Notre Dame Ranks 83rd In Returning Production

ESPN stats guru Bill Connelly has released a ranking of 2020 college football teams based on production it returns from the 2019 roster.

Notre Dame ranks 83rd in the breakdown.

Here’s Connelly’s formula for this ranking, beginning with the offense:

• Percentage of last season's QB passing yards returning: 32% of offensive returning production formula
• Percentage of last season's WR/TE receiving yards returning: 32%
• Percentage of career starts returning on the offensive line: 17.5%
• Percentage of last season's offensive line snaps returning: 12%
• Percentage of last season's RB rushing yards returning: 6.5%

Here’s the defensive formula:

• Percentage of defensive returning production formula derived from defensive line: 5%
• Percentage derived from secondary: 37%
• Percentage derived from full defense: 21%

There is more on the defense.

“What is "production" from a defensive standpoint? I've found that while raw tackle figures are important, having to replace disruption matters just as much,” Connelly wrote at ESPN.com “Tackles for loss (including sacks) account for 15% of the formula, while passes defensed, perhaps surprisingly, account for 33%. These are evidently the skills most difficult to replace.”

Here’s how Notre Dame stacks up against its 2020 opponents.

Looking at all 13 teams (Notre Dame plus its 12 opponents), the Irish rank 9th. The Irish offense returns 66% of its production, which ranks 6th among this group. Notre Dame’s defense ranks 11th.

Notre Dame ranks ahead of Clemson in overall returned production, returning offensive production and returning defensive production.

Notre Dame’s situation is actually quite similar to how other top programs across the country stack up. Here’s Notre Dame’s returning production compared to other “top programs” in college football.

Oklahoma is the only team from last season’s College Football Playoff that ranks ahead of Notre Dame, and it’s only by one spot.