Athlon Ranks Notre Dame No. 12 In Its Preseason Ranking

The first of the big college football preview magazines are out, and Athlon Sports has projected Notre Dame to finish No. 12 in the 2021 season. Athlon projects that Notre Dame will finish with a 10-2 record and play Texas in the Cheez-It Bowl, which makes yet another national publication/outlet that is looking for a drop off from the Irish in the upcoming season.

Notre Dame's personnel losses on offense - which includes the departure of seven starters - and the loss of defensive coordinator Clark Lea are the primary reasons why Athlon projects a drop off from the Irish.

"ND returns to its independent status this year after using the ACC as its coronavirus safe haven," said Athlon in its preseason ranking section. "The Irish also welcome a new quarterback in Wisconsin transfer Jack Coan, who will have to keep the chains moving while a rebuilt offensive line finds its footing."

Athlon lists Notre Dame as having lost nine starters, but that's not an accurate count. It doesn't list Avery Davis or Michael Mayer as returning starters. Davis was Notre Dame's starting slot receiver in 2020 and no tight end played more snaps than Mayer.

"How do you compensate for the loss of Lea, who strung together three top-level seasons as defensive coordinator? Hire an equally talented replacement - Marcus Freeman from Cincinnati - who is trending towards a head-coaching spot," Athlon wrote. "Freeman will continue to use Lea's scheme that held 27 of 38 opponents to 21 points or fewer. But he's also had great success against the pass with a 3-3-5 look."

This is how Athlon wrapped things up.

"[Brian] Kelly's streak of 32 consecutive victories against unranked opponents and 24 straight in Notre Dame Stadium could be in jeopardy," wrote the publication. "Notre Dame might be a year away from another trip to the College Football Playoff after a significant siphoning of talent, as the nation's No. 9 recruiting class will need some time to get acclimation. A New Year's Six Bowl appears more likely."

That last part isn't necessarily a prediction for a step down, but the fact that Athlon doesn't expect Notre Dame to actually make it to a New Year's Six Bowl does indicate they expect a bigger drop off than simply not making the CFP.

Here is the preseason ranking and projected finish by Notre Dame's opponents

No. 8 - Cincinnati - 11-2
No. 10 - North Carolina - 10-3
No. 13 - Wisconsin - 9-4
No. 18 - USC - 8-4

Virginia Tech - 8-4
Toledo - 8-5
Florida State - 6-6
Virginia - 6-6
Stanford - 6-6
Purdue - 5-7
Georgia Tech - 5-7
Navy - 5-7

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