The Notre Dame Fighting Irish came agonizingly close to the College Football Playoff last season. They took a lead over Stanford with under 40 seconds left but watched the Cardinal drive down the field for a winning field goal on the final play. Had the Notre Dame Fighting Irish won that game, it would have been involved in a very tight race with Oklahoma for the fourth and final playoff spot. It would not have been guaranteed a bid, but it would have had something close to a 50-50 chance. Then recall that Notre Dame, earlier in the 2015 season, played Clemson very tough in Death Valley, and lost by two points – not only because of a missed two-point conversion in the final minute, but because the Irish had gone for two earlier in the game and failed. Notre Dame lost two games by fewer than three points against two of the top teams in the country. If the Irish play up to that standard in 2016, they’ll probably make the playoff this time around.
Biggest Team Weakness
The Irish could be better in stopping the run. Last season, the Irish allowed opponents to rush for an average of just over 175 yards per game. The yardage is damaging enough, but when opponents can run the ball well as opposed to passing the ball well, they also gain in terms of time of possession. Notre Dame likes to run the ball on offense, so the Irish are built to win games by dominating the time of possession statistic. When they can’t do that, their overall margin for error shrinks, and that’s something coach Brian Kelly wants to work against this season. He has to know that his front seven can stiffen up in the trenches and force teams to become one-dimensional on offense, throwing in very predictable passing situations. This is what the Notre Dame Fighting Irish have to do if it wants to achieve its foremost goals.
And keep in mind that focus and depth could be a problem early on. Six members of the team were arrested and disciplined (in different ways), so that could prove to be a distraction and an issue for their rotation.
Biggest Team Strength
The Irish have two talented quarterbacks, Malik Zaire and DeShone Kizer, who will both play in the September 4 opener at Texas. Torii Hunter, Jr., son of the star baseball player, is a high-level wide receiver. The Irish have a lot of skill on offense. Yet, the running backs are the best group, more than the quarterbacks or the pass catchers. Josh Adams busted out in his first season in 2015 with 835 yards and a seven-yard average per carry. Tarean Folston missed last season with an injury, but he was exceptionally good in 2014. If he’s healthy, the Notre Dame Fighting Irish are going to wear out opponents on the ground and establish the territorial advantage it wants – and needs.
Schedule
Notre Dame, as an independent, gets to schedule all over the United States. It has an agreement, though, to play several games against the Atlantic Coast Conference, since the school is an ACC member in basketball and other non-football sports. Notre Dame plays ACC schools Duke, Syracuse, North Carolina State, Miami, and Virginia Tech. The Irish should win all those games. Notre Dame hosts Michigan State and Stanford, two teams who often stand in the way of a national title. The Irish close their season with a trip to USC, and they hope they’ll be able to be in position on that day to advance to the playoff.
Outlook
With the sole exception of USC, the Irish get all their big games at home. Michigan State and Stanford are both breaking in new quarterbacks. The Irish have established a high standard as a program. An 11-1 record seems like a more than reasonable prediction for the coming season. However, you have to take into account the recent news of six players getting arrested and some of them getting booted from the team. Notre Dame should still be very good but this could prove to be an early season distraction that this team doesn’t need – especially with some tough early games.
Projection: 11-1
