Notre Dame Football: Ranking 2018 opponents by toughness

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) /

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If this were a road game, I’d have it ranked ahead of maybe the next two, or three, opponents on this list. However, Dino Babers’ squad just isn’t “there” yet.

Eric Dungey returns at quarterback, but he may have some pressure behind him from freshman Tommy DeVito. Still, he’s likely to keep his starting job as long as he can remain healthy and he has plenty of experience under his belt. He passed for nearly 2,500 yards and 14 touchdowns a season ago. Unfortunately, he lost his top targets from 2017.

The offense ranked 75th nationally in scoring and brings back eight starters while the defense was 98th in scoring and it returns six starters.

Syracuse doesn’t do anything exceedingly well outside of passing the ball, so this matchup should be a nice tune-up for the Fighting Irish as they prepare for a season finale matchup with USC.

Notre Dame should win this one easily, especially since it’s a home contest.

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