Notre Dame Fighting Irish ranking: 16/134
[Check out RJ Young’s ultimate 134 college football rankings here]
Teams ahead of them: Oklahoma State (15), Penn State (14), Tennessee (13), Utah (12), Oklahoma (11)
Teams behind them: USC (17), Kansas State (18), Clemson (19), Kansas (20), West Virginia (21)
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RJ’s take: Marcus Freeman has demonstrated he’s more than capable of shouldering all that comes with being head coach at Notre Dame, namely hiring a third-straight offensive coordinator in as many years, naming a third starter at QB in as many years and still managing to win at least nine games in each of his first two seasons.
With Riley Leonard joining along with Mike Denbrock, the ingredients are there for Freeman’s Fighting Irish to make a run at the national title. If Denbrock can get Leonard back to his 2022 form — 2,967 pass yards, 699 rush yards, 33 total TDs — he could develop Leonard into a Heisman finalist and perhaps his second-straight Heisman winner as an offensive coordinator. However, I’ve yet to see Leonard be the guy Denbrock had at LSU. Then again Jayden Daniels hadn’t shown the ability to win the Heisman in four years prior to, you know, becoming the best college football player on the planet.
Defensively, Benjamin Morrison is expected to return from injury in time for ND’s date with Texas A&M. He has nine INTs over the past two years while solidifying himself as one of the best cover corners in the sport. Xavier Watts showed himself to be one of the three best safeties in the sport last year with seven picks and I fully expect Howard Cross III to show himself to be a top 10-caliber NFL Draft selection.
Notre Dame Fighting Irish’s Win Total Odds: Over 10 (-115) Under 10 (-105)
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