College Football: Preseason Top 25 Projections

Notre Dame will likely round out the top 10 of the AP Top 25 as the Fighting Irish get the benefit of the doubt in 2018. Brian Kelly’s squad brings back only 10 of last year’s 22 starters on offense and defense. But the Irish were slotted in at No. 11 in the Coaches Poll, and the AP will probably be even more forgiving about the glaring omissions throughout the Notre Dame roster.

Brandon Wimbush will be working with a lot of new personnel on offense. Besides the starting quarterback, only three other starters on offense return from last year’s group. Josh Adams is a tough loss from the backfield after a strong rushing campaign in 2017. Losing top receivers Equanimeous St. Brown and Kevin Stepherson will also hurt, especially if WImbush can’t get into a groove with his new targets early.

The defense was not quite as gutted as the offense, though five starters departed South Bend after last season. Big tests abound, beginning with a renewal of their rivalry against Michigan to open the season. Notre Dame also has to play other AP Top 25 teams such as Stanford, USC, Virginia Tech, and Florida State this year. If they win, they’ll be high up the polls and lurking in College Football Playoff contention.