Where Notre Dame stands in the latest ‘way too early’ ESPN, PFF rankings
There are two days left until the Notre Dame spring game, but many college football programs have already ended their spring practice periods. Thus, the transfer portal is filling up once again, and rosters are becoming a bit more clear.
As a result, both Mark Schlabach of ESPN and Anthony Treash of PFF have released their latest spring rankings, both of which include Notre Dame.
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ESPN — No. 6
Schlabach’s latest listing came out Thursday morning, and Notre Dame held steady in its previous spot: No. 6. Unsurprisingly, the ESPN analyst touts what is typically a strength in South Bend as part of his rationale for the ranking.
“Notre Dame’s offensive line, led by tackles Joe Alt and Blake Fisher, has a chance to be one of the best in the FBS,” Schlabach wrote. “Bringing back respected offensive line coach Harry Hiestand won’t hurt their chances, either.”
Notre Dame made it through most of spring ball relatively unscathed, but there was one major injury, which Schlabach accounts for in his blurb.
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“New defensive coordinator Al Golden has some holes to fill up front,” Schlabach said. “Defensive tackle Aidan Keanaaina tore an ACL in the first spring practice. The Irish quickly signed Harvard transfer (Chris) Smith to help.”
Notre Dame plucked the graduate transfer defensive lineman away from Minnesota, where he had been committed since January. Smith will arrive on campus in June alongside punter Jon Sot, a fellow Harvard-to-Notre-Dame transplant.
ESPN Top 10
- Alabama
- Ohio State
- Georgia
- Utah
- Texas A&M
- Notre Dame
- NC State
- Michigan State
- Michigan
- Oklahoma State
PFF — No. 11
Treash puts Notre Dame in the 11 spot in his rankings, which is surprisingly low given where other analysts and experts have listed the Irish. The majority of outlets have the Irish in their top 10, but evidently Treash is skeptical. He only provided explanations for his top-10 picks, so Notre Dame was left out. Of note, the Irish finished last season at No. 7 in PFF’s power rankings, although the two metrics are not directly related.
With the exception of Texas A&M, Clemson and Michigan, each of top-10 teams on Treash’s list have a relatively proven quarterback. And the Aggies and the Tigers have elite defenses. Notre Dame will have a new starter under center, and there are questions about the secondary, perhaps leading to their place on this list.
Based on Treash’s rankings, the Irish play three top-10 teams in 2020: Ohio State, Clemson and USC.
PFF Top 10
- Alabama
- Ohio State
- Georgia
- Clemson
- Michigan
- Texas A&M
- Utah
- USC
- Oklahoma
- Wake Forest
