Notre Dame Football Preview: Can Irish Rebound from Last Year's Debacle?

Ouch.  Perhaps no season was more embarrassing than 2007 in Notre Dame history.  Blowout losses to Georgia Tech, Penn State, Michigan, Michigan State, and USC—not to mention two losses to service academies—really put things in a negative light last year.

With enough experience coming back, there is hope for the Irish to return to the postseason after going 3-9 a year ago.  Will Charlie Weis and crew do it?

THE OFFENSE

It's up to Jimmy Clausen now.  Good luck.  The true freshman got pounded on a week-to-week basis.  It didn't help that he made his fair share of freshman mistakes behind center.

Clausen has considerable potential, but it won't matter if his offensive line doesn't get shored up in a hurry—more on that in a little bit.  Clausen should take the next step in his development for the 2008 season.

At RB, Notre Dame has a few decent options.  James Aldridge saw the most time last year, but Robert Hughes could become the starter with the way he finished last season.  Armando Allen is a decent back as well, so Notre Dame shouldn't be as poor running the football as they were.

The Irish should be okay at WR with Duval Kamara and David Grimes.  While the unit returns just about everybody, John Carlson will be missing from the team.  Trying to fill in for him is Mike Ragone, who is a decent receiver.

Sam Young will try his best to lead a line that ranked a woeful 119th in the nation in sacks allowed (that's the worst in the country, folks).  Young hasn't quite reached his potential yet, but there's still plenty of hope around South Bend that he can.

The good news is that this unit could gel over time, and they get four starters back.  Dan Wenger is the only new guy at center, and he should do a solid job there.

This was the worst statistical offense in the nation, and it was a dangerous mixture of inexperience and a brutal early schedule that caused it.  Look for them to hop about 30 or 40 spots now that they know what they're doing and the schedule isn't as difficult.

THE DEFENSE

The defense actually did a nice job last year, but it was overshadowed by the offense (in a bad way).  This side of the ball ranked 39th in total defense but ranked 72nd in scoring defense thanks to an inept offense.

John Tenuta will join the staff thanks to the overhaul going on at Georgia Tech.  He has the ability to make this team more aggressive, and it could pay dividends.

Trevor Laws wasn't the most gifted of athletes, but the guy knew how to play football.  His disruptive presence will be missed.  Look out for Morrice Richardson at DE though.  Ian Williams could have a nice year in the interior at DT.  He showed some upside last season.

Maurice Crum, Jr. is the leader of the defensive squad with real NFL potential.  He's their most intimidating force at LB and should have a massive season in terms of production.

The LB corps isn't what I'd consider pedestrian, but it didn't do a fantastic job last year, and there is a little bit of youth on this year's team.

FS David Bruton is the leader of the secondary and one of the best on the team.  He had three picks and finished third on the team in tackles.  CB Terrail Lambert, like Bruton, is a senior, and he should see a rise in his play.

This is a defensive unit that shouldn't get any worse than last year with the addition of Tenuta.

THE SCHEDULE

Sep. 6  San Diego State

Sep. 13  Michigan

Sep. 20  at Michigan State

Sep. 27  Purdue

Oct. 4  Stanford

Oct. 11  at North Carolina

Oct. 25  at Washington

Nov. 1  Pitt

Nov. 8  at Boston College

Nov. 15  vs. Navy

Nov. 22  Syracuse

Nov. 29  at USC

Comparing this year's slate with 2007's, this is slightly easier.  Oh sure, the usual suspects are there again—Michigan, Michigan State, Purdue, Stanford, Navy, and USC—but the best news is that San Diego State, North Carolina, Washington, Pitt, and Syracuse are mid-to-low level BCS schools that are more than winnable for the Irish.

They could catch Michigan early if the Wolverines haven't gotten their feet wet with the switch in regimes, so I wouldn't rule that one out either.

Don't Even Think About It: @ USC

Ehhhhh.....Maybe....: Michigan, Purdue, @ Boston College

Good/Probable Shot At It: San Diego State, @ Michigan State, Stanford, @ UNC, @ Washington, Pitt, Navy, Syracuse

THE OUTLOOK

Notre Dame will be either 6-6 or 7-5.  This team should be way better than last season's disaster.

I'm not sure whether Charlie Weis is to blame for not being able to develop the talent he's hauling in with his recruiting classes or not, but with all of the guys he's getting back on offense, they should see a pretty large improvement overall.  The addition of Tenuta can only help matters, and the schedule isn't a monster.

I've seen projections ranging from no bowl game to the Gator Bowl, and I think I'll kind of go in between that with a bid to the...

BOWL GAME?

Papajohns.com Bowl (remember, it's against an SEC foe this year, not a C-USA team).