The Notre Dame Fighting Irish were one of the most disappointing stories of 2016, and the narrative could stay the same in 2017.
The Notre Dame Fighting Irish faithful were surprised earlier this week when they were not ranked inside the top 25 in the Amway Coaches Poll. Head coach Brian Kelly has another uphill battle in 2017 as he has to break in a new quarterback.
It feels weird to not have much Notre Dame hype entering a college football season. With such a down season in 2016, they might be able to reverse their fortunes with little pressure compared to year’s past.
Yet, there’s hope for this Notre Dame team if they can stay healthy for an entire season and give Kelly a consistent squad to work with. However, injuries have seemingly plagued the Irish for the last two years. Some teams just get bitten by the injury bug every season and Notre Dame has been one of those teams of late.
Most of the 15 ND starters that return in 2017, at least on the offensive side of the ball, are on the offensive line. Notre Dame has four seniors returning on the offensive line. Even their tight end, Durham Smythe, is a redshirt senior.
All things considered, we’re still talking about a team that went 4-8 last year. It would take a miraculous recovery to even reach a solid bowl game in 2017. Yet, Kelly would not have a job by the end of the season if the Irish do not even make one of the lesser bowl games.
Now, let’s take a look at five reasons why the Notre Dame Fighting Irish will stink in 2017.
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