78
After eking out wins
over Ball State and
Vanderbilt, coach
Brian Kelly benched
quarterback
Brandon Wimbush
in favor of
IAN BOOK—and
completely altered
the Irish’s season.
Book threw
19 touchdowns over
nine games and
completed 68.2%
of his passes,
which set a school
record. But the
offense’s weakness
was exposed in
the playoff against
Clemson, with
Book struggling
to throw the ball
deep, with just
two completions
of longer than
16 yards. Big
passing plays were
rare for the Irish
all season: just
three longer than
50 yards. Offensive
coordinator Chip
Long has vowed
to open up the
playbook, but Book
must also improve
his downfield
passing accuracy.X-FACTOR
2019
SCHEDULE
THE BIG STORY The Irish were
just two wins away from a
national championship last season,
but their 30–3 loss to Clemson in
the playoff semifinal displayed the
gap in talent and depth between
Notre Dame and the top two—not
to mention enraging Ohio State,
Oklahoma and Georgia fans who felt
the Irish didn’t belong in the playoff
in the first place. After having six
players drafted (only six schools
had more), Notre Dame’s quest to
prove it belongs among the elite
will be even tougher.CAN’T MISS Against Clemson,
cornerback Julian Love missed
the second quarter after being placed
in concussion protocol—and Clemson
reeled off 20 straight points in his
absence. With Love in the NFL, the
Irish have to figure out how to
survive an entire season without
him. The answer: senior cornerback
TROY PRIDE JR., who becomes the leader
of the defense. Pride is a shutdown
corner who covers the field like a
track star—which he is, with a
4.3 40-yard dash as a sprinter on
the Notre Dame track team.KEY QUESTION Who will be
the playmakers now that
top rusher (Dexter Williams) and
top receiver (Miles Boykin) fromwho has the surest hands in an
inexperienced receiving corps.KEY MATCHUP
BIGGEST GAME
SI RANKING
SEPT. 2
@ LOUISVILLE
SEPT. 14
NEW MEXICO
SEPT. 21
@ GEORGIA (3)
SEPT. 28
VIRGINIA
OCT. 5
BOWLING GREEN
OCT. 12
USC
OCT. 28
@ MICHIGAN (11)
NOV. 2
VIRGINIA TECH (22)
NOV. 9
DUKE
NOV. 16
NAVY
NOV. 23
NOV. 30
@ STANFORD (25)
THE RUNDOWN
3
6
9
12
15
10 –3 4– 8 10 –3 12–1 9 –3
WINS
The 4–8 season of 2016
is a distant memory as
Notre Dame has won 22
of its last 26 games.
But the Irish still haven’t
won a New Year’s Six bowl
YEAR 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019* under Brian Kelly.
*SI PROJECTION5 -YEAR TREND
8.5
Notre Dame’s three
toughest games—
Georgia, Michigan and Stanford—
all come on the road. Outside of
that slate, the Irish should run
the table.OVER OR UNDER
FRO
M LEFT: JO
E RO
BBIN
S/GETTY IM
AGES; GREG N
ELSO
N
Notre Dame