Notre Dame Football: Why the Irish Are Ranked No. 24 in USA Today Preseason Poll

USA Today released the first preseason poll for 2012 today, launching the college football season into full swing. Notre Dame finds itself settling in at No. 24 in the poll. Looking at the offseason that was and the schedule that looms this fall, it’s not hard to see why the Irish were ranked at No. 24.

Quarterback issues continue to find their way to South Bend with Notre Dame facing questions after the offseason arrest of assumed starter Tommy Rees. The Irish also lost their primetime receiver Michael Floyd at the conclusion of the 2011 season.

Notre Dame also faces issues on the defensive side of the ball with the secondary and linebacker positions facing a lot of question marks heading into fall camp. Landing at No. 24 feels just right for the Irish prior to this 2012 season—here are the six reasons why.

Questions Loom at Quarterback

Can the Irish start one season without having a quarterback quandary on their hands? It sure doesn’t seem that way with another round of quarterback battles set to hit this fall.

Tommy Rees was the incumbent and assumed starter for the Irish until an offseason arrest landed him with a few misdemeanor charges. Rees was already being pushed for the starting job last season by Andrew Hendrix, and he will face additional competition in Everett Golson and early enrollee Gunner Kiel.

Rees has the most experience of the four, but he is suspended at least for the season opener against Navy. With Michigan State and Michigan landing back-to-back in Weeks 3 and 4, finding a starter that will stick quickly is a must. That hurts Rees’ chances.

Hendrix appears to be the best shot for the position, as he carries the most experience outside of Rees, but Golson and Kiel could push hard for time. If Notre Dame wants to be better than No. 24 this season, finding a starter at quarterback early is a must. 

No True Receiving Threat

Michael Floyd is gone, and the Irish are searching for a new receiving threat. Tyler Eifert will be the biggest threat to start the season from the tight end position, but Notre Dame has to find a deep threat to add another dimension to the offense.

The Irish have a few scattered upperclassmen that are in the receiving corps and a number of talented young receivers that could come on strong.

John Goodman and Robby Toma are two seniors that are returning with some experience, but last season they only combined for 26 total catches. That has to be a number that increases this fall.

Davonte Neal is a player to watch as an impact newcomer this fall. With the cloudy lineup that is present, Neal has the talent to make an immediate impact. 

Secondary Has Issues

The Irish have a very talented lineup that will take the field at safety this fall, but the cornerback position is one that will face a lot of challenges in 2012.

Notre Dame may start a wide receiver convert at one corner position—Bennett Jackson—and may have to ask talent from the safety group to move over and play true corner. Corner and safety may both be secondary players, but the positions are completely different and switching from one to the other rarely breeds good results.

The Irish could afford to give up a player to make the conversion with the depth that is found at safety, but Notre Dame is hopeful that Lo Wood or Josh Atkinson can fill the role.

Not having a strong pass defense against a schedule lined with pass-happy teams is not a positive for the Irish and will lead to a number of questions before the 2012 season kicks off. 

Defensive Line Full of Youth

The Irish lost defensive end starter Aaron Lynch to transfer this spring—he left for USF—but they still have a lot of talent along the line. Kapron Lewis-Moore will take over for the departed Lynch, and Stephon Tuitt returns as a playmaker from the end position.

The depth is where the issue begins for the Irish, with mainly sophomores and freshmen manning the reserves roll.

In the middle, the Irish have juniors Louis Nix and Kona Schwenke to anchor the line, but there simply isn’t the experienced depth that makes for an elite defensive line.

The Irish have talented starters and backups, but they lack experience throughout the line. That could cause issues this season early, and it likely attributed to the No. 24 ranking.

Linebacker Unsettled

The Irish have one of the most talented linebackers in the country returning this fall in Manti Te’o returning to anchor the center of the Irish defense, but the surrounding cast is full of holes and questions.

The linebacker position is a lot like the defensive line—full of youth and inexperience. There are guys like Ishaq Williams and Ben Councell, but with Carlo Calabrese suspended for the opener, the Irish aren’t going to be settled at the position by Week 1.

Juniors Danny Spond and Prince Shembo will be looked upon to bring a lot more production than in seasons past.

The Irish have to settle the linebacker position to be productive this fall. The talent is there, but with so many questions surrounding the final lineup, placing the Irish at No. 24 fits the bill. 

Nasty Front-Loaded Schedule

The Fighting Irish have the benefit of handpicking their schedule as an independent, but they did themselves no favors for the 2012 season.

Notre Dame starts the season in Dublin, Ireland against Navy and returns home to face Purdue in Week 2, but back-to-back contests against Michigan State and Michigan will be very tough—especially if the quarterback woes follow the Irish into the middle of September.

The Irish host Stanford in mid-October and travel to Oklahoma on October 27. Add a November 24 season finale in Los Angeles against USC, and no matter how much you like this Notre Dame team, it is easy to see a number of possible losses.

How the Irish handle the final weeks of September will be crucial to this season’s success.

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