Notre Dame football: Are the Irish a legitimate CFP contender in 2022?
By Brad Weiss
The Notre Dame football team has been stacking talent in their 2023 and 2024 recruiting classes, but are the legitimate CFP contenders this season?
Looking at the 2022 Notre Dame football team, it is easy to see why many consider them legitimate College Football Playoff contenders. They have first-round talent on both sides of the ball, an exciting coaching staff, and playmakers that can turn a game on its head at any given time.
However, there are also major question marks when it comes to this Notre Dame football team, including who will be the starting quarterback. Last year, we got to see glimpses of Tyler Buchner, and Drew Pyne led the team to a win over Wisconsin, but neither player has an edge as we head into the summer months.
On paper, the Irish are good enough to play with anyone, and we will get a good test of that right out of the gate, as they take on Ohio State in Week 1. Both are considered CFP contenders, which is going to be a heavyweight fight to start the season and will give us a good indication of where this team is at in 2022.
While there is a ton of noise out there, and some feel the Irish could be one of the last four teams standing, are they a year away from being a legit title contender?
Notre Dame football should be right in the mix in 2022
Week 1 aside, the Irish could go on a nice run in 2022, as the schedule gets a bit easier up until they take on the Clemson Tigers. They also have to play USC to close the regular season, a team that should be much improved now that Lincoln Riley is manning the sidelines for the Trojans.
If they can figure out the quarterback spot, and some wideouts step up, where is the real hole on this Irish roster? They should be able to dominate in the trenches on both sides of the ball, have elite playmakers at linebacker and in the secondary on defense, and the running back room is deep and talented.
It is early, and the summer practices have yet to start, but when it comes to overall depth, and experience, you have to like this Notre Dame football team going into Marcus Freeman’s first season as head coach. Sure, they could fall short of the CFP, but the 2022 team is going to be a special one, and the future is certainly bright in South Bend.