How Far Will Notre Dame Go in the Playoffs?
Wonder where they will place this season? A deep dive into Notre Dame Football.
“For such a prestigious program, Notre Dame is currently going through one of the longest droughts in college football history, having not won a national championship since 1988.”
I believe in Notre Dame for the upcoming 2024 College Football Season.
They are a high-powered talent filled team with tons of potential. They also have an easier schedule, only facing three other ranked teams in Texas A&M, Florida State, and Southern California.
Notre Dame was also able to score one of the most highly sought prospects in the transfer portal, getting Senior Quarterback Riley Leonard from Duke. He nearly passed for three thousand yards as a sophomore, and could have easily gone for more last year if not for getting injured.
While many of the receivers are relatively green, with none putting up 500 yards in a season yet, I believe the talent in this group is there with Jordan Fison, who had 5 catches for 115 yards and a touchdown, and Mitchells Evans, who is ranked as the second best Tight end in college football.
However, defense, which is what the team truly shines in, has caught everyone's eyes. They have the reigning Bronko Nagurski trophy winner, Safety Xavier Watts, returning for his redshirt senior season, a semifinalist for the the Jim Thorpe award in Junior Cornerback Benjamin Morrison, and an All-American defensive tackle from redshirt senior Howard Cross III.
This is a defense that is getting many players back, returning from a unit that was ranked eighth last year.
For such a prestigious program, Notre Dame is currently going through one of the longest droughts in college football history, having not won a national championship since 1988, when they were voted by the AP Poll.
For a program of their caliber, that is unacceptable. They have made the playoffs recently, however, embarrassed by Clemson in 2018 and Alabama in 2020. The last time they were able to reach the national championship game was in 2012, losing 42-14 against Alabama.
While Notre Dame has had great recruiting classes, they simply have not produced enough NFL talent until right now to get their teams over the hump. While Notre Dame hasn’t been at the top for a bit, I believe they will reclaim the throne this season.
Works Cited
Fiutak, Pete. “What Is Notre Dame Football’s Best Case Scenario? ND on SI Noon Question.” Sports Illustrated, https://www.si.com/college/notredame/football/college-football-playoff-predictions-joel-klatt-notre-dame-boise-state-miami.
