2008 Notre Dame Football Predictions

It was about as bad as it could be for the storied Notre Dame Fighting Irish in 2007. A miserable 3-9 season opened up the team to a whirlwind of negative media attention. Things should be better in 2008 and the Irish could return to elite status as soon as 2009. Find out what Jimmy Boyd thinks we can expect from the Irish in his 2008 Notre Dame Fighting Irish predictions and season preview. The betting line of the Irish to win the BCS Championship is 60-1 odds at BodogLife.com.

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Offense

This side of the ball was atrocious last season. The Irish ranked 116th in the nation in scoring, 115th in rushing, 110th in passing, and 119th in total offense. This hardly seemed possible for a team with another highly rated recruiting class and highly regarded play-caller Charlie Weis calling the shots. But it was obvious that freshman QB Jimmy Clausen, running backs Robert Hughes and Armando Allen, and wide receiver Duval Kamara were not ready to play high-level college football. Weis has handed over the play calling duties to offensive coordinator Michael Haywood. That likely won't make a big difference, but it will allow Weis to manage more areas of his team. What the Irish really need is big improvements from Clausen, who completed just 138 of 245 passes last season. But we can't pin it all on Clausen. The line allowed a school-record 58 sacks a season ago. Four starters return from this unit and we should see an improvement in physical play and confidence. It still seems like a ways off, but the combination of Clausen to Kamara could be something special in 2009.

Defense

The addition of former Georgia Tech coordinator Jon Tenuta, highly regarded as having one of the best defensive minds in football, brings in an aggressive attacking style of defense. Having to replace defensive lineman Trevor Laws, now with the Philadelphia Eagles, will be no easy task. His absence alone weakens the front line which allowed nearly 200 rushing yards per game considerably. Tenuta will use lots of blitzes and show different looks to keep their opponents guessing. Better strategizing should keep this unit respectable. Fifth-year senior and two-time team captain, Maurice Crum, will be doing plenty of blitzing from the linebacker spot. A speedy and aggressive secondary is Notre Dame's deepest and best group. The Irish finished second in the nation in passing yards allowed last season. Senior David Bruton is one of the nation's finest safeties.

Special Teams

Brandon Walker is going to have to do better kicking field goals than he did in his freshman campaign. He made just six of 12 last season. Junior walk-on Eric Maust will handle the punting duties.

Prediction

The Irish won't be as bad as they were in 2007, but their schedule is no cake walk. They'll have to win some games against good teams if they hope to reach the .500 mark. I think we'll see a year making a big difference for the Irish with the 2009 season being when they get back to the bowls.

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July 25th, 2008