The Notre Dame Fighting Irish are entering this season with a great deal of uncertainty, following one of the final offseason stories of the year, one that has rocked the campus and caused a lot of uneasy reactions among fans, alumni and leaders. What’s going to happen to the four suspended players who are being investigated for academic cheating? Everyone wants to know, but what will be the actual result of everything?
Strengths
The Fighting Irish have one big strength this season, and that’s the fact that Everett Golson is back at quarterback. Golson missed last season (for academic violations) and had a whole year in which to reorganize himself and prepare his body to be physically ready for this season. It’s a big advantage for Golson that he wasn’t beaten up last season. He is going to be as fresh as any quarterback in the country, and since a lot of his game is based on scrambling if not straightforward running, he’s going to be lethal when plays break down and the defense is scattered. Golson is going to rescue Notre Dame by himself on a lot of third downs this season. He’s going to add so much to the Fighting Irish offense compared to last season.
Weaknesses
The Fighting Irish don’t know for sure if four suspended players – projected starting wide receiver DaVaris Daniels, projecting starting cornerback KeiVarae Russell, and two other players, linebacker Kendall Moore plus defensive end Ishaq Williams – will be back with the program. However, most analysts who closely follow college football have expressed concern that since the school publicly named the players at the beginning of the investigation, there seems to be a belief that the players will not play this season. If that is indeed the case, the Irish lose a great deal of depth, mostly on a defense that will no longer be coached by former coordinator Bob Diaco, the man who led that same defense to the 2013 BCS National Championship Game against Alabama. Diaco is now the head coach at Connecticut. There are a lot of gaps in the Irish roster if the suspensions turn into dismissals from the football team.
Schedule
The Fighting Irish have entered into an agreement in which they will play Atlantic Coast Conference teams several times in a season. Notre Dame is a part of the ACC in basketball, so it has entered into a partnership with the ACC for football on a reduced scale. Notre Dame hosts North Carolina and Louisville, and it would do well to split those two games, although a sweep is a realistic possibility. The Irish go to Syracuse and Florida State. They should beat the Orange but lose to the Seminoles. Outside the ACC, a home game against Michigan will be tough, and a home game against Stanford will be tougher. A game against Arizona State is going to test the Irish defense, and the finale at USC will be challenging, too.
Outlook
The Irish have a rough schedule as it is. If the four suspended players are dismissed, everything would then have to go just right for this team to win only eight or nine games. Usually, perfect scenarios don’t happen, so the under makes sense here.
Pick: Under 7.5 at EVEN
