Fansided

College football rankings 2018: FanSided preseason Top 25

By Connor Muldowney

NEW ORLEANS, LA - JANUARY 01: Alabama Crimson Tide running back Damien Harris (34) runs with the football during the College Football Playoff Semifinal at the Allstate Sugar Bowl between the Alabama Crimson Tide and Clemson Tigers on January 1, 2018, at the Mercedes-Benz Superdome in New Orleans, LA. (Photo by Robin Alam/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
NEW ORLEANS, LA - JANUARY 01: Alabama Crimson Tide running back Damien Harris (34) runs with the football during the College Football Playoff Semifinal at the Allstate Sugar Bowl between the Alabama Crimson Tide and Clemson Tigers on January 1, 2018, at the Mercedes-Benz Superdome in New Orleans, LA. (Photo by Robin Alam/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images) /
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ORLANDO, FL – JANUARY 01: Notre Dame Fighting Irish quarterback Brandon Wimbush (7) throws a pass during the first half of the Citrus Bowl game between the Notre Dame Fighting Irish and the LSU Tigers on January 01, 2018, at Camping World Stadium in Orlando, FL. Notre Dame leads 3-0 at half. (Photo by Roy K. Miller/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
ORLANDO, FL – JANUARY 01: Notre Dame Fighting Irish quarterback Brandon Wimbush (7) throws a pass during the first half of the Citrus Bowl game between the Notre Dame Fighting Irish and the LSU Tigers on January 01, 2018, at Camping World Stadium in Orlando, FL. Notre Dame leads 3-0 at half. (Photo by Roy K. Miller/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images) /

What should we make of Notre Dame? I get it, the Fighting Irish are ranked high just about every season, but this year feels a little different. Brian Kelly’s team is coming off its most successful season in years, winning 10 games including the Citrus Bowl over LSU, but they lost rising defensive coordinator Mike Elko and star running back Josh Adams.

Notre Dame beat some tough teams last season like Michigan State, NC State, USC and the aforementioned Tigers and it seemed like Kelly’s coaching style turned a corner.

Football seems to be fun again in South Bend.

Brandon Wimbush is back to lead the offense, but he’ll be fighting off Ian Book and true freshman Phil Jurkovec. He may be the favorite to win the job, but he must show that he’s more than just a quarterback who can run and occasionally pass. He completed just under 50 percent of his throws last year.

Defensively, the Fighting Irish should be strong. They return nine starters and Clark Lea is a student of Elko’s, so he’ll be instilling what he learned from his mentor.