The Fighting Irish captivated college football fans across the nation with their undefeated regular season. They were massive underdogs against the Alabama Crimson Tide in the BCS Title game, and the 42-14 final result illustrated why. Rivals.com ranks Notre Dame's 2013 recruiting class first in the country, ahead of Alabama in second, but still their Odds of winning the 2014 BCS title are 20/1, which is tied for 8th on The Greek's list of potential BCS Title contenders.
Brian Kelly's reign as head coach seems different from Charlie Weis and Tyrone Willingham before him. Both coaches hit the ground running, Weis more so, only to flame out in a few years. While Kelly looks much more stable and reliable, next season is going to be a massive step down from playing in the national title game. The Fighting Irish will have to replace both Theo Riddick and Cierre Wood. That's 1,500-plus yards that are graduating at the end of the season. Tight end Tyler Eifert is graduating as well. His 44 receptions for 624 yards both led the team. He was consistently a dependable option for quarterback Everett Golson. In addition, there's the massive hole that Manti Te'o leaves in the defense.
Even though the Fighting Irish were absolutely blown away by the Alabama Crimson Tide 42-14, Notre Dame has a promising future with an amazing recruiting class for 2013 and a bright young star in Everett Golson. The Irish also look like they have a replacement for T'eo in LB Alex Anzolone, who is considered the best LB in the country.
The Irish Schedule isn't to daunting in 2013. The have a road games with Michigan and Stanford, but they get home games vs Michigan Stae, Arizona State, Oklahoma, USC and BYU. Other games for the Irish include Navy and Temple at home and Air Force, Purdue and Pittsburgh on the road.
Despite the blowout loss to the Tide, Brian Kelly has this team on the right path. He is a master recruiter and it is starting to pay dividends. This year they will be a young team, but their schedule isn't all that tough and they could parlay that into a BCS bowl game this year. I'd don't see a return to the Title game, but just wait, if Kelly continues to recruit well then he will have them back in it in the near future. The Irish are back. Get used to it.
2014 BCS Championship Odds
Alabama +300
Oregon +800
Ohio State +1000
LSU +1000
Texas A&M +1400
Florida +1500
Florida State +1500
The Field +2000
Louisivlle +2000
Clemson +2000
Notre Dame +2000
Miami (Fla.) +2500
Oklahoma +2500
Georgia +3000
Michigan +3000
Stanford +3000
South Carolina +3000
Texas +3000
Nebraska +3500
UCLA +4000
USC +4000
Oklahoma St. +4000
Wisconsin +5000
Miss State +6000
Virginia Tech +6000
TCU +6500
Oregon State +7000
Boise State +7500
Michigan State +8000
North Carolina +8000
Arizona +10000
Rutgers +10000
Tennessee +10000
Washington +10000
Arkansas +12500
BYU +15000
Cincinnati +15000
West Virginia +15000
Pittsburgh +15000
Kansas State +15000
Georgia Tech +17500
Iowa +17500
Missouri +20000
Auburn +20000
California +25000
South Florida +25000
Boston College +30000
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