Five Ways USF Could Win or Lose to Notre Dame

It's almost game day, let's take a look at some of the reasons USF can win this game and come reasons they can lose the game just as easily.

So we have gone over every player on the Notre Dame team, from the long snapper to the starting defensive line players (might even cover the water boy next time) so what is our ultimate conclusion about this game? Can USF win, of course they can. Will they win, that is why they play the game.

To sum up all of our weekly chat about the game, here are five reasons the Bulls will win the game and also five reasons we will lose this game. As a fan, I support the team 100000% but it would not be fair to look through a tunnel and say USF all the way. We also have to look at the other side and see what ND could do to win the game.

Five Reasons Why USF Will Beat Notre Dame

1. B.J. Daniels - Yes, Daniels. There are some who hate him and there are those who support him even when he throws the ball right to a defender. I tend to take the middle, knowing he can hurt us but also knowing he can win the game for us. He is in his second season as a starter, two straight years under the same offensive coordinator, and finally healthy. He has more weapons, knows the system better, and has come out this Fall and been the man. He has the ability to win the game all by himself but will need to simply run the offense and produce vs. the 3-4 ND defense.

2. Consistency at running back - Mo Plancher is finally gone (was here for like 8 years it felt like) and the Bulls can finally put the much talked about Darrell Scott onto the field and see if the talk and hype are true or not. Scott will be behind Demetris Murray, who is the leading returning rusher and will look to produce even more. Mix in Marcus Shaw and Lindsey Lamar, and the running game should be much more effective and will help control the ball.

3. Wide receivers - Last season, the Bulls started a walk-on, Stephen Bravo-Brown, in a game due to injuries. This season, the Bulls have a log-jam of talent at wide receiver. Love, Griffin, Mitchell, Welch, Landi, Lamar, Davis, Gonzalez, etc. all can play and will give B.J. Daniels reliable, downfield targets that will stretch the field and help open the offense and hopefully score more runs.

4. Defensive line speed - The Bulls replace two seniors, Marshall and Bedford, on the ends and McClain in the middle, but the Bulls have young talent ready to step up. Giddins, Forte, Grissom, Hampton, Sager, and Watson are all ready to prove themselves will get their chance against a high tempo offense.

5. Coach Holtz - He can deny it and play it off all he wants, but playing vs. his dad's former team, this is huge for Holtz. Skip is a great coach and a better person and if there is one person that will have his team mentally sharp, just as much as physically, it is this man. Just meeting him for a handful of minutes, his confidence is noticeable and the team responds to it and will be ready to go all out in this game.

So we are optimistic about our chances and we should be. On paper and all the work the team has done, they are ready. But it would be foolish to get cocky or full of ourselves and not look at the many reasons we could lose this game just as easily.

Five Reasons Why USF Will Lose to Notre Dame

1. B.J. Daniels - Live by the sword, die by the sword. We have faith and all the hope in the world that Daniels progresses in his 3rd year at the helm, but there is always that reason of doubt. Daniels missed some time in camp with a hamstring issue and has had off days during practice. He has the offense down and is confident, but can he build off the bowl win vs. Clemson and play like Daniels or will we see the Daniels from the UF game and hand the ball away to the other team?

2. Playing in South Bend - The team will try to play it off as much as they want, but the fact is, they will be in awe when they enter that stadium (won't last though). ND has more titles and wins that USF has years being a program, so to say that this is not big and the scale of it is not something on the minds of the players is foolish. Hopefully they can block out the distractions and simply play ball.

3. Long grass - Is it just me or does it see that every game you watch at Notre Dame the grass on the field looks like the rough on a golf course? I believe (no real evidence behind it) but it seems ND grounds crew keeps the grass slightly longer than at other stadiums, say like Raymond James. While it doesn't seem like a big deal, it will affect the footwear of the players and the type of cleats they are wearing. While silly, wearing the wrong cleats and not being use to that field, could possibly slow down players, for both sides, and USF relies on their speed most of the time to fly to the ball. It could slow the Bulls down and every inch and second counts.

4. Spread offense of Notre Dame - Brian Kelly's offense can score points and move the ball, USF has seen this before, but has also proven they can slow it down (ask WVU how they feel about us). However, with some depth concerns on the defensive line and in the secondary, if the team does get tired and wears down with their spread offensive attack, the Bulls could be in for long drives and might not be able to stop the Irish passing attack.

5. Offensive line - The offensive line has to replace 3 starters, including All Big East performer Sampson Genus, at center. The Bulls have veteran players such as Chaz Hine and Kevin McCaskill, but can they live up to the pressure that will be on them in the first game? Can Eatmon, a true freshman, protect Daniels flank at tackle? They will be facing a 3-4 defense, something that they have not seen before and could give them trouble with the different blitz schemes that can come out of it.

So there is the negative side of things and a few ways the Bulls could lose this game. We will have to see what happens on the field and if any of these predictions are right or wrong. Go Bulls!

We will have plenty more material rolling out today as we get ready for this game.