Notre Dame Football: 3 biggest 2021 offseason questions for Irish

Notre Dame football made the playoff for the second time in three years in 2020. These are three of the biggest offseason questions for the Irish.

The Notre Dame Fighting Irish made the College Football Playoff for the second time in three seasons. And 2020 also marked the fifth 10-win season in six years for the Irish. However, their loss to the Alabama Crimson Tide marked yet another failed attempt to win a game against an elite team. That’s not to say that Brian Kelly does not deserve credit for raising the floor in South Bend.

There is little argument in saying that Notre Dame should be at least a nine-win team every season. Their ceiling? The College Football Playoff. Notre Dame needs to figure out why they cannot win those extra two games.

Florida head coach Dan Mullen said it best when he said it is easier to go from a five-win team to a nine-win team than to go from a nine-win team to an 11 or 12-win team. That’s where the Irish are right now, one tier below the elite.

The Irish will experience heavy turnover this offseason with many players on their roster either drafted in the NFL or making a roster as a free agent. That proves their program is working.

So what do the Irish need to take the next step? Here are three off-season questions the Irish must answer to take that step.