Notre Dame football: Irish shown some love in recent 2022 rankings
By Brad Weiss
The Notre Dame football team should be one of the best in the country this season, and one media expert certainly thinks so.
The 2022 college football season cannot get here soon enough, as it is going to be interesting to see what this Notre Dame football team looks like under first-year head coach Marcus Freeman. The Irish nearly played their way to a College Football Playoff berth last season but ended up playing in the Fiesta Bowl, where they blew a huge lead in Freeman’s first game at the helm.
Now, with a full offseason under his belt, many expect the Irish to take a big step forward under Freeman, especially with so many talented players returning. Notre Dame football had multiple players who could have passed on another year in South Bend for the NFL, but many returned, bolstering this roster in a big way.
Now comes the summer, where we will have a better chance to see what this team will look like in September.
Notre Dame football ranked in the top 5 by Joel Klatt
Joel Klatt from Fox Sports is one of the best in the business, and he recently put together a list of his top-5 teams for the upcoming season. While the regular top teams were listed, including Alabama and Georgia, Klatt was also big on the Irish, who came in at No. 5 overall.
Coming in at No. 2 was the team’s opponent in Week 1, the Ohio State Buckeyes, who every media outlet feels is going to do something special this season. They return elite playmakers on the offensive side of the ball, including CJ Stroud, a potential Heisman Trophy candidate who may have lost two first-round wideouts, but returns a star in Jaxon Smith-Njigba.
Just missing the cut, per Klatt, were Michigan, Utah, Michigan State, and Clemson. The Irish take on the Tigers in 2022 as well.
The road is going to be tough, as not only do the Irish play Ohio State and Clemson, but they also close out the regular season against a USC team that many feel will be a lot better in 2022. Overall, the talent is there to do something special, but as we saw last season, finishing at No. 5 overall in the CFP rankings means another year out of the playoff.