Notre Dame football: Irish named overrated after initial 2021 Coaches Poll
By Brad Weiss
The first Coaches Poll is out for the 2021 college football season, and one media outlet feels the Notre Dame football team is overrated at No. 7.
The first installment of the 2021 Coaches Poll is out, and the Notre Dame football team came in at No. 7 overall. Coming off their second appearance in the College Football Playoff in three years, the Irish have a lot to like on both sides of the ball, and the coaches seem to agree.
Of course, the normal teams are at the top, with Alabama coming in at No. 1, and Clemson as the No. 2 team in the land. Oklahoma, Ohio State, and Georgia round out the top-5, with Texas A&M at No. 6. After the Irish, Iowa State, North Carolina, and Cincinnati finish the top-10 in the first ranking.
Of course, Notre Dame football will play both North Carolina and Cincinnati in 2021, giving them two chances to beat a preseason top-10 team. Also, the Irish play No. 14 USC and No. 15 Wisconsin, so they do not have a cupcake schedule by any means.
Notre Dame football is listed as overrated
While the No. 7 overall ranking was solid, and it shows the way the Irish are viewed by the coaches in college football, one media outlet listed them as overrated. Barrett Sallee from CBS Sports named the Irish as one of their two overrated teams, pairing them with No. 6 Texas A&M, the team they were really battling it out with last season for the fourth CFP spot.
Sallee’s thinking in the piece is that the loss of Ian Book will be tough to overcome and that Jack Coan is not the difference-maker Book was under center. While that may be true, it is not like Coan is going to come into the situation wide-eyed, especially after some success in the Big Ten with the Wisconsin Badgers.
Honestly, I feel the No. 7 ranking to start the season is perfect for the Irish, and they will get a chance to prove they belong early, especially in Week 1 against Florida State. The Wisconsin game is going to be a solid barometer in Game No. 4, and if they can get out to a 4-0 start, they will rightfully be in the top-10 for the tougher stretch of their 2021 season.