Notre Dame Football: 3 biggest questions for 2020 season

2. Can the offensive line carry this team?

Everyone knows that a strong offensive line is critical to a team’s success, but just how far can an elite offensive line take a team before other units have to step up? While depth may be a question after the loss of utility backup Trevor Ruhland, the Irish will be returning all five starters across the offensive line, along with another solid utility backup in the form of senior Josh Lugg.

With an experienced quarterback in Ian Book and a sturdy defense under coordinator Clark Lea, it’s not like the offensive line will be doing all of the heavy lifting. However, they are expected to be one of, if not the best offensive line in the nation this year. Anything short of that finish would surely be a huge hit to the entire Irish squad.

A strong offensive line typically correlates with an equally strong rushing attack, oftentimes opening things up in the passing game. If that butterfly effect stands true for the Irish in 2020, a trip to the ACC Championship should be well within grabs. On the other hand, a subpar year for the Irish’s strongest unit could spell disaster for the Irish on numerous fronts.

With anything short of an ACC Championship qualifying as an unsuccessful season, the Irish could very well get the answer to this question quicker than they would hope.