Notre Dame football: Where the Irish landed in Athlon Sports team ranking
By Brad Weiss
The Notre Dame football team should be a top-10 squad in 2022, but where did they land in the Athlon Sports ranking of all 131 teams.
Last season, the Notre Dame football team made a serious run to the College Football Playoff but ended up on the outside looking in due to their early-season loss to Cincinnati. At the time the four teams to make up the playoff were announced, the Irish were one of the hottest teams in the country, and were steamrolling their opposition due to their punishing defense.
In the end, Brian Kelly would leave the team after their regular season finale, a shock to the college football landscape, and the Irish would end up playing in the Fiesta Bowl. That would be Marcus Freeman’s first game as the program’s interim head coach, a title he would shed this offseason when the University made him their full-time head coach.
Now, Freeman will be tasked with moving the program forward, and with what he has done this offseason in recruiting, that should be easy. However, what will the 2022 college football season bring?
There are a lot of question marks when it comes to this roster, including at quarterback, so when everything is said and done, where will the Irish land?
Notre Dame football lands at No. 7 overall
In their ranking of all of the 131 teams, Athlon Sports took a different approach and tried to predict what the ranking could look like at the end of the 2022 college football season. Based on talent and schedule, the publication likes the Irish to finish as the No. 7 team in the country, which would be a bit of a disappointment for some.
With so many draft prospects on the roster, the Irish are going to be College Football Playoff contenders, though getting into the top 4 is going to be tough. They have two very tough games at the front and back of their 2022 slate, and their mid-season matchup with Clemson should also be a battle.
A No. 7 ranking is certainly not out of the realm of possibility, especially with some challenging regular season games, and a first-year head coach at the helm. Week 1 will be very telling, as they take on Ohio State in what should be one of the year’s games, but even with a loss, Notre Dame football will be in the mix the entire 2022 season.