Predictions: Forecasting what will be and/or what could have been for Notre Dame football
ERIC HANSEN
REGULAR-SEASON RECORD HAD THERE BEEN A “REGULAR” SEASON: 11-1.
POSTSEASON GAME AND OPPONENT: Orange Bowl vs. Georgia.
FINAL RANKING: No. 6.
OFFENSIVE AND DEFENSIVE MVPS: QB Ian Book and S Kyle Hamilton.
THREE BREAKTHROUGH PLAYERS: WR Kevin Austin Jr., TE Michael Mayer, S Houston Griffith.
FRESHMAN SURPRISE: WR Xavier Watts.
NATIONAL PASSING EFFICIENCY RANKING FOR IAN BOOK: 12th, up from 24th in 2019.
ND’S NATIONAL RANKING IN TOTAL DEFENSE AT SEASON’S END: 25th.
LEADING IRISH RUSHER AT SEASON’S END AND TEAM YARDS PER CARRY: Jafar Armstrong, 5.2.
SACK LEADER: Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah.
MOST IMPACTFUL GRAD TRANSFER: CB Nick McCloud.
LARGEST CROWD THE IRISH WILL PLAY IN FRONT OF IN 2020: 12,000.
THE MONTH THE NCAA WILL FIRST ALLOW RECRUITS TO OFFICIALLY VISIT CAMPUS AGAIN: March of 2021.
FIVE WORDS THAT SUMMARIZE TRYING TO PLAY COLLEGE FOOTBALL IN A PANDEMIC: Person, Woman, Man, Camera, TV.
MOST OVERPLAYED, OVERDONE ANGLE ON ND’S 2020 SEASON: Will Notre Dame join the ACC in football for good in 2021?
FOUR-TEAM FIELD IN THE COLLEGE FOOTBALL PLAYOFF: Clemson, Alabama, Ohio State and Auburn.
NOTRE DAME’S STARTING QUARTERBACK IN THE 2021 OPENER AT FLORIDA STATE: Tyler Buchner.
TYLER JAMES
REGULAR-SEASON RECORD HAD THERE BEEN A “REGULAR” SEASON: 10-2.
POSTSEASON GAME AND OPPONENT: Orange Bowl vs. Wisconsin.
FINAL RANKING: No. 8.
OFFENSIVE AND DEFENSIVE MVPS: QB Ian Book and rover Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah.
THREE BREAKTHROUGH PLAYERS: WR Kevin Austin Jr., S Houston Griffith and CB TaRiq Bracy.
FRESHMAN SURPRISE: WR Xavier Watts.
NATIONAL PASSING EFFICIENCY RANKING FOR IAN BOOK: No. 13.
ND’S NATIONAL RANKING IN TOTAL DEFENSE AT SEASON’S END: No. 25.
LEADING IRISH RUSHER AT SEASON’S END AND TEAM YARDS PER CARRY: Jafar Armstrong, 5.3.
SACK LEADER: Adetokunbo Ogundeji.
MOST IMPACTFUL GRAD TRANSFER: CB Nick McCloud.
LARGEST CROWD THE IRISH WILL PLAY IN FRONT OF IN 2020: 25,000.
THE MONTH THE NCAA WILL FIRST ALLOW RECRUITS TO OFFICIALLY VISIT CAMPUS AGAIN: December 2020.
FIVE WORDS THAT SUMMARIZE TRYING TO PLAY COLLEGE FOOTBALL IN A PANDEMIC: Money matters more than ever.
MOST OVERPLAYED, OVERDONE ANGLE ON ND’S 2020 SEASON: Freshman Chris Tyree as the insta-solution for ND’s running game.
FOUR-TEAM FIELD IN THE COLLEGE FOOTBALL PLAYOFF: Ohio State, Clemson, Oklahoma and Oregon.
NOTRE DAME’S STARTING QUARTERBACK IN THE 2021 OPENER AT FLORIDA STATE: Brendon Clark.
TOM NOIE
REGULAR-SEASON RECORD HAD THERE BEEN A “REGULAR” SEASON: 11-1.
POSTSEASON GAME AND OPPONENT: None.
FINAL RANKING: Somewhere inside the Top 10.
OFFENSIVE AND DEFENSIVE MVPS: Ian Book and Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah.
THREE BREAKTHROUGH PLAYERS: WR Braden Lenzy, DE Isaiah Foskey, LB Jordan Genmark Heath.
FRESHMAN SURPRISE: Long snapper Alex Peitsch.
NATIONAL PASSING EFFICIENCY RANKING FOR IAN BOOK: Top 20 nationally (151.20).
ND’S NATIONAL RANKING IN TOTAL DEFENSE AT SEASON’S END: 12th.
LEADING IRISH RUSHER AT SEASON’S END AND TEAM YARDS PER CARRY: Jafar Armstrong, 5.2.
SACK LEADER: Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah.
MOST IMPACTFUL GRAD TRANSFER: S Isaiah Pryor.
LARGEST CROWD THE IRISH WILL PLAY IN FRONT OF IN 2020: 16,122
THE MONTH THE NCAA WILL FIRST ALLOW RECRUITS TO OFFICIALLY VISIT CAMPUS AGAIN: October, 2021.
FIVE WORDS THAT SUMMARIZE TRYING TO PLAY COLLEGE FOOTBALL IN A PANDEMIC: We. Don’t. Know. What’s. Next.
MOST OVERPLAYED, OVERDONE ANGLE ON ND’S 2020 SEASON: The qualifications of offensive coordinator Tommy Rees.
FOUR-TEAM FIELD IN THE COLLEGE FOOTBALL PLAYOFF: There won’t be one.
NOTRE DAME’S STARTING QUARTERBACK IN THE 2021 OPENER AT FLORIDA STATE: Tyler Buchner.
CARTER KARELS
REGULAR-SEASON RECORD HAD THERE BEEN A “REGULAR” SEASON: 11-1.
POSTSEASON GAME AND OPPONENT: Orange Bowl vs. Alabama.
FINAL RANKING: No. 4.
OFFENSIVE AND DEFENSIVE MVPS: QB Ian Book and rover Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah.
THREE BREAKTHROUGH PLAYERS: WRs Braden Lenzy and Kevin Austin Jr. and DE Adetokunbo Ogundeji.
FRESHMAN SURPRISE: WR Jordan Johnson.
NATIONAL PASSING EFFICIENCY RANKING FOR IAN BOOK: 12th.
ND’S NATIONAL RANKING IN TOTAL DEFENSE AT SEASON’S END: 22nd.
LEADING IRISH RUSHER AT SEASON’S END AND TEAM YARDS PER CARRY: Jafar Armstrong, 5.2.
SACK LEADER: Adetokunbo Ogundeji.
MOST IMPACTFUL GRAD TRANSFER: CB Nick McCloud.
LARGEST CROWD THE IRISH WILL PLAY IN FRONT OF IN 2020: 20,000.
THE MONTH THE NCAA WILL FIRST ALLOW RECRUITS TO OFFICIALLY VISIT CAMPUS AGAIN: March of 2021.
FIVE WORDS THAT SUMMARIZE TRYING TO PLAY COLLEGE FOOTBALL IN A PANDEMIC: “It’s a bold strategy, Cotton.” – “Dodgeball” (2004)
MOST OVERPLAYED, OVERDONE ANGLE ON ND’S 2020 SEASON: Did you know Tommy Rees is only 28 years old?
FOUR-TEAM FIELD IN THE COLLEGE FOOTBALL PLAYOFF: Texas A&M, Ohio State, Clemson, Oklahoma.
NOTRE DAME’S STARTING QUARTERBACK IN THE 2021 OPENER AT FLORIDA STATE: Brendon Clark.
