- Charlie Weis predicts the Irish to win "9 to12 games". Yikes coach, I like the optimism, but lets not get cocky. Interesting article about Weis in the link right above, which talks about his prediction, the state of the program, etc, from a Michigan perspective as the article is from the Detroit Free Press. Coach Weis has made this prediction privately, supposedly.
- Columbia, Missouri Tribune predicts 8-4 season and a top 25 ranking. Not sure that these guys are experts, but their reasoning is incredibly simple and logical - the Irish schedule is 4 games easier than last year, and 17 starters return. Another short, interesting read.
- Point Spreads.com predicts the Irish to go 7-5. I think this is a fair prediction.
- Vegas is pegging the Over/Under on wins for the Irish at 7 wins. For Vegas novices, the over/under is the amount of wins that will ideally get 50% of people betting on the "over" and 50% on the "under". Vegas is somewhat 70% of the time, all of the time.
What to make of all of this garbage? Most people on the internet make predictions about Notre 
Dame just to get traffic, so you can't trust any of this stuff. Since I'm a logical guy, I am going to break it down for you with a simple quiz that will provide you with you're own prediction on the 2008 Fighting Irish win total.
Each question has answers with numbers in ( ). When you pick answer A that says (-2) for instance, the addition or subtraction will start from the 2007 win total of 3. So if you answer the questions and your final net number value is +4, then you are predicting the Irish will win 7 games. Give it an honest try, and see where you come out.
Question #1
Could this year's Irish team beat Duke, Stanford, and UCLA teams of last year?
A) YES (+0)
B) 2 out of 3 (-1)
C ) 1 out of 3 (-2)
D) 0 out of 3 (-3)
Question #2
The Irish gave up a record 58 sacks in 2008, giving up 56 combined in 2005-06. How much improvement will we see in pass protection, measured in sacks?
A) The same (+0)
B) 10 sacks better (+1)
C) 20 sacks better (+2)
D) 30 sacks better (+3)
E) Worse (-1)
F) Much worse (-3)
Question #3
Jimmy Clausen finished with one of the best freshman QB performances ever, throwing more Touchdowns than Interceptions as an injured 18 year old. How much, if any, will he improve?
A) He will play exactly the same (+0)
B) He will get hurt and miss at least 5 games (-1)
C) He will make improvements in learning to throw the ball away (6 sacks by running out of bounds in 2007), as well as getting rid of the ball when the pocket is collapsing, but his completion %s and TD to INT ratio (7/6) will remain the same (+1)
D) Jimmy will make huge strides, not unlike Matthew Stafford during his sophomore year last season. He will become an above average, solid QB that is not in the top 5 but is good enough to have a bright future and make defenses plan for him. (+2)
E) Jimmy will be an All-America team contender, pushing the envelope with a sophomore season akin to Brady Quinn's legendary Junior season in 2005 (+3)
Question #4
The Irish defense finished in the top 40 in the nation in total yards, finishing especially strong against the pass and a bit worse against the rush. Will the defense improve?
A) Yes, the defense will improve, finishing near the top 25 in total defense (+1)
B) Yes, the defense will vastly improve, setting Notre Dame records for sacks and QB pressures (+3)
C) Slightly. The defense will be slightly better than last year, finishing about the same in the rankings (+0)
D) Worse. The defense will be substantially worse, not able to stop the run at all due to a thin defensive line (-2)
Last question, Question #5
The Irish special teams challenged the offense for worst unit on the team (we didn't try a 41 yard field goal to beat Navy as time expired!!). Charlie Weis will now be directly overseeing special teams. How much will the Irish improve?
A) About the same, ranked in the bottom quarter of the NCAA (-1)
B) Worse, not able to do anything functional special teams wise (-2)
C) Slightly better; attempt and make a few late game field goals, but still not yet average (+0)
D) An average all across the board special teams performance. Make average amounts of touch backs, field goals, and good punts (+1).
E) Substantially improved; zero touchbacks in 2007 needs improving, and the Irish respond with a good % of those and even make a few 50 yard field goals, block a punt, etc, producing a top 30 in the nation special teams finish (+2)
So after giving the quiz an honest try, without preconceptions, tally up those scores, and add or subtract the number to the win total from 2007, 3.
What did you have? Obviously this poll is accurate, as I have the Irish winning 14 games next season.
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