Notre Dame football ranks No. 5 in preseason USA Today Coaches Poll
The hype is real in South Bend. Notre Dame enters the 2022 season as one of the best five teams in the country according to the USA Today Sports AFCA Coaches Poll released Monday.
The Fighting Irish, led by first-year head coach Marcus Freeman, checked in on the poll at No. 5. They’ll face No. 2 Ohio State at Ohio Stadium in Columbus on Sept. 3 in what has to be the most anticipated season opener of the year.
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Notre Dame ranked No. 7 in last year’s preseason Coaches Poll and finished the year No. 9 after a Fiesta Bowl loss to Oklahoma State dropped the Irish’s record to 11-2. Notre Dame has not ranked inside the top five in the preseason Coaches Poll since 2006, when the Irish garnered nine first-place preseason votes. They finished the 10-3 and ranked No. 19.
Notre Dame started fall camp this past Friday and just went through its fourth practice Monday morning. Everything is building up to a game Freeman and company will remember for a long time no matter the outcome. Freeman, an Ohio State alum, will serve as a head coach in a regular season game for the first time ever on the field he used to roam as a player some 15 years ago.
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Ohio State has a plethora of talent on the offensive side of the ball led by early Heisman Trophy favorite C.J. Stroud at quarterback and surefire Biletnikoff Award contender Jaxon Smith-Njigba at wide receiver. Running back TreVeyon Henderson could compete for the Doak Walker Award, too.
Beyond the Buckeyes, there are two other Notre Dame opponents present in the preseason Coaches Poll. Clemson comes in at No. 4, and USC appears at No. 15. Notre Dame will face both of those teams in November, with the regular season finale against the Trojans taking place on Nov. 26. The Irish host Dabo Swinney and the Tigers on Nov. 5.
Here’s a look at the entire preseason Coaches Poll.
