Notre Dame Football: Irish should get off to fast start in 2021
By Brad Weiss
The Notre Dame Football team has a fairly easy schedule to start the 2021 season, which should lead to a fast start for the Irish.
The 2020 college football season was a special one for this Notre Dame Football program, as they once again won ten games, and punched another ticket to the College Football Playoff. Playing through a pandemic, and having to join the ACC, the Irish saw so many of their players step up, including Ian Book, who became the school’s all-time winningest quarterback.
When it came time for the 2021 NFL Draft, the program was on full display, as nine players were selected across the three-day event. Losing that kind of talent would certainly decimate another program, but the Irish have a ton of depth and should be right back in the mix as one of the best teams in the country once again this Fall.
They have a veteran-laded defense, enough talent to revamp the offensive line, and the freshman class that came in has some playmakers. Also, running back Kyren Williams is one of the best backs in the entire country and could be in for another monster season in his second year as the feature back.
Notre Dame Football should start the season strongly
Looking at the early-season schedule for the Irish, there is reason to believe that they could get off to a fast start. In Week 1, they take on a Florida State program that is not the powerhouse of old, and despite being on the road and in primetime, they should be able to beat them pretty handily to kick off the season.
From there, they run through some teams that are going to be no contest, including Toledo and Purdue, before what should be a tough matchup inside Soldier Field against Wisconsin. That is going to be a statement game for probable starting quarterback Jack Coan, so you can best believe he is going to do everything in his power to win that one.
That leads us to the Cincinnati game, a game that could pit two top-10 teams against each other. There are plenty of storylines in this one, from Brian Kelly to Marcus Freeman, and the two rosters are pretty evenly matched. If they can somehow get through the Bearcats, they have one more hurdle before the bye week, and that is a road game against Virginia Tech, which could be a trap game for the Irish.
It is only June, and anything can happen between now, and the team’s first game against Florida State on the road. However, looking at the schedule, there is no reason why the Irish cannot start strong this Fall, possibly heading into that matchup with Cincinnati with an unblemished record.