Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/388723
UNDER THE DOME Yes By Andrew Owens Stanford begins the gauntlet portion of Notre Dame's schedule, with October games against the Cardinal, North Carolina and at defending national champion Florida State. While the Irish have yet to face — and beat — a squad that would make pundits consider adding Notre Dame to their four- team College Football Playoff projections, those matchups are coming. In 2014, Notre Dame appears nothing like its 2013 self, thanks to the return of quarterback Everett Golson and a new defensive look from coordinator Brian VanGorder. Excuse the coachspeak, but what's most encour- aging for Irish fans about the team's impressive start is that Notre Dame still has plenty of room for improvement. The running game has been up and down and has been carried by Golson all too often. Tweaks to the offensive line followed inconsistent play from the unit in the first three games. The talent is there, and Notre Dame simply needs to find the right configuration. The defense has been a strength despite play- ing without standout junior cornerback KeiVarae Russell and expected starting strongside defen- sive end Ishaq Williams (academic probe) through the first four games. The unit also endured the absence of fifth-year safety Austin Collinsworth, who missed most of the opening month with an MCL strain. It's safe to assume that Collinsworth's return will provide the defense with a boost. To reach the heights of the College Football Play- off, however, it will be the offense leading the way for Notre Dame. With Golson under center, the Irish have the potential to top 40 points against anyone they play. No, Not Yet By Douglas Farmer Notre Dame has beaten whom exactly? A Rice squad that lost to Old Dominion — and yes, as of 2013 Old Dominion is a Football Bowl Sub- division team — and a Michigan program that spent some of the last week recovering from a PR nightmare when Coca-Cola offered two free Wolverines tickets with every purchase of two bottles of carbonated-goodness. The Irish schedule to date has not exactly featured pow- erhouses, and Notre Dame's 2013 performance did not impress enough to establish a lasting reputation. Thus, the Irish have not done enough this sea- son, at least not yet, to warrant a top-10 ranking. That time may come, and certainly should with a victory over Stanford, but until then critics should regard Notre Dame as "good" not yet "great." For that matter, such a distinction should ap- ply to the vast majority of teams featured in the top-half of the current rankings. Winning the national championship grants Florida State some respect until proven otherwise, and Alabama's run over the last few years does the same. For that matter, Auburn returned much of a national runner-up outfit, so its ranking admittedly fits. Oregon features the Heisman front-runner at quarterback, so the Ducks' stretch of top-10 finishes looks safe, and Baylor's offense has lit up the sky with enough fireworks already this season to be feared. After those five, how can any team claim to be a top-10 team with any validity? Give it time. And in time, perhaps Notre Dame will have a right to that claim, but not yet. Point ✦ Counterpoint: IS NOTRE DAME WORTHY OF A TOP-10 RANKING? Listen to the discussion in this digital exclusive