Many preseason writers and polls have Notre Dame as the No. 1 team in the country. Most years, this is a prelude to disaster for the team chosen to win it all, as USC was in 2005, though it nearly failed. After going 6-6 in 2004, in 2005 with basically the same players, they went 9-3 and their offense generated 36 points per game and over 477 yards per game on offense and gave USC the scare of his life in a game he should have won. at home. The struggling Irish are back in the national spotlight thanks to Charlie Weis as head coach, and some player changes and attitude adjustment by his coaching staff were worth the price to get it.
The KEY for Notre Dame this year is the number of returning starters, especially at skill positions. They return 8 on offense and 9 on defense in 2006. Brady Quinn at QB is the biggest of them all, with their best receiver Samardzija returning and Rhema McKnight, the top pass receiver from 2003, injured for all of 2004 and most 2005. The rushing game is bolstered by Darius Walker, an 1,100-yard rusher since 2005, along with standout backup Travis Thomas. With all 4 linemen coming back from a great offensive line, I don’t see a huge drop in offensive production for the Irish this season, and at 36 ppg last year, it makes them a formidable foe for any defense facing them. Hands down the top offensive unit in the nation in my mind.
The big concern for the Irish is defense, and when you have 9 returning starters, on the surface it looks like a good year, but this unit gave up big plays last year, including the Bowl game where Ohio State went up and down the countryside. on them at a loss. Replacing the losses of 2 key linebackers is a top priority in stopping the run. They’re deep with players at linebacker but inexperienced and newcomer Toryan Smith can be seen on the roster. Line play to rush the passer and stop the run at the entry point on the line will be a top priority in fall camp. This defensive line wasn’t dominant in stopping the run or sacking the quarterback in 2005, and to maintain an undefeated record and a national title shot, this has to change. The secondary is solid with all 4 starters coming back and Tom Zbikowski is back, a part-time boxer and leader of the defense who is also a special teams guru and playmaker, they are solid here.
Scheduling is always an issue for Notre Dame, but they have Penn State and Michigan at home in back-to-back weeks, they have UCLA at home in the middle of the season, and they end up with USC on the road at the end of the season, one of the games of marquee of the year in college football. They have to travel to Michigan State to avenge an overtime at home last year, and I expect them to make a statement in that game, so a sub-10 line in that one will be worth checking out. Right off the bat, I think the totals in Notre Dame games will be worth it as well, as the offense will produce and the defense will likely still drop some numbers until they freeze as a unit and come together.
Opening up with Georgia Tech down the road isn’t a difficult task, as they lost a bunch of guys last year, but opening up down the road is always a dangerous place to be, especially when you’re at Notre Dame. If they can weather the storm by playing good teams at home and beating them, the November matchup against USC in Los Angeles should be for a national title shot. A good bet is for Notre Dame to make it to the top of the mountain and play in the BCS championship game this season. The ranking is well deserved in my opinion.