Notre Dame Football: 4 biggest threats on the 2021 schedule

SOUTH BEND, INDIANA - OCTOBER 05: Head coach Brian Kelly and players of the Notre Dame Fighting Irish prepare to take the field for the game against the Bowling Green Falcons at Notre Dame Stadium on October 05, 2019 in South Bend, Indiana. (Photo by Quinn Harris/Getty Images)
SOUTH BEND, INDIANA - OCTOBER 05: Head coach Brian Kelly and players of the Notre Dame Fighting Irish prepare to take the field for the game against the Bowling Green Falcons at Notre Dame Stadium on October 05, 2019 in South Bend, Indiana. (Photo by Quinn Harris/Getty Images) /
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Notre Dame Football Mandatory Credit: Jasen Vinlove-USA TODAY Sports /

Notre Dame Football: 4 biggest threats on the 2021 schedule

No. 3: Florida State Seminoles

The 2021 Notre Dame football team is going to have a lot of new faces in key spots, so anytime that happens, the first game tends to be a tough one to gauge. For the Irish, they will open up their 2021 slate on the road against Florida State, a program that is coming off a horrible 2020 season, one that was the first for head coach Mike Norvell, who took over for the fired Willie Taggert.

It was a tough first season for Norvell at Florida State, as the team finished with a 3-6 record, but he is an excellent coach and led Memphis to a 12-1 record back in 2019. Usually, Florida State is one of the better programs in the country, so there is reason to believe they could be surprisingly good this upcoming season.

One big reason is quarterback McKenzie Milton, who transferred over from UCF, where he was a bonafide star before a gruesome leg injury. Through the 2017 and 2018 seasons, Milton posted a 23-0 record and was twice named the American Athletic Conference’s Offensive Player of the Year.

If the Seminoles are getting the player Milton was before the injury, they should win more than the six games they are projected to by ESPN. It has been three straight losing seasons in Tallahassee, so you have to think that streak should be ending sooner than later.