Ranking The Schedule: How The Notre Dame Offense Stacks Up Against The Competition

Notre Dame should have one of the best offenses in the Atlantic Coast Conference in 2020, but it’s a league with a number of strong offensive football teams. The Fighting Irish defense will be tested this season by a number of potent offenses.

Let’s continue previewing the 2020 football season by ranking the best offenses that Notre Dame will face this season, and how the Irish stack up against those units.

1. CLEMSON TIGERS

The Tigers had the best scoring offense, best total offense and best yards per play offense of the teams in this analysis. Clemson is tied for first in passing yards per game and second in rushing yards. Clemson lost a lot of talent and production at wide receiver, but the players stepping into the lineup (Joseph Ngata, Frank Ladson Jr., Amari Rodgers) are quite talented.

Clemson must replace four starting offensive linemen, but the Tigers did a great job of working in a number of blockers up front last season. Clemson returns five different offensive linemen that played at least 201 snaps last season, and the up and comers are talented.

Oh, before I forget, they return Trevor Lawrence at quarterback and Travis Etienne at running back. They are pretty good, right? This should still be the best offense in the ACC.

2. NOTRE DAME FIGHTING IRISH

This is a bit of a projection, as Notre Dame ranked fifth in total offense, fifth in rushing offense, sixth in passing offense and fourth in yards per play among the teams in this breakdown. Notre Dame did rank second in scoring offense, but I could see the Irish offense taking a significant leap in some key areas this season.

The return of five talented starting offensive linemen and the a veteran quarterback (Ian Book) with a 23-3 record as a starter are the primary factors. Notre Dame should have the best line in the league, and Book has proven capable of shredding most defenses. If the line plays to its potential this offense could be truly outstanding.

Playmakers must emerge, but Notre Dame has a litter of talented young players to choose from. As long as they play to their potential this will be the second best offense in the league.

3. NORTH CAROLINA TAR HEELS

Picking between North Carolina and Louisville was challenging. They averaged the same number of points per game (33.1), and the Tar Heels averaged more yards per game and passing yards per game, but Louisville averaged more yards per play and more rushing yards. Sam Howell and a dynamic group of pass catchers put the Tar Heels over the edge.

The position rankings are close, but Howell is a dominant player behind center. He was brilliant as a true freshman (3,641 pass yards, 38 TDs) and he’ll be surrounded by arguably the best group of pass catchers in the league. Dyami Brown is an outstanding all-around receiver, and Dazz Newsome is electric; both wideouts went over 1,000 yards last season.

North Carolina returns four starting offensive linemen and running back Michael Carter, who rushed for 1,003 yards last fall. Let that sink in … North Carolina returns a 3,000-yard passer, a 1,000-yard rusher and a pair of 1,000-yard receivers. They’ll be good.

4. LOUISVILLE CARDINALS

I thought hard about making UNC and Louisville tied at third, but I opted against chickening out and went with the Tar Heels. Louisville won’t be far behind, and it wouldn’t shock me if the Cardinals battle Notre Dame and North Carolina for the second spot in the league this season.

Quarterback Micale Cunningham was solid but unspectacular last season, but he was never fully healthy, and it sapped him of some of his running ability. If he’s healthy and back to being a true dual-threat player he could be one of the best signal callers in the conference. Louisville might have the best one-two punch at running back-wide receiver in the league with Javian Hawkins (1,525 rush yards) and TuTu Atwell (1,276 receiving yards).

Offensive line is my one question mark for the Cardinals. They lost both tackles, including first round pick Mekhi Becton. If the line gets shored up and Cunningham is as good as I think he can be the Cardinals will score a ton of points.

5. BOSTON COLLEGE EAGLES

This pick might surprise some, but I’m a believer that Boston College has more talent than people realize. Before quarterback Anthony Brown went down the Eagles were averaging 32.8 points per game (6 games). In the final six games of the season, Boston College averaged just 22.5 points per game, and that includes a 58-point performance against NC State. The Eagles averaged just 15.4 points per game in the other five contests.

BC lost star running back AJ Dillon, but David Bailey was pretty good last season as well, rushing for 844 yards and seven scores. He’ll work behind a line that returns four starters and could battle Notre Dame for the best group of blockers in the conference. Add in the running ability of quarterback Phil Jurkovec and the league’s best rushing attack in 2019 should continue to thrive.

Steve Addazio’s conservative philosophy held the BC offense back last season. New coordinator Frank Cignetti will have some weapons to work with, and if Jurkovec returns to his prep form this could be a very potent offense in 2020.

6. WAKE FOREST DEMON DEACONS

Wake Forest would have been higher if star wide receiver Sage Surratt returned, but his decision to opt out on the season crushed their chances at having a dynamic offense in 2020. I do expect the Deacons to put up good numbers, and with Sam Hartman at quarterback they should still thrive against inferior defenses, but they won’t be able to matchup as well against the best defenses in the league without Surratt.

The loss of three starting offensive linemen leaves a bit of a sting as well. Wake Forest should still have quality pass catchers thanks to the return of sophomore Donavon Greene and Jaquarii Roberson, but they must now take on bigger roles with Surratt headed to the NFL.

7. FLORIDA STATE SEMINOLES

There are some areas where Florida State should be quite good, and if they were playing 7-on-7 games this season the Seminoles would rank much higher. Quarterback James Blackman should thrive in Mike Norvell’s offense, and assuming everyone gets on the same page the wideouts should be dynamic. Junior Tamorrion Terry is arguably the best wideout in the league after racking up 60 passes for 1,188 yards and nine scores last season.

Terry isn’t alone, and DJ Matthews is another player that should benefit from Norvell’s arrival. Texas A&M transfer running back Jashaun Corbin is talented and should help fill the void left by star runner Cam Akers.

The issue for Florida State, however, is they might have the worst offensive line in the league. If the line gets things figured out the Seminoles will be much better than this ranking, but they were so bad it’s hard to imagine them making enough strides in one season to be good enough this season.

8. SYRACUSE ORANGE

Just two seasons ago (2018) the Orange had the second best offense in the league, averaging 40.2 points per game and 464.8 points per game. They dropped off in a big way last season, falling down to 28.3 points per game and just 394.6 yards per game.

Dino Babers is a really smart offensive coach and he’ll have some weapons coming back, but junior quarterback Tommy DeVito needs to get a lot better. He was solid in his first season as a starter, but to really get this offense going he needs to make quicker decision, be more accurate and be more aggressive.

Syracuse must shore up its offensive line in a big way after giving up 50 sacks last season. DeVito becoming a quicker decision maker will help drop that number as well.

9. PITTSBURGH PANTHERS

Pittsburgh is a difficult team to rank, at least for me. Based on last season’s rankings they could actually be ranked lower. The Panthers averaged just 21.2 points and 380.5 yards per game last fall, which are pedestrian numbers. There were other numbers that were more impressive, and Pittsburgh returns quality talent.

The Panthers now transition into year two of the Mark Whipple offensive era with a third-year starting quarterback (Kenny Pickett) and four starting offensive linemen coming back. Pickett making more plays down the field and the Panthers developing a more potent rushing attack will make this a better offensive unit.

I wouldn’t be shocked if Pittsburgh is better than this, but I just couldn’t do it until I see this unit play better.

10. DUKE BLUE DEVILS

Well, the Blue Devils will at least have one of the best offensive minds in the game calling plays this season after head coach David Cutcliffe announced he would take over that duty. The problem, however, is the Blue Devils don’t have the talent needed to make much of a jump up the rankings.

Clemson quarterback transfer Chase Brice should help make some improvement at quarterback, which was a weak spot for the Blue Devils last season, but it won’t be enough to win big games. He has a talented running back beside him in Deon Jackson, but an average offensive line and average weapons on the perimeter will likely stall this offense.

11. GEORGIA TECH YELLOW JACKETS

Georgia Tech’s offense is still in transition mode after going away from Paul Johnson’s triple option. There should be some improvement in year two, but they still don’t have a quarterback capable of running a more traditional offense. Running back Jordan Mason is a quality player, but this is still an option roster trying to run a spread.

12. SOUTH FLORIDA BULLS

Former Clemson head coach Jeff Scott should help the Bulls eventually get back on track, but the talent in Tampa isn’t what it used to be. He’ll need time to recruit, but this was a quality hire for South Florida.

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