I'm at 10-2 now. People may not realize what a huge program win beating ND at ND was. So many monkeys off our backs now. If we stay healthy, I think we can even go 11-1.
As honestly as I can say this, we are decoupled from Texas now. We actually have been since the early 1990s. But tradition made many of us think there was some special need for them, much like Texas and OU apparently cannot decouple. There's no need for Texas in my world anymore. Been trying to convince an Aggie buddy of mine that ND last year AND this year was our keystone game. But his tradition clouded his vision. Beating Texas or losing to Texas is not meaningful. Going into SB and knocking off #8 ND was. Like it or hate it, ND has that aura of college football (personally, it's more fable than fact to me). Texas.... we split the series with them since we became a regular co-ed university. Been there, done that, we get no credit for beating them, it's just a grudge game.
That said, I hate to say it, I see Texas as a loss. Yes, I know, Manning was booed, looked un-shockingly bad, blah blah. Sark is still a very good HC and they have talent that remembers how to play big games. That will be tough to win on the road there.
And LSU. Florida is awful this year again. So I was a bit surprised Florida even kept it within 10 pts. But I see LSU as a loss. I think it's more solidly a loss than Texas.
If we do beat Texas, I still think our team has quite a bit to clean up. If we don't I see losses to LSU and one we "should have won" (e.g., Auburn, or Miss State).
