It’s an intriguing question. Where would Notre Dame wind up if they played a full ACC season in one of the two divisions?
Could they make their way to the ACC Championship Game? Or is the path through the ACC regular season an even tougher march than the Irish’s annual games against Power 5 Conference stalwarts, as well as the likes of Stanford and USC?
Sizing up the Irish
At worst, the Irish would have to be considered the No. 5 overall team in the ACC heading into the upcoming season. At best, the Irish project as the third-best team in the league heading into 2018.
The Sporting News lists Notre Dame as the No. 9 team nationally in its 2018 preseason top 25, while CBS Sports places the Irish at No. 17. Athlon Sports projects Brian Kelly’s squad No. 15, sandwiched between Virginia Tech and Florida State, while ESPN lists Notre Dame No. 12.
There’s a consistent theme in the national polling. The ACC heads into 2018 with two clear preseason favorites in its divisions – Clemson in the Atlantic Division, and Miami in the Coastal Division. Notre Dame is projected behind the Tigers and Hurricanes in each of these national preseason polls.
It’s where the Fighting Irish stack up against the Hokies and Seminoles that determines where Notre Dame would be ranked in the respective ACC divisions. Notre Dame would be a strong second-place candidate in either the Coastal or Atlantic, and at worst, third place.
Last year a factor
It’s difficult to project the Irish ahead of Miami, given what the Canes did to them last year in their matchup in South Florida. And nobody is placing Notre Dame ahead of three-time defending ACC champion and 2018 preseason national championship contender Clemson.
Coming off a 10-3 season, the Irish return a wealth of defensive talent, including linebackers Te’von Coney and Drue Tranquill, as well as defensive linemen Jerry Tillery and talented youngsters Daelin Hayes, Adetokunbo Ogundeji, and Khalid Kareem.
Quarterback Brandon Wimbush may not have quite as much protection as last fall, with guard Quenton Nelson going No. 6 overall in this spring’s NFL Draft to the Indianapolis Colts, and tackle Mike McGlinchey going No. 9 overall to the San Francisco 49ers. But he will have an intriguing two-headed backfield duo of Tony Jones and Dexter Williams to hand the ball off to, as well as eager young receivers Miles Boykin and Chris Finke.
Worst-case, the Irish might be projected third place in either division, depending on the placement of Virginia Tech and Florida State. The Hokies and Seminoles are each preseason top 25 favorites, and strong projections as second place finishers in the respective divisions.
The varying polls have Notre Dame, Virginia Tech, and Florida State mixed all over the top 25. Most of them, however, indicate a higher preseason ranking for the Irish. Which would project Notre Dame as the No. 2 team heading into the new season in either the Atlantic or Coastal Divisions.
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