Notre Dame Football: Athlon Sports ranks Irish outside of top-10
By Brad Weiss
The Notre Dame Football program has been to two of the last three College Football Playoffs, but Athlon Sports is not sold on the 2021 roster.
Looking ahead to the 2021 college football season, the Notre Dame Football program will return to its Independent schedule. Last season, the Irish played in the ACC during the COVID-19 pandemic, and all they did was run the table, going undefeated during the regular season.
While the season did not end with a national title, they did get back to the College Football Playoff and saw nine players selected in the 2021 NFL Draft. While expectations do not seem that high for this year’s team, there is reason to think they should once again be one of the teams in the conversation to return to the CFP.
In addition, Notre Dame Stadium is going to be rocking this Fall, as it was announced this past week that they will be able to be at full capacity for home games. That gives the Irish a decided advantage over any team who comes to town and could lead to some solid wins at home.
Notre Dame Football ranked No. 12 overall
In the latest rankings over at Athlon Sports, the Notre Dame Football program was ranked outside of the top-10. In fact, the Irish came in at No. 12 overall, behind the likes of Cincinnati and North Carolina, two teams they will play during the regular season. Both games are significant, as the Irish dominated the Tar Heels last season, and this offseason, they were able to get Marcus Freeman to be their defensive coordinator from the Bearcats.
Notre Dame Football will kick off their 2021 schedule on the road against Florida State, which will give us a good gauge as to what this team looks like. They have an exciting 2021 slate, including a matchup with Wisconsin inside Soldier Field, as Jack Coan looks to beat up on his former team.
Preseason rankings are always a funny thing, as we have seen the Irish ranked everywhere from No. 6 overall, to all the way down past No. 15. The fact is, there is a lot of question marks heading into this season, but the talent is there for the Irish to dominate their Independent schedule, and possibly reach another College Football Playoff.