Notre Dame No. 9 in Athlon's Top 25 CFB Teams in 2020
Athlon Sports has released its Top 25 for 2020, which is not a preseason ranking, but a projection of where teams will finish after the national title game in January.
Notre Dame checks in at No. 9 and Athlon feels strong about the Fighting Irish hitting double-digit wins for the fourth year in a row.
"The Fighting Irish are poised to contend for double-digit victories once again, but a trip to the CFB Playoff will require the program to knock off Clemson in South Bend in early November, as well as navigate a couple of roster concerns." - Athlon Sports
Brian Kelly's squad needs to find replacements for receiver Chase Claypool, tight end Cole Kmet and running back Tony Jones Jr., but the pieces are there for production or even stardom in some cases.
Junior receiver Kevin Austin Jr. will be back on the field after serving a suspension last year and he could make Notre Dame fans quickly forget about Claypool. The Irish receivers should be much-improved as they have experience and Braden Lenzy proved to be a game-breaker.
At tight end, junior Tommy Tremble will likely have better stats than Cole Kmet and quite frankly, he's more explosive. Tremble's blocking improved dramatically by the end of 2019 and he could be a star in 2020. Brock Wright and freshman Michael Mayer also figure into the mix as the Irish look to replace Kmet.
On defense, Athlon pointed out defensive end would be a concern, but I think the Mike Elston has it covered with fifth-year seniors Daelin Hayes and Ade Ogundeji combined with a plethora of young pass rushers.
Cornerback is the most significant area of concern as Notre Dame needs young players to step up. TaRiq Bracy and Shaun Crawford got help from NC State graduate transfer Nick McCloud, but sophomore Isaiah Rutherford and KJ Wallace will need to play productive snaps.
The talent is there for first-year cornerbacks back Mike Mickens, but it's inexperienced. He'll have his work cut out for him as the Irish got just one spring practice.
While the Clemson game could very well determine Notre Dame's success, I do feel the Irish could have been ranked anywhere between No. 5 and No. 9.
Penn State, Georgia, Florida, LSU and Notre Dame all holes and it will depend on inexperienced players stepping up. But that said, I feel better about Notre Dame's chances with an experienced quarterback and all five starters returning on the offensive line considering all the outside circumstances college football is dealing with.
The more experience, the better.
Athlon's Top 25 CFB Teams in 2020
25. Iowa
24. Virginia Tech
23. Boise State
22. UCF
21. Cincinnati
20. Minnesota
19. USC
18. North Carolina
17. Iowa State
16. Texas
15. Michigan
14. Oklahoma State
13. Auburn
12. Wisconsin
11. Texas A&M
10. Oregon
9. Notre Dame
8. LSU
7. Georgia
6. Florida
5. Penn State
4. Oklahoma
3. Ohio State
2. Alabama
1. Clemson