Notre Dame Football: Ranking Irish opponents by toughness
Head coach Mack Brown has North Carolina football on the rise. The Tar Heels ranked ninth in the coaches poll released on Tuesday, just one spot behind Notre Dame football, following an appearance in the Orange Bowl last season.
The Irish are actually scheduled to play four top-15 teams: USC, Wisconsin, Cincy, and the Tar Heels. This game is at home, which is a positive thing for Notre Dame and you’ll notice that many of the pivotal games are at home or in Chicago.
Notre Dame won’t have to travel outside of its comfort zone to play a top-25 team in the regular season, at least according to the polls right now, but North Carolina and Sam Howell still present a huge challenge.
Howell has 68 touchdown passes in two years and last season completed 68 percent of his throws. North Carolina also added Tennessee transfer Ty Chandler at running back and the Tar Heels also return some key veterans on the offensive line, although pass catchers are a question mark.
Next. Notre Dame game-by-game predictions. dark
With Howell playing at an elite level, North Carolina is as dangerous as any team on this schedule, and the fact that the Heels get Notre Dame right after USC also makes the task more daunting for the Irish.