| 8-3 | 242 (17.36%) |
| 9-2 | 46 (3.30%) |
| 10-1 | 12 (0.86%) |
| 11-0 | 17 (1.22%) |
7-4 seems unthinkable now, but fully 75% of us would have been happy with that outcome.
Identify a possible upset game; that is, a game we should lose but may be able to pull off.
| Michigan | 449 (31.93%) |
| Southern Cal | 429 (30.51%) |
| Tennessee | 528 (37.55%) |
We all hit that one right on the head: Tennessee was correctly predicted as the easiest "tough" game.
How about a pitfall game? That is, a game we should win, but might blow.
| Pitt | 501 (35.63%) |
| Michigan State | 549 (39.05%) |
| BYU | 89 (6.33%) |
| Navy | 38 (2.70%) |
| Syracuse | 95 (6.76%) |
| Stanford | 134 (9.53%) |
Nice job for us again, plucking Michigan State out of the hat as the biggest pitfall matchup.
Will ND play in a bowl game, and if so, which one?
| Rose Bowl | 73 (5.23%) |
| Other BCS Bowl | 239 (17.12%) |
| a non-BCS Bowl | 1038 (74.36%) |
| No Bowl Game | 46 (3.30%) |
Collectively, the BGS crew predicted a record of 8-3, with losses to Michigan, Southern Cal, and Tennessee. Two staffers predicted 9-2, Teds (losses to Michigan and Tennessee) and Michael (losses to Purdue and Southern Cal). So, we'll crown Michael the BGS prognosticator of the season based on picking the Southern Cal game correctly in the head-to-head matchup.
Nice job Michael! You've just won two tickets to the Fiesta Bowl.
(Note to readers: can someone send us at least two tickets to the Fiesta Bowl so we can properly reward Michael? Thanks in advance.)
