Notre Dame Football: 3 reasons Irish will disappoint in 2020

2. Home-field advantage wiped out

OK, so this applies to every contender in college football this season, but the fact that Notre Dame is one of the most difficult places to play makes it all the more important.

When you look at the home schedule for the Irish, having fans in the stands would have definitely helped their chances, but it turns games like Florida State and Louisville into almost toss-up battles. It also lowers the chances of “cakewalk” victories against Duke and Syracuse. Oh, and it wipes out the important advantage the Irish would have had over No. 1 Clemson.

No opponent wants to travel to South Bend to take on the Irish in front of 80,000 rabid Notre Dame fans on a Saturday afternoon or evening, but with no crowd, it’s an even field for some of these opponents.

The ACC isn’t the toughest conference out there, but having no fans at games will help out a few teams on Notre Dame’s new league-only schedule.

It also almost seems like Clemson is unbeatable with no home-field advantage.