Notre Dame Football: 5 Most Important Post-Spring Dates

Now that spring ball has come to a close, the "dead" period has commenced.

Fighting Irish fans will be left on their own for three months until fall camp starts and the buzz for the 2012 season begins. 

Need to know which dates to mark on the calendar?

Following are the five most important dates to pay attention to until then.

Enjoy!

5. The Release of EA Sports' NCAA '13

College football fans line up outside of their nearest video game retail stores every July in the hopes of getting their hands on the wildly popular NCAA Football game.

This year's version, which will feature Heisman Trophy winner Robert Griffin III, is set to hit the shelves on July 10th.

Notre Dame fans will be anxious to see how the virtual version of the Fighting Irish stacks up against the rest of the nation's teams.

Yours truly will be playing an entire season with Brian Kelly's squad within the first 24 hours of having purchased the game.

4. Notre Dame Fantasy Camp

The Notre Dame football fantasy camp will take place beginning at the end of May, and will run through the first week of June.

The Fantasy Camp is a time-honored tradition, with entrants receiving the full Notre Dame Football experience.

Campers receive hands-on coaching from the current coaching staff, as well as former players and coaches.

3. Media Day

Notre Dame media day will be held at the midway point of August, during the heat of fall camp.

It will be the first major day of media access since the Blue-Gold game, and will provide a much-desired look into how the team is shaping up.

By this time, the preseason prognostications have been released, and the Irish will likely find themselves in the top 25, which has been a curse on the program as of late.

2. Start of Fall Camp

The sound of cleats against concrete, early mornings, two-a-day practices and sweltering heat. You'll find each of those things during the first week of August, as the Fighting Irish take to the practice fields to prepare for the 2012 season.

The media will be at each practice on a limited basis, giving fans a glimpse into the latest developments as it concerns the team.

1. Season Opener vs. Navy

The day that the fans will have been counting the days for: the season opener. The Fighting Irish will take on the Navy Midshipmen at Aviva Stadium in Dublin, Ireland.

The game will mark the beginning of Brian Kelly's third season at the helm of the program. Results are expected, especially considering the amount of unrest seen among the fan base.

Another domination of Navy would be a solid start for Kelly and Co., but a letdown may be the start of a monumental collapse.