Notre Dame football: Irish outside of top-5 in latest 2022 top-25 poll
By Brad Weiss
The Notre Dame football team has big expectations going into the 2022 season, but one publication does not see them as a top-5 team.
Tomorrow, August 5, it all begins, as the 2022 Notre Dame football team will open up fall practice. For the Irish, this is a season of great expectations, as Marcus Freeman takes over for Brian Kelly as head coach, and has a lot of talent to work with.
Notre Dame football challenged for a College Football Playoff spot last season, only losing to Cincinnati during the regular season, and looking like a juggernaut late. They would end up falling just shy of the CFP and lost to Oklahoma State in the Fiesta Bowl, so there is a lot of work to be done for Freeman and his staff.
As we inch closer to the Week 1 matchup against Ohio State, we are going to start to see many preseason polls. For the Irish, their spot seems to fluctuate in a big way, and it was no different recently.
Notre Dame football ranked No. 6 by CBSSports.com
When all was said and done, the Notre Dame football team came up short of the top 5 according to Chip Patterson from CBSSports.com. Patterson had the Irish as the No. 6-ranked team in the country, which is where I believe they will start the 2022 campaign as well.
No big shock at the top of the list, as Alabama, Ohio State, and Georgia are 1-2-3, while there could be some discussion after that. Patterson has Utah as the No. 4-ranked team in the country going into 2022, and then Clemson at No. 5, a team that is coming off a tough 2021 campaign.
Of course, Notre Dame football plays both Ohio State and Clemson this season, so they can throw a major wrench in Patterson’s rankings as we continue to navigate the 2022 college football season.
It is always interesting to see where teams start, and where they finish in terms of these preseason rankings. The truth is, Notre Dame football controls its own destiny, and can beat some elite teams during the regular season, starting with a monster matchup against Ohio State in a few weeks.