Notre Dame football: Where do the Irish fall in ESPN’s 2022 FPI?
By Brad Weiss
The 2022 Notre Dame football team has high expectations, and here, we take a look at where they rank in ESPN’s initial FPI rankings
The 2022 Notre Dame football team figures to be one of the best teams in the country once again, as they barely missed out on the College Football Playoff last year. The Irish saw key players pass up on the 2022 NFL Draft to return to school, a season of excitement due to the fact that Marcus Freeman is taking over for Brian Kelly as head coach.
For the Irish, the entire starting offensive line returns, including Jarrett Patterson, who many felt would be a Day 2 draft pick this year. The defense is loaded with veteran talent on all three levels, and was bolstered by the fact Brandon Joseph transferred in after the team lost star safety Kyle Hamilton in the secondary.
Recently, ESPN put out their first FPI ranking of the season, which is a ‘measure of team strength that is meant to be the best predictor of a team’s performance going forward for the rest of the season.’ Many factors go into the number, and based on where the Irish landed, big things are expected in 2022.
Notre Dame football ranked No. 5 overall
In their initial FPI rankings, ESPN had the Irish as the No. 5 overall team in the country.
In terms of making the College Football Playoff, ESPN gave the Irish a 17.6 percent chance of making it, ranking them at No. 6 overall. The top-4 teams in terms of the playoff hunt are the same as the to-4 in the FPI, Alabama, Ohio State, Georgia, and Clemson, though Texas, ranked No. 6 in FPI, leapfrogged the Irish for the CFP.
Ohio State has the highest percentage of making the playoff of all teams, coming in at 82.3, but the Irish can crush those hopes on opening night.
Overall, based on the question marks on offense, this is not a terrible initial ranking for the 2022 Notre Dame football team. We will know more after the Blue-Gold Game, and possibly more players come in via the transfer portal, but for now, one thing is for sure, the Irish are one of the best teams in the country.