2018 Notre Dame Football Preview

2018 Notre Dame Football Preview

Blue & Gold Illustrated: 2012 Notre Dame Football Preview

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10 ✦ BLUE & GOLD ILLUSTRATED 2018 FOOTBALL PREVIEW UNDER THE DOME In 2017, Notre Dame finished No. 11 in the Associated Press poll for the second time in three years with the same 10-3 record. The difference was whereas the 2015 Fighting Irish lost 44-28 to Ohio State in the Fiesta Bowl (a Big Six Bowl) to drop from No. 8 to No. 11, the 2017 edition elevated from No. 14 to No. 11 after knocking off LSU in the Citrus Bowl, a non-major outing. Last year marked the highest finish by Notre Dame in a season when it did not play in a major bowl (starting in 1969 when it returned to the bowl scene). The previous high was No. 12 in 1976 when the Irish finished 9-3 after defeating Penn State in the Gator Bowl. The main disappointment is Notre Dame still has only two top-10 finishes in the AP poll in the past 24 years: 2005 (No. 9) and 2012 (No. 4). Part of that is that in 23 of the last 24 years the Irish have suffered a mini- mum of three losses. Overall, head coach Brian Kelly's 2017 edition played seven teams that finished in the AP top 25 — the most among the final 25 — and were 4-3. It marked the first time since 2002, head coach Tyrone Willingham's debut season, Notre Dame toppled four teams that placed in the final AP top 25 (national cham- pion Alabama was 4-1 this year, highlighted by vanquishing No. 2 Georgia and No. 4 Clemson in the College Football Playoff). In 2017, Notre Dame defeated No. 12 USC (49-14), No. 15 Michigan State (38-18), No. 18 LSU (21-17) and No. 23 North Carolina State (35-14). The losses occurred to No. 2 Georgia (20-19), No. 13 Miami (41-8) and No. 20 Stanford (38-20), the latter two in November. An argument can be made that the Irish should have been ahead of 10-4 and No. 10 Auburn, but the Tigers accumulated heavy points when they defeated the two teams that played for the national title. Miami fans could likewise argue that the 10-3 Hurricanes should have been ahead of the 10-3 Irish after crushing them by 33 points Nov. 11. However, Miami finished on an 0-3 run to conclude its season. The AP final ranking in 2017 also tied for the fourth highest placement ever by a Notre Dame team that had three defeats: • The 9-3 Fighting Irish finished No. 6 in 1990 after losing 10-9 to No. 1 Colo- rado in the Orange Bowl. That year Notre Dame defeated Big Ten champs Michigan and Michigan State, Big East/Cotton Bowl champ Miami, SEC champion Tennessee on the road and USC on the road. • The 1978 Notre Dame team that came in at 9-3 was No. 7 after a miraculous 35-34 comeback win in the Cotton Bowl versus Houston. The schedule was ranked No. 1 in the country by the NCAA. • The 2005 Irish also were 9-3, but fin- ished No. 9 despite losing 34-20 to Ohio State in the Fiesta Bowl. • Tied for fourth with highest finish (11th) in a three-loss campaign was 1995 (9-3), 2015 (10-3) and this past season. — Lou Somogyi 2017: ANOTHER TOP 10 NEAR MISS Notre Dame, which capped its 10‑3 showing in 2017 with a 21‑17 triumph over LSU in the Citrus Bowl Jan. 1, achieved the program's highest finish (No. 11) in a season in which it did not play in a major bowl for the past 50 years. PHOTO BY BILL PANZICA 1. Alabama (13-1) 2. Georgia (13-2) 3. Oklahoma (12-2) 4. Clemson (12-2) 5. Ohio State (12-2) 6. Central Florida (13-0) 7. Wisconsin (13-1) 8. Penn State (11-2) 9. TCU (11-3) 10. Auburn (10-4) 11. Notre Dame (10-3) 12. USC (11-3) 13. Miami (Fla.) (10-3) 14. Oklahoma State (10-3) 15. Michigan State (10-3) 16. Washington (10-3) 17. Northwestern (10-3) 18. LSU (9-4) 19. Mississippi State (9-4) 20. Stanford (9-5) 21. South Florida (10-2) 22. Boise State (11-3) 23. North Carolina State (9-4) 24. Virginia Tech (9-4) 25. Memphis (10-3) Final 2017 Associated Press Rankings

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