Notre Dame Football: 3 biggest concerns to address this spring

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SOUTH BEND, IN – OCTOBER 21: Brandon Wimbush #7 of the Notre Dame Fighting Irish looks to pass while under pressure from Uchenna Nwosu #42 of the USC Trojans in the second quarter of a game at Notre Dame Stadium on October 21, 2017 in South Bend, Indiana. (Photo by Joe Robbins/Getty Images) /

3. Is Notre Dame ready for a grueling schedule?

The biggest road block the Fighting Irish face through the course of the 2018 campaign is the level of competition. Notre Dame had one of the toughest slates in 2017, and that does not look like it will change much in 2018, given their opponents fall short of expectations.

Things start off very fast for Notre Dame as they host the Jim Harbaugh-coached Michigan Wolverines in South Bend in Week 1. And, outside of a Week 2 matchup against the Ball State Cardinals, no games are guaranteed for the Irish.

The winnable games on the schedule come against the Vanderbilt Commodores, Wake Forest Demon Deacons, Syracuse Orange, and Ball State. However, teams like Vanderbilt, Wake Forest, and Syracuse are always prone to pull off a huge upset.

It will all come to a head when the Irish face the Stanford Cardinal, Virginia Tech Hokies, Florida State Seminoles, USC Trojans, and Michigan. There’s a chance that Notre Dame faces five opponents ranked inside the top 15 at some point.

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