At the onset, Notre Dame players held celebrations when Marcus Freeman was hired. Freeman replaced the demanding and temperamental taskmaster Brian Kelly as Notre Dame’s head coach. Freeman was greeted by screaming players in a wild celebration. Labeled a “player’s coach,” Freeman quickly discovered the pitfalls of that style. While Kelly never missed the most obscure detail, Freeman was exposed. Regardless of the times, Notre Dame is a difficult program for a rookie head coach. Specifically, it’s unfair to the coach to have his first gig at such a behemoth College Football Betting brand.
College Football Team Preview 2023 Notre Dame Fighting Irish
| Odds to Win National Championship: | +3000 |
|---|---|
| Over/Under Win Total: | 9 |
2023 Notre Dame Fighting Irish Schedule
- Aug 26 Navy (in Dublin)
- Sept 2 Tennessee State
- Sept 9 at NC State
- Sept 16 Central Michigan
- Sept 23 Ohio State
- Sept 30 at Duke
- Oct 7 at Louisville
- Oct 14 USC
- Oct 21 OPEN DATE
- Oct 28 Pitt
- Nov 4 at Clemson
- Nov 11 OPEN DATE
- Nov 18 Wake Forest
- Nov 25 at Stanford
2023 Notre Dame Fighting Irish Preview
Freeman’s career began with two consecutive losses. Including a 26-21 loss in the home opener to the Marshall Thundering Herd as 20-point favorites. Also, there was an embarrassing 16-14 home loss to a terrible Stanford Cardinal team as 16.5-point chalk. On the other hand, Freeman’s team showed online betting improvement down the stretch and a final record of 8-4. It was not the season a slobbering fanboy media touted for Freeman, but it ended respectably. But a tough 2023 campaign is looming. Freeman has recruited well. And he will need to draw on that.
The arrival of Wake Forest transfer Sam Hartman at quarterback is a massive College Football Betting upgrade for Notre Dame’s offense. Hartman is surrounded by one of the nation’s best offensive lines and a deep running back stable. Finding playmakers to fill out the receiving corps is a challenge. In like manner, replacing tight end Michael Mayer is the top priority for new coordinator Gerard Parker.
Head coach Marcus Freeman must address a few question marks on defense. Including how the team reloads at the defensive end and safety in the secondary. Three games on the schedule (at Clemson and home dates versus Ohio State and USC) will decide just how high Notre Dame climbs in the final rankings. Since Brady Quinn (2003-06) set the Notre Dame passing record book ablaze, the Irish have not had a quarterback as statistically accomplished as Sam Hartman. Following five years of unprecedented production at Wake Forest, Hartman brings his 12,967 passing yards and 110 touchdowns. With an offense ready to explode and the QB to make it happen, the Irish are a fringe playoff contender. Yet teams with dominant defensive lines are winning national titles. And the Irish don’t have one to match.
Notre Dame’s proud history is what makes them such a powerful brand. While conference realignment heats up, Notre Dame can maintain its independence. In sum, Notre Dame has 11 claimed and 11 unclaimed national championships.
Despite their success, Notre Dame has not won a national championship since 1988. The landscape of college football has changed, and Notre Dame refuses to make enough academic concessions to compete with powers such as the Alabama Crimson Tide. But they remain strong enough to retain an iconic program’s brand power and popularity.