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15 biggest college football storylines to watch in 2017

By Jerran Anderson

Dec 10, 2016; New York, NY, USA; Louisville quarterback Lamar Jackson poses with the trophy during a press conference at the New York Marriott Marquis after winning the 2016 Heisman Trophy award during a presentation at the Playstation Theater. Mandatory Credit: Brad Penner-USA TODAY Sports
Dec 10, 2016; New York, NY, USA; Louisville quarterback Lamar Jackson poses with the trophy during a press conference at the New York Marriott Marquis after winning the 2016 Heisman Trophy award during a presentation at the Playstation Theater. Mandatory Credit: Brad Penner-USA TODAY Sports /
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Apr 22, 2017; Notre Dame, IN, USA; Notre Dame Fighting Irish head coach Brian Kelly watches warmups before the Blue-Gold Game at Notre Dame Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Matt Cashore-USA TODAY Sports
Apr 22, 2017; Notre Dame, IN, USA; Notre Dame Fighting Irish head coach Brian Kelly watches warmups before the Blue-Gold Game at Notre Dame Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Matt Cashore-USA TODAY Sports /

14. Will Notre Dame have another down season?

Head coach Brian Kelly had a season to forget in 2016. Kelly saw the Notre Dame Fighting Irish finish with a 4-8 record last year, his worst record since becoming head coach.

Defensive coordinator Brian VanGorder was fired four games into the season.  The Fighting Irish defense had allowed 134 points by then. Firing VanGorder didn’t fix too much in the win-loss column but it gave the defense a better foundation to stand on, a little bit.

The last time the Fighting Irish went below .500 was in 2007 when they went 3-9 under former head coach Charlie Weis. They will have to replace starting quarterback DeShone Kizer, but still return eight players on offense.

Defensively, they return seven starters and a lot of them are sophomores. New defensive coordinator Mike Elko (Wake Forest) should be in good shape to turn around a young but experienced unit.

Week 2 should be interesting when they’re pitted against the Georgia Bulldogs on September 9, another team looking to turn things around in 2017. Kelly could find himself on the hot seat if Notre Dame has another rocky start.

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