As we all count the hours (less than 18!) until the college football season begins with that much-anticipated Boston College-Central Michigan showdown — lots of BCS implications there! — I figure this should help tide us over: the Irish Trojan’s second annual ND & USC prediction contests!
Just like last year, the goal is not merely to predict each team’s final record correctly, but to predict each game correctly, and that is how the contests will be scored. Final record and margin of victory will be used as tiebreakers.
To enter the contest, simply leave a comment with your name* (or a psuedonym that will adequately identify you to Irish Trojan readers) and your predicted margin of victory for each USC and Notre Dame game. (They’re separate contests, so you can choose to enter one or the other if you wish; you don’t have to enter both, though of course it’s encouraged.) Positive margins of victory mean you’re predicting a win by the Trojans/Irish; negative margins of victory mean you’re predicting a loss. So, for example, if I want to predict that USC will beat Arkansas by 10, beat Nebraska by 13, and lose to Arizona by 3, my entry for the Trojans would begin:
USC:
Arkansas: +10
Nebraska: +13
Arizona: -3
USC’s schedule is here; Notre Dame’s schedule is here. I’ll leave a comment at the top of comments listing all the games, so you can copy & paste that, and then fill in the relevant numbers, if you wish.
The deadline to enter is 8:00 PM EDT on Saturday. The prize is eternal glory, bragging rights, and… that’s it. But isn’t that enough?
Good luck! (Especially to those who predict an undefeated Trojan season! :)
*First and last names preferred, not required. But please, if you have a particularly common name, at least give a last initial or something. I don’t want three “Davids” and four “Andrews” with no last names. :)
August 31st, 2006 at 12:54:33 am
BLANK ENTRY FOR COPYING-AND-PASTING:
<b>USC:</b>
@ Arkansas:
Nebraska:
@ Arizona:
@ Washington State:
Washington:
Arizona State:
@ Oregon State:
@ Stanford:
Oregon:
Cal:
Notre Dame:
@ UCLA:
<b>NOTRE DAME:</b>
@ Georgia Tech:
Penn State:
Michigan:
@ Michigan State:
Purdue:
Stanford:
UCLA:
vs. Navy:
North Carolina:
@ Air Force:
Army:
@ USC:
August 31st, 2006 at 2:22:50 am
USC:
@ Arkansas: +10
Nebraska: +17
@ Arizona: -3
@ Washington State: +21
Washington: +35
Arizona State: +13
@ Oregon State: +28
@ Stanford: +27
Oregon: +14
Cal: +10
Notre Dame: +1
@ UCLA: +31
NOTRE DAME:
@ Georgia Tech: +21
Penn State: +24
Michigan: +7
@ Michigan State: -7
Purdue: +28
Stanford: +17
UCLA: +13
vs. Navy: +14
North Carolina: +35
@ Air Force: +17
Army: +31
@ USC: -1
August 31st, 2006 at 2:32:39 am
USC:
@ Arkansas: -20
Nebraska: -20
@ Arizona: +1
@ Washington State: -20
Washington: -20
Arizona State: -44
@ Oregon State: -40
@ Stanford: -20
Oregon: -30
Cal: -20
Notre Dame: -44
@ UCLA: -20
NOTRE DAME:
@ Georgia Tech: +23
Penn State: +3
Michigan: -3
@ Michigan State: +12
Purdue: +20
Stanford: +20
UCLA: +10
vs. Navy: +27
North Carolina: +20
@ Air Force: +20
Army: +30
@ USC: +5
August 31st, 2006 at 2:41:16 am
LOL
August 31st, 2006 at 4:42:41 am
USC:
@ Arkansas: +4
Nebraska: +20
@ Arizona: +11
@ Washington State: +13
Washington: +20
Arizona State: +3
@ Oregon State: +7
@ Stanford: +14
Oregon: +9
Cal: +1
Notre Dame: -8
@ UCLA: +24
NOTRE DAME:
@ Georgia Tech: +17
Penn State: +24
Michigan: +3
@ Michigan State: +14
Purdue: +13
Stanford: +10
UCLA: +7
vs. Navy: +9
North Carolina: +20
@ Air Force: +13
Army: +17
@ USC: +8
The Village “Ed”iot
August 31st, 2006 at 11:32:14 am
USC:
@ Arkansas: W
Nebraska: W
@ Arizona: W
@ Washington State:L
Washington:W
Arizona State:W
@ Oregon State:W
@ Stanford:W
Oregon:W
Cal:L
Notre Dame:L
@ UCLA: W
NOTRE DAME:
@ Georgia Tech:W
Penn State:W
Michigan:W
@ Michigan State:W
Purdue:W
Stanford:W
UCLA:W
vs. Navy:W
North Carolina:W
@ Air Force:W
Army:W
@ USC: W
August 31st, 2006 at 11:36:41 am
USC:
@ Arkansas: +14
Nebraska: +20
@ Arizona: +17
@ Washington State:-3
Washington: +24
Arizona State:+17
@ Oregon State:+14
@ Stanford:+7
Oregon:+7
Cal: -7
Notre Dame: -3
@ UCLA: +10
NOTRE DAME:
@ Georgia Tech:+17
Penn State:+17
Michigan:+4
@ Michigan State:+10
Purdue:+14
Stanford:+10
UCLA:+17
vs. Navy:+25
North Carolina:+24
@ Air Force:+14
Army:+30
@ USC: +3
Sorry about the above Loysius. I haven’t had any whisky yet today.
August 31st, 2006 at 11:49:02 am
USC:
@ Arkansas: +17
Nebraska: +22
@ Arizona: +6
@ Washington State: +10
Washington: +27
Arizona State: +3
@ Oregon State: +16
@ Stanford: +7
Oregon: +4
Cal: +3
Notre Dame: +13
@ UCLA: +28
NOTRE DAME:
@ Georgia Tech: -1
Penn State: +6
Michigan: +24
@ Michigan State: +3
Purdue: +23
Stanford: +13
UCLA: +6
vs. Navy: +21
North Carolina: +27
@ Air Force: +33
Army: +35
@ USC: -13
August 31st, 2006 at 11:56:56 am
Actually, I’ll have what Scientizzle is having.
August 31st, 2006 at 12:07:57 pm
Are you sure? This sort of optimism is a strong brew…
August 31st, 2006 at 12:41:41 pm
NOTRE DAME:
@ Georgia Tech: +18
Penn State: +12
Michigan: +4
@ Michigan State: 7
Purdue: +21
Stanford: +14
UCLA: +10
vs. Navy: +21
North Carolina: +28
@ Air Force: +14
Army: +21
@ USC: 10
August 31st, 2006 at 12:44:54 pm
BK:
How can usc lose to ND by -44 and ND beat USC by +5…LOL
August 31st, 2006 at 12:56:46 pm
Roger, because they are two separate contests, people don’t need to give the same result for the ND-USC game in both. Last year, I believe someone actually predicted a Notre Dame win over USC in the Notre Dame contest, and a USC win over Notre Dame in the USC contest!
August 31st, 2006 at 2:30:54 pm
Hedgers. Don’t trust ‘em.
August 31st, 2006 at 3:07:43 pm
NOTRE DAME:
@ Georgia Tech: +6
Penn State: +3
Michigan: +1
@ Michigan State: -3
Purdue: +14
Stanford: +7
UCLA: +10
vs. Navy: +17
North Carolina: +17
@ Air Force: +10
Army: +24
@ USC: +1
August 31st, 2006 at 3:45:03 pm
USC:
@ Arkansas:+17
Nebraska:+7
@ Arizona:-3
@ Washington State:+17
Washington:+17
Arizona State:+10
@ Oregon State:+7
@ Stanford:+14
Oregon:+17
Cal:+10
Notre Dame:-7
@ UCLA:+10
NOTRE DAME:
@ Georgia Tech:+17
Penn State:+7
Michigan:+10
@ Michigan State:+7
Purdue:+17
Stanford:+21
UCLA:+14
vs. Navy:+10
North Carolina:+21
@ Air Force:+10
Army:+28 (an extra touchdown for my wedding day :-) )
@ USC: +7
August 31st, 2006 at 5:08:30 pm
USC:
@ Arkansas: +23
Nebraska: +16
@ Arizona: +4
@ Washington State: +21
Washington: +28
Arizona State: +6
@ Oregon State: +11
@ Stanford: +24
Oregon: +10
Cal: +14
Notre Dame: +4
@ UCLA: +17
NOTRE DAME:
@ Georgia Tech: +24
Penn State: +7
Michigan: +18
@ Michigan State: -3
Purdue: +31
Stanford: +21
UCLA: +22
vs. Navy: +27
North Carolina: +21
@ Air Force: +11
Army: +16
@ USC: -4
August 31st, 2006 at 5:41:47 pm
USC_____________
@ Arkansas: +21
Nebraska: +10
@ Arizona: +7
@ Washington State: +21
Washington: +34
Arizona State: +7
@ Oregon State: +14
@ Stanford: +7
Oregon: +14
Cal: - 7
Notre Dame: -10
@ UCLA: -3
NOTRE DAME_______________
@ Georgia Tech: + 14
Penn State: + 14
Michigan: - 3
@ Michigan State: +14
Purdue: + 28
Stanford: + 7
UCLA: + 14
vs. Navy: + 28
North Carolina: +34
@ Air Force: + 21
Army: + 34
@ USC: +10
August 31st, 2006 at 7:49:39 pm
USC
@ Arkansas: +17
Nebraska: +10
@ Arizona: +7
@ Washington State: +21
Washington: +21
Arizona State: +14
@ Oregon State: +3
@ Stanford: +14
Oregon: +14
Cal: - 3
Notre Dame: -3
@ UCLA: +14
NOTRE DAME
@ Georgia Tech: + 21
Penn State: + 3
Michigan: +3
@ Michigan State: +14
Purdue: + 21
Stanford: + 28
UCLA: + 17
vs. Navy: + 28
North Carolina: +35
@ Air Force: + 21
Army: + 35
@ USC: +3
August 31st, 2006 at 7:56:00 pm
Anonymous, I need a name/psuedonym of some sort. Entering a for-bragging-rights-only contest as “Anonymous” doesn’t make much sense. :)
August 31st, 2006 at 9:18:04 pm
USC:
@ Arkansas: -1
Nebraska:+6
@ Arizona:+13
@ Washington State:+3
Washington:+14
Arizona State:-3
@ Oregon State:+3
@ Stanford:+7
Oregon:-7
Cal:-10
Notre Dame:-13
@ UCLA:-1
NOTRE DAME:
@ Georgia Tech:+6
Penn State:+3
Michigan:+1
@ Michigan State:+10
Purdue:+13
Stanford:+20
UCLA:+17
vs. Navy:+6
North Carolina:+21
@ Air Force:+3
Army:+24
@ USC: +13
August 31st, 2006 at 9:27:07 pm
USC:
@ Arkansas: +19
Nebraska: +13
@ Arizona: +6
@ Washington State: +9
Washington: +22
Arizona State: +25
@ Oregon State: +12
@ Stanford: +2
Oregon: +18
Cal: +10
Notre Dame: +8
@ UCLA: +23
NOTRE DAME:
@ Georgia Tech: -6
Penn State: +17
Michigan: -3
@ Michigan State: +13
Purdue: +19
Stanford: +21
UCLA: +27
vs. Navy: +34
North Carolina: +16
@ Air Force: +15
Army: +36
@ USC: -8
August 31st, 2006 at 10:27:22 pm
Gary Kirby’s picks:
USC:
@ Arkansas: +17
Nebraska: +13
@ Arizona: +6
@ Washington State: +12
Washington: +21
Arizona State: +22
@ Oregon State: +10
@ Stanford: +6
Oregon: +15
Cal: +7
Notre Dame: +5
@ UCLA: +22
NOTRE DAME:
@ Georgia Tech: +2
Penn State: +10
Michigan: -6
@ Michigan State: +9
Purdue: +17
Stanford: +18
UCLA: +13
vs. Navy: +27
North Carolina: +10
@ Air Force: +12
Army: +25
@ USC: -8
August 31st, 2006 at 11:21:46 pm
USC:
@ Arkansas: +21
Nebraska: +10
@ Arizona: +15
@ Washington State: +17
Washington: +12
Arizona State: +8
@ Oregon State: +24
@ Stanford: +3
Oregon: +17
Cal: +3
Notre Dame: -17
@ UCLA: -7
NOTRE DAME:
@ Georgia Tech: +10
Penn State: +3
Michigan: +6
@ Michigan State: +12
Purdue: +10
Stanford: +5
UCLA: +7
vs. Navy: +2
North Carolina: +25
@ Air Force: +30
Army: +19
@ USC: +7
ND as national champs? Or will they have a few losses during the season (to the likes of UCLA, USC, Navy,. or the like) to make them the national chumps?
August 31st, 2006 at 11:23:18 pm
* Under my prediction for ND, my pick for the USC game should read +17, not +7 .
September 1st, 2006 at 1:05:02 am
All scores below are from separate simulated seasons in EA Sports’ NCAA Football 07.
USC:
@ Arkansas: +24
Nebraska: +3
@ Arizona: +25
@ Washington State: +17
Washington: +4
Arizona State: +17
@ Oregon State: +18
@ Stanford: +34
Oregon: +14
Cal: +29
Notre Dame: +7
@ UCLA: +21
NOTRE DAME:
@ Georgia Tech: +25
Penn State: +25
Michigan: +10
@ Michigan State: -26
Purdue: +34
Stanford: +56
UCLA: +28
vs. Navy: -6
North Carolina: +22
@ Air Force: +46
Army: +43
@ USC: -30
For the record, both simulations had USC beating Ohio State for the national championship.
September 1st, 2006 at 11:59:20 am
Considering their performance last night, I’ll change my USC over ASU to +18.
September 2nd, 2006 at 1:10:07 am
For purposes of comparison, below is the results based on Jeff Sagarin’s ranking system (see here)
USC:
@ Arkansas: 17
Nebraska: 21
@ Arizona: 24
@ WSU: 17
Washington: 31
Arizona State: 21
@ OSU: 16
@ Stanford: 19
Oregon: 20
California: 19
Notre Dame: 18
@ UCLA: 13
NOTRE DAME:
@ Georgia Tech:1
Penn State: 3
Michigan: 10
@ Michigan St: -6
Purdue: 6
Stanford: 11
UCLA: 5
vs. Navy: 16
North Carolina: 13
@ Air Force: 9
Army: 28
@ USC -18
September 2nd, 2006 at 1:20:59 am
And my predictions
USC:
@ Arkansas: 12
Nebraska: 16
@ Arizona: 21
@ WSU: 17
Washington: 21
Arizona State: 24
@ OSU: 18
@ Stanford: 31
Oregon: 19
California: 9
Notre Dame: 10
@ UCLA: 14
NOTRE DAME:
@ Georgia Tech: 12
Penn State: -3
Michigan: 14
@ Michigan State: -6
Purdue: 17
Stanford: 21
UCLA: 14
vs. Navy: 13
North Carolina: 16
@ Air Force: 10
Army: 27
@ USC -18
September 2nd, 2006 at 12:40:07 pm
Just because I don’t know what I’m doing doesn’t mean I won’t enter one of Brendan’s contests…
USC:
@ Arkansas: +10
Nebraska: +7
@ Arizona: +12
@ Washington State: +16
Washington: +26
Arizona State: +12
@ Oregon State: +15
@ Stanford: +14
Oregon: +12
Cal: +7
Notre Dame: +10
@ UCLA: +7
NOTRE DAME:
@ Georgia Tech: +14
Penn State: -3
Michigan: +7
@ Michigan State: -10
Purdue: +14
Stanford: -3
UCLA: +10
vs. Navy: +18
North Carolina: +16
@ Air Force: +24
Army: +28
@ USC: -7
September 2nd, 2006 at 2:03:01 pm
@ Arkansas: +10
Nebraska: +17
@ Arizona: +5
@ Washington State: +21
Washington: +14
Arizona State: -10
@ Oregon State: +6
@ Stanford: +14
Oregon: +10
Cal: +6
Notre Dame: -14
@ UCLA: +9
NOTRE DAME:
@ Georgia Tech: +21
Penn State: +17
Michigan: +10
@ Michigan State: +10
Purdue: +24
Stanford: +10
UCLA: +28
vs. Navy: +14
North Carolina: +28
@ Air Force: +15
Army: +24
@ USC: +14
September 2nd, 2006 at 4:58:27 pm
Thank god for copy and paste… ok, Fight On, Trojans!!! (by the way, the ND predictions might as well have been typed blind, ’cause I’ve got NO CLUE about those golden domers) I LOVE FOOTBALL, HOORAY FOOTBALL!
USC:
@ Arkansas:+14
Nebraska:+10
@ Arizona:+7
@ Washington State:+21
Washington:+17
Arizona State:+3
@ Oregon State:+14
@ Stanford:+7
Oregon:+7
Cal:+3
Notre Dame:+14
@ UCLA:+10
NOTRE DAME:
@ Georgia Tech:+17
Penn State:-7
Michigan:+7
@ Michigan State:-3
Purdue:+17
Stanford:+10
UCLA:+13
vs. Navy:+28
North Carolina:+14
@ Air Force:+13
Army:+21
@ USC: -3
September 2nd, 2006 at 5:43:28 pm
USC:
@ Arkansas: +14
Nebraska: +10
@ Arizona: +6
@ Washington State: +13
Washington: +3
Arizona State: +14
@ Oregon State: +9
@ Stanford: +10
Oregon: +8
Cal: -3
Notre Dame: -7
@ UCLA: +10
NOTRE DAME:
@ Georgia Tech: +17
Penn State: +4
Michigan: +13
@ Michigan State: +3
Purdue: +20
Stanford: +17
UCLA: +10
vs. Navy: +13
North Carolina: +13
@ Air Force: +21
Army: +17
@ USC: +7
… not that I have the slightest clue about these guesses :)
September 2nd, 2006 at 6:48:47 pm
USC:
@ Arkansas: +10
Nebraska: +9
@ Arizona: +14
@ Washington State: +17
Washington: +24
Arizona State: +10
@ Oregon State: +13
@ Stanford: +27
Oregon: -1
Cal: +7
Notre Dame: -7
@ UCLA: +3
NOTRE DAME:
@ Georgia Tech: +14
Penn State: +13
Michigan: +7
@ Michigan State: +10
Purdue: +21
Stanford: +21
UCLA: +7
vs. Navy: +13
North Carolina: +10
@ Air Force: +12
Army: +24
@ USC: +7
September 2nd, 2006 at 6:49:23 pm
Sorry Brendan, that last one was me
September 2nd, 2006 at 7:00:38 pm
USC:
@ Arkansas: + 9
Nebraska: + 6
@ Arizona: + 3
@ Washington State: + 17
Washington: + 21
Arizona State: - 3
@ Oregon State: + 14
@ Stanford: + 28
Oregon: + 6
Cal: - 3
Notre Dame: - 8
@ UCLA: + 6
NOTRE DAME:
@ Georgia Tech: + 15
Penn State: + 12
Michigan: - 3
@ Michigan State: + 11
Purdue: + 10
Stanford: + 23
UCLA: + 9
vs. Navy: + 21
North Carolina: + 20
@ Air Force: + 21
Army: + 21
@ USC: + 8
September 2nd, 2006 at 7:04:36 pm
USC:
@ Arkansas: +28
Nebraska: +35
@ Arizona: +14
@ Washington State: +21
Washington: +48
Arizona State: +3
@ Oregon State: +14
@ Stanford: +7
Oregon: +14
Cal: +3
Notre Dame: +24
@ UCLA: +14
NOTRE DAME:
@ Georgia Tech: -3
Penn State: +7
Michigan: -3
@ Michigan State: +7
Purdue: +14
Stanford: -7
UCLA: +24
vs. Navy: +14
North Carolina: +7
@ Air Force: +28
Army: +14
@ USC: -24
September 2nd, 2006 at 7:58:24 pm
USC:
@ Arkansas:+14
Nebraska:+35
@ Arizona:+9
@ Washington State:+20
Washington:+20
Arizona State:+19
@ Oregon State:+22
@ Stanford:+15
Oregon:+22
Cal:+7
Notre Dame:-3
@ UCLA:+20
NOTRE DAME:
@ Georgia Tech:+14
Penn State:+19
Michigan:+7
@ Michigan State:+9
Purdue:+19
Stanford:+25
UCLA:+20
vs. Navy:+28
North Carolina:+30
@ Air Force:+21
Army:+30
@ USC:+3