How We Were And Are Perceived Nationally
We were perceived as being 6-7 points behind ND, with most of the late money favoring us.
We are perceived as a team that finished 4 points behind ND, where a single play could have swung between outright victory or a double digit loss.
ND showed the voters that their offense could be contained, while their defense was better than many critics gave them credit. Weis showed he was a gutsy leader who will take chances, for better or worse. ND failed to show improvement in the field goal department, but did show they were dangerous on other special teams.
GT showed we can pop the bubble of any high-powered offense, and that our defense is NOT susceptible to Utah-style offenses, given decent field conditions. GT showed it can play essentially error-free ball, with zero interceptions, zero fumbles, and very very few deserved penalties. Ball showed accuracy and good running ability. Calvin showed he can dominate against single coverage. GT special teams showed improvement, but is still a work in progress.
ND showed the way to beat GT is to establish both lines of scrimmage, pick on the small corner if he's in there, and keep the ball out of Reggie's hands.
GT showed the way to beat ND is to prevent YAC, make them drive the length of the field with 3-down first downs, and get big plays by attacking their defensive backfield where their A-A safety is not.
GT showed that it can be beat, but you'll be in a war trying to do it.
There. Better analysis than you'll find anywhere.