Notre Dame Football: One Thought for Wake Forest: Scariest Remaining Games Edition

Dear Loyal Readers, Fans, Commenters:

I wanted to preface this article by saying I will be breaking up One Thought, One Take into 2 segments. This is a result of the sheer amount of comments and engagements every week, which has been fantastic. That was a thought about the Thought (very meta).....And so I digress.

Thought

Well. The Notre Dame Fighting Irish are in the College football Playoff rankings for the first time ever, coming in at a cool #3. NEAT! Last week, I dove into the possibility of our path to the playoffs. Now, it is clear it is not just the Irish homers thinking we should be in, but the committee as well.... Win, and we are in. After the rankings were confirmed, I immediately (especially as I write this on Halloween), felt my panic/scaries mode start to kick in. Like me, every faithful Irish fans around the country will begin to paint narratives, scripts, and possible outcomes as to why certain remaining opponents terrify us. Some are completely logical, while others are a bit irrational, but still might hold up in court. With that said, I present to you, Philly G’s list of reasons why, and why not the remaining games scare me. As always, vote below and comment.

Wake Forest Demon Deacons

Scary

-This defense still has the shadows of our current Defensive Coordinator, Mike Elko. They were a drastically improved unit throughout his tenure, and he is not a full year removed. His players most likely take the attitude that our current D takes...which is close attention to detail. Additionally, I can see them internally painting this as a “revenge” game, using his departure as a potential betrayal. This type of narrative can fuel a team, and provide a reason for some extra motivation.

Not Scary

-Their Rush Defense is giving up an average of 220 YPG on the road this season (Josh Adams is humbly smiling somewhere). They also lost Freshman standout receiver Greg Dortch for the remainder of the season, who is coming off of a 10 catch, 4 TD, and 167 yard performance a week ago. He has been their go to guy, both in the short and long passing game, as well as a dynamic force in the return game. This combination of a poor rush defense on the road, and the loss of their star, puts me at ease. For reference (sorry if this is cruel for any Demon Deacon fans out there), here is Highlight’s of Dortch historical game last week-We all hope he heals and comes out strong next year.

Miami Hurricanes

Scary

-That Damn Turnover Chain....For whatever reason, this terrifies me. When teams have gimmicks like this and momentum begins to swing, the energy is contagious. Also, I think it is awesome. Outside of that, Miami is not a good football team (personally), but have found a way to win every game so far. Teams who are accustomed to winning find ways to win, even vs. superior opponents, which is scary. (googled antonym of inferior tbh)

Not Scary

- Everything else about Miami. I have been saying it for a while, but I think they are total frauds this year. They have squeaked by every game, which is scary, but they have not faced any team quite like the Irish. They have a very poor rushing defense (88th in the country), which plays into our strength juuuust a little bit. Hopefully, they beat VT-as I would love to see the Irish take on an unbeaten Miami team, simply because of the hype it would drive.

Navy Midshipmen

Scary

-Navy dominating the time of possession. There is nothing more excruciatingly painful than watching Navy methodically march down the field, with 8-9 minute drives. It eats up the clock and my soul. If our defense is any indication so far, I think we will play soundly and over power the smaller opposition. Also, there is always the curse of the “Navy Hangover” where players are beat up from all the cut blocks.

Not Scary

-Our offense (scary for Navy). Our physical line should and will dominate. This is not like years past, we have not played down to the level of our competition, and this will be no different. Navy has also lost 2 in a row and does not have 2 cupcakes the weeks before the Irish roll into town.

-Also, Greer Martini....see below

Stanford Cardinal

Scary

-We have lost the last 4 contests when playing at Stanford Stadium. It is not the easiest environment to play in, especially with the troughs of California youth shouting all sorts of PG-13 rated content. Also, a guy by the name of Bryce Love, is quite phenomenal. His statistics speak for themselves and is one of the very few players who can say they average more per carry than our own Josh Adams. He is a beast to say the least, but his injuries could hold him back.

Photo by Thearon W. Henderson/Getty Images

Not Scary

-The rest of Standford’s offense without Bryce Love. We were able to hold Michel Sony and Nick Chubb relatively in check, so I do not doubt we will be able to “contain” Love. I say contain because he will get his chunk plays, but will not take over. The game plan from Elko will be to force someone else to beat us.....which I do NOT think will be much of a problem. They also have the 83rd Ranked rush Defense=Smiling Josh Adams. See below for reference of the “other” players who need to beat us....

Now please vote in the poll below, ranking which remaining game scares you the most, and embrace debate and leaves comments as to who, what, where, why, and how you feel about the remaining teams.