Notre Dame is one of the strongest programs in the history of college football, but the Fighting Irish haven’t won a national championship since the 1988 season. For over three decades, they have been a solid team that can’t get over the final hump.
Notre Dame is now facing a pivotal moment. This season, the team will have a new head coach. The Fighting Irish are replacing Brian Kelly along with multiple players on both sides of the ball.
Still, Notre Dame has a solid roster with a quality head coach. If this team turns the corner, they will be in contention for the College Football Playoff.
NCAAF futures list Notre Dame at +4000 to win the title. The future is bright, but can this team turn everything around with one offseason? Let’s look at the year ahead for Marcus Freeman and the Fighting Irish, and then we will determine if this team is worth taking a shot on.
Key Departures
Obviously, losing Brian Kelly is the top storyline for this team. Kelly made the Fighting Irish a relevant program every year, and his ability to overcome the deficiencies of Notre Dame helped them reach the College Football Playoff multiple times. However, the one critique was that Notre Dame never won the big game.
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In that regard, perhaps Freeman can change the culture and get Notre Dame over the hump.
In terms of athletes, Notre Dame only had two players get drafted from last year’s team. The bad news is that they were easily the two best players on the field. Kyle Hamilton cannot be replaced by one player, and Kyren Williams was a steady back for the offense.
Starting quarterback Jack Coan went undrafted, but he still must be replaced. This will be Notre Dame’s third starting quarterback in three years, so the turnover at that position will be worth watching.
The competition to replace Coan will be fun to watch. While the team didn’t add a transfer quarterback, they still don’t have a guaranteed answer for who will start. Tyler Buchner is likely in the lead, but Drew Pyne will also be in the mix. Whoever wins the job will probably have a short leash at the start of the year.
Notre Dame’s Schedule
Since Notre Dame is not in a conference, they have to dominate in the regular season. They can’t avoid an upset, and they have to either go 12-0 or get lucky with an 11-1 record.
Notre Dame usually has a tame schedule with one or two powerhouses to boost the overall ratings. This year, the schedule is completely bonkers. It’s wild in ways that the Fighting Irish couldn’t have even predicted a few years ago.
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Notre Dame begins with Ohio State, a team looking for revenge, and with a Heisman contender at quarterback. They play against Clemson again, and the Tigers could be back in the title conversation this season. Notre Dame also plays USC. The Trojans will be a completely different team after hiring Lincoln Riley and bringing in Caleb Williams.
By the end of the year, Notre Dame could easily have played three of the four College Football Playoff teams. That doesn’t help them out, but it will at least prove early if they deserve to be in the title hunt.
So, is there value in this bet? Should you take a shot in the dark and hope Notre Dame wins it all? If you do, don’t forget to place it at a top-rated sportsbook.
Can Notre Dame Win It All?
I like the hiring of Marcus Freeman, and I think that Notre Dame has a bright future. However, I can’t see them going even 11-1 with this schedule. They begin the year against a top team, and none of their quarterbacks have significant experience.
Even if they keep the OSU game respectable, I don’t see them beating both Clemson and USC. That doesn’t even include a potential upset in the other nine games.
If the Fighting Irish had a slow start to the year, I could see placing a value bet early and seeing how the odds shift. However, they will almost definitely be 0-1 to start the year, so I just can’t say that this is a valuable bet. If you trust them, pick them to cover in the season opener instead.
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