ESPN Picks Notre Dame As A 2023 Breakout Team

Expectations for Notre Dame in 2023 are somewhat high, although the Irish aren't the Top 10 team they were a season ago. We'll see if the Irish can surpass those expectations, and one writer at ESPN certainly things the Irish could get on track next season.

ESPN college football writer Alex Scarborough was part of a round table of writers discussing a number of topics about the 2023 season. In the portion of the article focusing on breakout teams, Scarborough went with Notre Dame. Here is what he had to say:

"For a minute, it looked like Notre Dame was getting ready to fall off a cliff last season. First-year coach Marcus Freeman's Fighting Irish couldn't have looked any worse after a home loss to Marshall. And, yeah, the loss to Stanford a month later wasn't great, either. But they steadied the ship and now I'm buying stock in Notre Dame next season. (Sam) Hartman was a huge pickup from the portal and the top three tailbacks are all returning. Plus, the schedule is manageable with Navy and Tennessee State to start the season and Ohio State at home on Sept. 23." - Scarborough, ESPN

Maryland, Florida State, Washington, Penn State, Oregon State, Iowa and Oregon were all teams mentioned in the article from ESPN.

Another portion of the article had games to be most excited about, and Notre Dame part of that conversation as well. ESPN college football writer Adam Rittenberg picked the September 23rd Notre Dame vs. Ohio State game for his choice. Here's what he had to say:

"There are some great selections here, and I always lean toward an early-season game for my selection. Ohio State and Notre Dame don't open the season against each other again, but they meet Sept. 23 in South Bend for a matchup that has national implications on both sides. The Buckeyes should be 3-0, but get their first significant quarterback test in Sam Hartman, the Wake Forest transfer who holds the ACC career passing touchdowns record. Hartman and Notre Dame's yet-to-be-named offensive coordinator create a sense of mystery and excitement around the Fighting Irish, who need a jolt in their passing game to take the next step. Notre Dame has a Week 2 road test at NC State but also should come in perfect. Marcus Freeman recorded a signature home win against Clemson last year. An upset of his alma mater would go a long way toward elevating expectations in Year 2, despite a tough overall schedule." - Rittenberg

ESPN is all in on the Deion Sanders/Colorado hype machine. Despite Colorado going 1-11 and being arguably the worst Power 5 team in the country last year, two different writers (Scarborough and Blake Baumgartner) picked a Colorado game as the one they are most excited about. Scarborough went with the Sept. 2 matchup of the Buffaloes and TCU, while Baumgartner picked the Sept. 30 game against USC.

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2023 Recruiting Class Grades - Offense
2023 Recruiting Class Grades - Defense

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