Two paths to watch...

[PrideandDream]

So after a thorough ass whooping by ND and rewatching the first half I've come to this conclusion: How good this Army team is really depends on the next 4 games. And how good ND is really depends on their next 2, 3 or 4 games.

Look I hate ND. HATE THEM! I can't even put into words how much I dislike them and the frauds they are to college football. That's a whole other thread. However, after rewatching them I am convinced they are really well coached. They executed extremely well on both sides of the ball and on special teams. They clearly have talent and those two running backs were outstanding. Pursuit on defense was excellent. I would not be surprised to see them play against any team in America and win. It so pains me to say that. But my point is they are a really good team. However we will find out just how good they are once they hit the playoffs. If they can win in the first round and even in the second then we will know that we played a truly elite football team that was on a mission to beat Army last Saturday. That would be a positive outcome for us. If ND loses to USC or gets exposed at any point in the playoff, meaning a 3 or 4 or more TD loss to a playoff team then we know they are frauds as usual and not that good. I don't believe that to be the case.

Next point, Army is about to play the 4 toughest games of the year. UTSA continues to get better and will be no easy contest. Good thing we have them at home. Tulane is legitimate. And will be our 2nd toughest opponent behind ND. Then Navy which is good and regardless always tough. Then we will either play in a bowl or stil potentially yet unlikely a playoff game. And that opponent will likely be a very good team.

Army could lose the next 4 straight and wind up 9-5. That would tell us a lot about this team and about Monken and staff. But make no mistake that every iteration that is closer to 13-1 the better off this team actually is.

But if ND is exposed and Army ends up 9-5 that would be the worst case scenario. I suppose the truth is somewhere in the middle. My point is that the 9 games we've won really don't mean anything if we lose the next 4. And even worse if ND gets blown out in the playoffs.

This Army team can still be one of the greatest in History if they can win the next 4. It will take all we have to pull that off.

PD

[kfan12]

I think we can all feel the potential of losing out this season. Right now, I just hope coach Monken has the team focused on one goal: beating UTSA. And though I agree losing the last four would wipe out a lot of the emotion and respectability the team has earned thus far, recruiting after a 9-4 campaign is a bit easier than recruiting following a 6-6 year.

Prior to the Army-ND game, I noticed ND was ranked third nationally in points allowed per game (right behind Army, but with a much more difficult schedule). I was more surprised by our inability to slow down their offense than their ability to slow down ours. Just hopeful that our D can perform at near the level it was before the injuries coming out of the ND game. If not, losing the next 3-4 becomes more likely than not.

[wpgrad]

People underestimate the ability of NIL and the portal to allow the high spending teams to go get the exact type of player they need at X, Y and Z positions. Notre Dame is playing pro football with an unlimited budget and no salary cap.

[PrideandDream]

So is Texas A&M. Probably more money than ND. And they just lost to a bad Auburn team.

College football is more than just money and player happiness.

That said this ND team I do believe is well coached. And that with good talent makes them really good.

[ColdWarYushok87]

We aren’t losing four in a row. We will win this Saturday. Tulane will be a dog fight. And we WIlL Beat Navy!