If the Notre Dame Fighting Irish are going to get back to the College Football Playoff they certainly will have earned it. There are some positives to being an independent in the chaotic landscape these days. Several conferences were bolstered by the latest round of realignment yet the Irish pick and choose who they play. And they have a few dandies in 2023 with matchups against Ohio State, USC and Clemson. The first full season under Marcus Freeman didn’t start so well with losses to OSU and Marshall. There was also a head-scratching setback to Stanford. The club picked it up over the second half winning six of their final seven games, including a Gator Bowl win over South Carolina to finish 9-4. The schedule is tough but the Irish should be better with their projected win total of 8.5 definitely within reach.
College Football Season Wins Odds
Regular Season Wins for the Notre Dame Fighting Irish
Over 8.5 ( -108 )
Under 8.5 ( -108 )
Some thought Freeman might be in over his head after losing the first three games of his ND coaching career. It started at the end of the 2021 season with a Fiesta Bowl loss to Oklahoma State after Brian Kelly bailed. The Ohio State setback wasn’t a big deal, but the Marshall outcome was. So was the loss to Stanford and a narrow win over a bad Cal squad. However, the Irish finished with nine wins and at times during the last half of 2022 looked really good.
Roster
The Irish weren’t bad offensively last season, they just weren’t good enough. They ranked 41st nationally averaging just a tick under 32 points while placing in the middle of the FBS pack at 60th with an average of 396.2 yards. Most of the damage was done against lesser competition with more than 40 points coming in wins over North Carolina, UNLV, Syracuse, BC and South Carolina. In an effort to make the offense more lethal the Irish landed a top QB in the portal with Sam Hartman electing to finish his collegiate career in South Bend.
Hartman singlehandedly transformed Wake Forest leading the Deacs to a program record-tying 11 wins in 2021 by throwing for 4,228 yards and 39 touchdowns. Wake ended the season fourth in the country with an average of 41.0 points. Though he threw for less yards in 2022, Hartman developed into a top NFL prospect by completing 63.1 percent of his throws, topping the 60 percent completion threshold for the first time. He totaled 2,701 yards and 38 TDs leading Wake to an 8-5 record. In his career Hartman has nearly 13,000 passing yards and 110 TDs.
It’s not just the addition of Hartman that has new offensive coordinator Gerad Parker giddy. The backfield is in good shape with leading rusher Audric Estime back after nearly 1,000 yards on the ground in 2022. There’s a good rotation of talented ball carriers running behind an offensive line that has bookend NFL talent tackles in Joe Alt and Blake Fisher. The offense will need to be more consistent and score points against tougher competition for the Irish to reach their win total.
That’s because the team struggled defensively last year and there are holes that need to be plugged. The group allowed 23 points and 329 yards per game but surrendered more than 30 points in three of their last four outings of 2022. The line needs to be reworked following the loss of three upperclassmen. The recruiting class is talented but raw and those expected to play a significant role have little experience.
One plus is that the group can’t be worse in the red zone than it was in 2022. The Irish were dead last in the FBS giving up a TD on 27 of 34 opponent red zone trips.
Schedule
There’s a lot on Notre Dame’s plate and it starts with a trip to Ireland to face Navy in Week 0. There’s a home date with Tennessee State next followed by a trip to Raleigh for a showdown with the Wolfpack. To reach nine wins the Irish have to knock off at least one of OSU, Clemson and USC and not screw up against improved teams like Duke, Louisville and Pitt.
Prediction
Winning eight regular season games last year was impressive after a rough start, but the 2023 schedule is more demanding and I’m not convinced the defense has improved enough to keep high-powered offenses like USC in check. Hartman is a legitimate Heisman Trophy candidate giving the offense a boost, but I see eight wins as the ceiling keeping Notre Dame UNDER its projected win total.
BookMaker offers play-by-play betting odds for live sporting events every day! The user-friendly wagering interface on your smartphone provides an easy way to place bets on the go. Mobile betting lines are updated by the minute, so click here to start gambling on thrilling live action at BookMaker Sportsbook!
Check out the latest odds at BookMaker
