Are you experienced?, Jimmy Clausen's Heisman chances, and Pete Carroll has moved on (LOTD 6/4)

The focus in the past couple of days has been on the experience of the program. What everyone seems to be concluding that that, though there is experience in spots, Notre Dame is still a fairly young team. As NDNation points out, most of the talent is in the sophomore and junior classes, which isn't terrible but still shows that this team may be another year away. Much of the problem comes from Weis' misses in the current senior class, a class that now appears to be vastly overrated.

Phil Steele says that the Irish rank 112th in experience (out of 120 teams), which is surprising considering how young we've thought the team has been the past two years (and how much experience has been garnered from the games played by those young teams). HerLoyalSons extrapolates on the point, showing (in chart form) how ND's experience compares to that of its opponents. Michigan is the only team on the schedule with less experience than the Irish (scUM is the youngest team in the NCAA), while teams like Navy, Stanford, Pitt, and Washington State prove to be the most experienced. USC, the most challenging team on the schedule, is actually relatively young, ranking 82nd in the country in terms of experience.

Steele and HLS both point out how much experience matters, and the stats take ND's prospects for success this upcoming season down a notch or two. Luckily there isn't much competition on the schedule, so one has to hope that the Irish can gain the experience needed to compete against a good team in a bowl game.

BlueandGold takes a look at Jimmy Clausen's Heisman chances, giving the Irish QB 20-1 odds heading into the season. Clausen benefits from being the quarterback at Notre Dame, though that didn't help Brady Quinn when he was competing against Troy Smith for the Heisman Trophy in 2006. BaG also point to the schedule when considering the advantages that Clausen has going for him. Working against Clausen is the national perception that he isn't as good as advertised coming out of high school and the work needed to become the leader of the team.

I personally don't think that Clausen will win the Heisman this year, nor do I think he will be a finalist. Clausen's best chances of contending for the award will be next year, which goes along with the thought that the Irish are actually one year away (which someone said a few graphs above).

Moving on, there's a few national stories that deserve some recognition. First, Steven Sipple of HuskerExtra.com, considers blowing up the coaches poll all together. I'm completely in favor of this idea. The coaches don't take this poll seriously, and most don't even do their own voting every week. Furthermore, the poll is extremely biased, and now that the poll is secret it will be even worse. Sipple brings up a good idea, saying, "I think it would be a much better job for former coaches who are able to watch several games a week." Agree 100%.

Pete Carroll has finally decided to comment on the NCAA investigation, taking most athlete's favorite position of "I've moved on."

"We did everything three years ago and we haven't been asked anything to update the situation. The NCAA hasn't asked a question or revisited the matter. It's all been done."

Carroll most likely took this position to help recruiting, as he followed the quote up by saying that opposing coaches have been telling recruits that SC might be ineligible for bowl games in the near future. I still think it's funny to hear Carroll say that they've moved on, despite the fact that every other publication is saying that the investigation is coming to a climax. I've actually heard that Carroll, Floyd, and Garrett will be meeting with the NCAA soon, with NCAA meetings scheduled for July and August to discuss what action will be taken.

Finally, CBSSportsline columnist and contrarian Gregg Doyel crushed his alma mater, the Florida Gators, in a recent column. Doyel says that he is infuriated by the amount of Gators arrested in the past four years (24 in total). Doyel calls out Urban Meyer and Tim Tebow for not taking more of a leadership position and getting the team on board for better behavior. Doyel says of Tebow:

"Now would be a good time for another speech. Something about 24 arrests being 24 too many. If Tebow is half the leader, half the great man that people inside and outside that locker room insist he is, his words would make an impact."

Doyel finishes his column by saying, "And I'm sick of the way these dumbasses are representing me." It's a good read, though Doyel borders on hysteria at times.

So there's your links for the day. I'll have a recruiting update coming later in the day, as some news has started to come about on that front.