Notre Dame football face high expectations for the 2019 season. Which teams might get in their way as they pursue perfection?
This will be an interesting season for Notre Dame football. After making it to the College Football Playoff last year, hopes are high that they will make it back there in 2019, but their journey is a tough one.
Without a conference championship, practically every week is a playoff game. If Notre Dame fails to go 12-0 this year, they likely won’t make it back to the playoff. That makes their tough schedule even tougher when you take away the buffer that teams like Alabama and Clemson get.
Notre Dame will also be without Miles Boykin and Dexter Williams on the offensive side. This year, Ian Book will be an x-factor for the Fighting Irish. If he doesn’t grow, there might be more losses than fans expect.
Defensively, the team will have to find a way to replace Jerry Tillery on the line. He was one of the best linemen in college last year, and his sacks will be hard to replace. However, they still have plenty of talent on the line coming back. There are a lot of questions for the team looking forward, but they have enough talent on the roster to have a successful season.
All this being said, they have a lot of teams they will have to get through if they want a second straight undefeated regular season. It’s safe to say that their path to the playoff in 2019 will be a lot tougher than in 2018.
So, who will be Notre Dame’s toughest opponents in the 2019 season? Here are the three teams with the best chance to upset the Fighting Irish.