Notre Dame might not be one of the first schools you think of as favorites to reach the College Football Playoff, but the Fighting Irish may surprise.
Make no mistake about it, Notre Dame football fans expect their favorite school to compete for a national title on an annual basis. To do that, Brian Kelly must first get his Fighting Irish team into the College Football Playoff.
Notre Dame isn’t one of the favorites to reach the final four, but they are an intriguing sleeper. The combination of high-end talent and experience on the roster makes it a team that will be very tough to beat. They might drop a game here or there, but their opponent will need to play their “A game” to earn the victory.
In this piece, we’ll examine five reasons the Fighting Irish make their way into the Playoff. We start by examining the team’s defensive depth chart.
5. Experience on defense
Notre Dame might not have the talent of say, Clemson’s defense, but what they do have is a ton of high-level experience. The team’s two-deep is chocked full of upperclassmen on the defensive side of the ball.
There isn’t an underclassmen listed as a starter. Only three sophomores managed to step up and earn second-string spots. This isn’t a group that will be intimidated by any opponent or occasion.
Kelly and the defensive coaching staff will need their experience to carry the day. Fighting Irish fans would feel a little better if there was more NFL talent on the roster, but that just isn’t the reality of where their program stands at the current point in time.
If Notre Dame ends up competing for a national championship this season, they’ll need this defense to emerge as a top-10 group in college football. Their roster continuity is what will give them a chance to reach that goal. Don’t sleep on this defense.