Tag: Kelley Ford

Kelley Ford: Notre Dame first team out of College Football Playoff

This would sting.

Most college football experts seem to be just guessing whether Notre Dame makes the 2024 College Football Playoff.

Kelley Ford is a little different. He dives a little deeper into college football and, from there, makes projections about how good a season a team needs to have for the most ideal scenarios to happen.

To that end, Ford released his projected playoff bracket. He has the Irish going 10-2 during the regular season, but to him, two losses is just enough to make them the first team left off the bracket. He explained his reasoning when posting his bracket to social media:

You can do a deeper dive into Ford’s findings here. For those who don’t want to read them though, he basically says the Irish only can afford to lose one game in order to make the playoff, and he gives them a 40% chance at securing an at-large bid, the only way in which they can get in as an independent.

Call it a harsh assessment if you want, but sometimes, the research backs your findings up.

Contact/Follow us @IrishWireND on X and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Notre Dame news, notes and opinions.

Follow Geoffrey on X: @gfclark89

Three Notre Dame games among most watchable in 2024

You won’t want to miss these games.

The beauty about college football is that the perceptions of certain games can change as teams’ trajectories change during the season. For now though, Notre Dame will be playing in some games in 2024 that people will want to watch.

Kelley Ford has released a chart of what is believed to be the 50 games in college football that most people will want to watch in 2024. The scores used on this chart were determined by their projected quality and competitiveness. The Irish appear on the chart three times for their games against USC, Texas A&M and Florida State:

The Irish and Trojans almost always live up to the hype involved with playing each other. The season opener against the Aggies could determine the path of the 2024 Irish. With the Seminoles coming off their best season of the Mike Norvell era, the Irish will bring their A game to that contest.

Every game is worth looking forward to obviously, but these three, as the kids say, hit different.

Contact/Follow us @IrishWireND on Twitter, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Notre Dame news, notes, and opinions.

Follow Geoffrey on Twitter: @gfclark89

Power rating site gives Notre Dame favorable outlook for 2024

Does this excite you?

With college football action still two-and-a-half months out, it is time for experts to analyze the teams. Among them is Kelley Ford, who runs a power ratings site and is going through a different conference each day.

The time to look at the independents has come, so that means it’s Notre Dame’s turn. Let’s just say if the season goes as well as Ford as projecting, 2024 will be a very special season for the Irish:

Is it an overly optimistic look? Probably, but that doesn’t mean Irish fans can’t get excited about the season. The expanded College Football Playoff gives the Irish a chance to play meaningful football in December. If this chart is to be believed, the team very much will be equipped to make some noise.

Prospects are looking up in South Bend, so the question we have to ask is whether [autotag]Marcus Freeman[/autotag] and his staff can get the most out of their players to back those projections up.

Contact/Follow us @IrishWireND on X and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Notre Dame news, notes and opinions.

Follow Geoffrey on X: @gfclark89

Oh, so close… Texas A&M couldn’t find the inches this season, and Kelley Ford’s ‘What if’ Rankings proves that point

Texas A&M’s 2023 season has been an utter failure, but if, as Jimbo Fisher says, they found the inches, we’re looking at a once loss team.

Shield your eyes, Aggie fans, but Jimbo Fisher may have been correct when he constantly harped on “not finding the inches” during all four of Texas A&M’s (5-4, 3-3 SEC) losses the season.

While many will blame quarterback Conner Weigman’s season-ending injury earlier this year on the lack of progress, this team game starts and ends with the man at the top. Marred by a beyond-struggling offensive line, current starting quarterback Max Johnson is just plain beat up. Still, due to his unwavering toughness, the veteran southpaw will likely start this weekend vs. Mississippi State.

What’s even more alarming has been the incredible play in the defensive trenches, as the Aggie’s 15th-ranked defense ranks second in sacks (34). At the same time, star junior linebacker Edgerrin Cooper has been an absolute stud, leading the team in sacks with seven and second in the country in tackles for loss (16.5), recording more than any linebacker in the nation.

Going back to the inches, Kelley Ford released his annual “What If” Wednesday Top 30 rankings for every program’s one-possession and OT loss in 2023, and as we know, three of the Aggies’ four losses were, yes, by one possession, including last painful Saturday’s 38-35 road loss to Ole Miss.

So, what if this team was coached by, let’s say, Nick Saban or Kirby Smart? Who knows at this point, but it’s pretty clear that Jimbo Fisher has failed to steady the ship in SEC play, and with three games left to prove his worth beyond this season to regain some support from the fan base, winning out, which includes winning in Baton Rouge vs. the high scoring LSU Tigers to earn their, yes, first SEC road game this season.

As I wrote earlier this week, nothing regarding Fisher’s future is set in stone, but if the program finishes 7-5 or better, expect (as of right now) that he will return in 2024.

Texas A&M will return to Kyle Field to take on Mississippi State on Saturday, Nov. 11 at 6:30 pm. CT. The game will air on ESPN2.

Contact/Follow us @AggiesWire on Twitter, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Texas A&M news, notes, and opinions. Follow Cameron on Twitter: @CameronOhnysty.