Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/941859
www.BLUEANDGOLD.com MARCH 2018 87 It might be another 40 years before a Fighting Irish defense returns this much playing experience along the top two units. How they utilize it ef- fectively will be of vital importance to a successful 2018 outcome. THE NOVEMBER END GAME Over the past five seasons (2013- 17), Notre Dame is 29-10 (.744 win- ning percentage) entering the month of November — and 9-12 (.429) in November. When teams need to make their College Football Playoff push in the final month, the Irish have floun- dered, including hard-fought wins over 3-9 Wake Forest and Boston Col- lege teams in 2015 that dropped them in the standings. After the 8-1 start last season, Kelly admitted that by the final quarter stretch of the season the collective internal battery had run its course. "There was no juice," Kelly said of his players. "There was no excite- ment. … They were tired mentally. "It's a long year, and I've got to do a better job of pacing that out for them." Kelly has hinted that the schedule, which includes finishing at Stanford or USC each season, doesn't do them any favors in November, and it might be true again in 2018. The Irish travel to San Diego Oct. 27 to face Navy, a long journey in it- self. The next week the Irish venture to Northwestern (which surprisingly has won its last two meetings ver- sus the Irish), before hosting Florida State, which has been for the most part a bona fide national title con- tender this decade. The potential fly-in-the-ointment might be the switching of the home game Nov. 17 with Syracuse to a Shamrock Series game at New York's Yankee Stadium. This travel to the East Coast comes the week before returning to the West Coast at USC. Notre Dame has lost its regular- season finale in California a school- record five straight years, and a de- gree of difficulty might have been added with the switch of the Syra- cuse game. Convenient alibi or legitimate con- cern? Either way, if the Fighting Irish as- pire to be a national contender, they cannot continue to remain on a down- ward trajectory in November. ✦ Six different outlets have projected Notre Dame anywhere from No. 9 to No. 22 in their "way too early" assessments for the 2018 college football season. Interestingly, while no 2018 Fighting Irish opponent is classified clearly superior to them, there are five — Florida State, Michigan, Stanford, USC and Virginia Tech — that fall into a similar No. 10 to No. 25 category, or "pick 'em" matchup with Notre Dame. A crucial X-factor with Michigan is whether Ole Miss transfer quarterback Shea Patterson will be granted a waiver by the NCAA to play right away with the Wolverines (it was unknown as of Feb. 13). Meanwhile, under new coach Willie Taggart, Florida State saw six players turn pro after their junior year, the most in the Football Bowl Subdivision this season. USC also had its top three playmakers — quarterback Sam Darnold, running back Ronald Jones and wide receiver Deontay Burnett — leave as juniors, as did star defensive tackle Rasheem Green. From highest ranking of the Irish to the lowest, here is a summary of some of the way-too-early outlooks: Sporting News — No. 9 Their Take: "Brandon Wimbush has a talented group of receivers with which to work, and that's an area of development that could put Notre Dame over the top." Opponents: USC (No. 12), Stanford (No. 14), Virginia Tech (No. 15), Michi- gan (No. 17) and Florida State (No. 19). CBS Sports — No. 10 Their Take: "A 2-2 finish put a damper on a 10-3 rebound season for Brian Kelly. … There seems to be a quarterback battle looming with Ian Book and Brandon Wimbush." Opponents: Virginia Tech (No. 11), Stanford (No. 12), USC (No. 13), Michi- gan (No. 14) and Florida State (No. 16). Sports Illustrated — No. 13 Their Take: "There are enough pieces on offense for the Irish to reach double-digit wins again." Opponents: Virginia Tech (No. 10), USC (No. 11), Stanford (No. 17), Florida State (No. 19) and Michigan (No. 23). Athlon — No. 14 Summary: "[Defensive coordinator Mike] Elko is headed to Texas A&M, which is a setback. … Navy transfer Alohi Gilman should be an impact addi- tion at safety." Opponents: Michigan (No. 7), Stanford (No. 13), Virginia Tech (No. 15), Florida State (No. 16) and USC (No. 23). USA Today — No. 15 Their Take: "Don't overlook how hard it will be for the Irish to replace the left side of their offensive line and to replicate the team's recent level of play on defense." Opponents: Virginia Tech (No. 11), Stanford (No. 12), Michigan (No. 16), USC (No. 17) and Florida State (No. 18). ESPN — No. 20 Their Take: "Notre Dame figures to have a competitive quarterback battle during the offseason." Opponents: Michigan (No. 13), Virginia Tech (No. 14), USC (No. 15), Stan- ford (No. 18) and Florida State (No. 22). Yahoo Sports — No. 22 Their Take: "Finding a running back to complement Brandon Wimbush will be important. …The Irish will have a new defensive coordinator, too." Opponents: Stanford (No. 11), USC (No. 14), Michigan (No. 17), Virginia Tech (No. 20) and Florida State (No. 21). The Irish will have their hands full with junior defensive lineman Rashan Gary and Michigan, which currently boasts an average preseason ranking of No. 15, in their season opener Sept. 1. PHOTO BY LON HORWEDEL Notre Dame Way-Too-Early Projections In 2018