With just over a week until the season kicks off, the Observer Football Beat sat down to give their season predictions for the Fighting Irish.
Aidan Thomas - Sports Editor
The hype surrounding the Notre Dame program has reached a level I've personally never seen. But that hype is barely masking the reality that is the Irish schedule. The Irish have national championship-caliber talent, but a gauntlet of a schedule and young stars that need to gel almost immediately. First, there's Ohio State, their first top-five road game since 2019. Throw in Clemson at home, BYU at a neutral field, potentially tricky road games with UNC and Syracuse and an always-difficult road trip to USC — the schedule is littered with landmines.Marcus Freeman has said all the right things and pushed most of the right buttons. But when it comes down to it, the Irish feature a first-year head coach with a first-year starting quarterback, plus an offense that returns just 49% of their production. I want to be more optimistic than this, but I'm going with a 10-2 record for the Irish in 2022. Who do the losses come from? Ohio State and UNC are my picks, although the latter could be any of the trap games present on the Irish slate this season. The title drought is going to end soon, but Freeman needs another year at least.
Liam Coolican - Associate Sports Editor
For the first time since 2006, Notre Dame is ranked in the top-5 in the preseason AP Poll, and the Irish certainly have the talent to back that ranking up. Despite losing stars such as Kyle Hamilton and Kyren Williams, the Irish bring back an elite level of talent. On paper, they can compete with any team in the country.While it may feel like years have passed since Brian Kelly abruptly departed, Marcus Freeman is a first-year head coach. Irish fans should be excited at the prospect of him leading the program, but the Fiesta Bowl collapse showed that there will be a learning curve. The Irish are also relatively inexperienced at several key positions including quarterback, wide receivers and defensive backs.
The schedule is certainly tough as well, but as things stand now, I foresee Notre Dame being the better team heading into each game, save Ohio State. Ever the optimist, I am going to predict an 11-1 record and a return to the CFP. Freeman has built so much momentum over the past several months, it’s hard not to be excited about the program’s direction. The team will have a tough opener in Columbus, but quickly bounce back and run the table, sneaking into the playoffs as a 4-seed.
Mannion McGinley - Assistant Managing Editor
This year's Notre Dame football schedule is no cakewalk. There's no question there. Yes, the season opens with a Top-5 opponent. Yes, that opener is an away game, as is the season closer with longstanding rival USC. And yes, the Irish take on the Buckeyes with a brand new QB1 under an all but brand new head coach. But here's where the 10-2 comes in. Sure, the Irish will start from behind, opening the season 0-1, but this team made it clear once and has continued to make it clear since: They want to play for Marcus Freeman. The hype around the program emanates from the players themselves in a way that fits a top-tier program and is compounded by players showing up and showing out in camp. Where there are holes, young players are stepping into form. Will they be ready to take on Ohio State to open the season? Not as ready as a win requires, but the existing hype is heightened by a fire lit under both fans and players to come back from a loss. The Irish will become a well-oiled machine throughout the season. A somewhat-far Shamrock Series — with an unexpectedly large BYU crowd behind Jaren Hall and Paku Nacua's ability to stretch the defense — without our own ability to answer will bring about a second loss, albeit a close one.Nate Moller - Senior Sports Writer
There are lofty expectations for first-year head coach Marcus Freeman, and while Freeman has a ton of talent to work with, the schedule is arguably the most difficult the Irish have had in recent memory. The week one matchup against Ohio State will be telling for the season ahead, and while I think the Irish have a shot at winning, I don't think it's a great one. The holes in the Irish secondary will prove to be too much, and the team will start off 0-1. After that loss, I see the Irish building momentum and picking up notable wins against UNC and BYU and beating a top-5 Clemson team yet again at Notre Dame Stadium.Unfortunately for the Irish, they will fall trap to Phil Jurkovec and Boston College on senior day. I expect BC to be a decent team this year, and this just feels like a trap game Notre Dame will lose. To make matters worse for the Irish, they will face a vastly improved USC team the final week of the season, and the Trojans will make a statement to prove that they are once again back on the national stage. When all is said and done, the Irish finish 9-3.
Madeline Ladd - Associate Sports Editor
There’s no denying the energy and excitement surrounding this year’s Notre Dame football team with Marcus Freeman as head coach. The Irish are ranked as high as No. 5 in the preseason polls but many are saying — once again — they are overrated. Having three opponents in the Top-25 makes for a potentially tough schedule and an opener in Columbus in primetime is a particularly daunting start.As for the lineup, sophomore Tyler Buchner at QB1 is where some questions lie. As he goes, so go the Irish. Buchner was hurt in the spring, so another injury would be a serious hit. But, he has received big-time experience and will be a crucial part of the run game. I believe the defense will also show a strong suit, specifically with preseason first-team All-American Isaiah Foskey and All-American transfer safety Brandon Joseph.
11-1 with the loss coming from Ohio State is my extremely optimistic, yet firm, prediction. USC and UNC are games to look out for, and BC could be a trap game for the Irish. Nevertheless, I believe they will come out on top. ND has an undoubtedly tough schedule, but there’s lots of potential and coaching ability required to fill those holes.
Emily DeFazio - Associate Sports Editor
Never did I expect that Marcus Freeman would be leading the charge into the 2022 football season. I think we all knew that, one day, he would be a candidate for the position of head coach. I just did not expect that day to come as soon as it did. Despite the fanbase-wide excitement — and therefore, high expectations — for this appointment, it begs the question: How will the team function with this change in leadership?As if Kelly leaving the way he did was not bad enough, this year the Irish face a slew of formidable opponents and domestic uncertainties under a head coach that has never held that position before. One thing the Irish may have going for them is that they have already established a QB1 in Tyler Buchner. One of the team’s main pitfalls last year was the inconsistency in that position. No matter how good or bad Buchner performs, it helps to know that they have committed to structuring the offense with him specifically in mind.
This leads to how this structure will actually work on the field. While every part of me would love to see the Irish scrape by in the top-5 Ohio State season opener, the realistic chances of that happening are not in Notre Dame’s favor. Starting the season off 0-1, I see the Irish gaining some traction as the newbies gain their footing and Freeman settles into his role in-season. Should the team win against Clemson, for the second time in Notre Dame stadium, the morale will be at an all-time high. The key will be not letting that success lead to overconfidence in games against the likes of BC and USC. I see the high of the Clemson game causing a late-season loss, leaving the Irish 10-2 on November 22 in LA.
