"Notre Dame is going to be really strong": Joel Klatt's ranking for the Fighting Irish sets the stage for a favorable schedule and potential 8-0 start

Notre Dame is anticipated to have a brilliant outing in the 2024 college football season. The Fighting Irish finished with a 10-3 record last season and will be hoping to better that this season, as the College Football Playoff expands to 12 teams.

Joel Klatt, who ranked the Fighting Irish as the No. 6 preseason team on his podcast "The Joel Klatt Show", sees them doing great this Fall and he believes the opening game could prove to be a source of motivation for the rest of the season. Notre Dame opens the 2024 season against Texas A&M, and the analyst believes a win in that game could mark the start of a winning streak (via Sports Illustrated):

"Notre Dame is going to be really strong," Klatt said. "I think it's an intriguing opening game because they've got to go to a difficult place to play in what will be hot weather at Texas A&M. Tough environment, tough fan base, desperate for a big win - they're going to be fired up under Mike Elko."

Notre Dame could have a dominant defense in 2024

Having previously worked as the team's defensive coordinator, one of Notre Dame's strengths under the leadership of coach Marcus Freeman is the defense. The Fighting Irish boasted one of the nation's best defenses last season, finishing No. 8 in total defense, allowing 282.4 yards per game.

Klatt is confident that the defensive dominance will continue in the upcoming season. They have a lot of returning defensive stars, which comes as a massive boost for the team:

"Notre Dame is going to have a dominant defense. You know that's going to happen under Marcus Freeman, but that side of the ball, they return several star players including the Nagurski Award winner from last year, Xavier Watts. Benjamin Morrison, Howard Cross, all of them back on the defensive side."

An easy schedule to navigate for Notre Dame

Notre Dame has it pretty easy in the upcoming season. They won't be playing against many elite teams with Florida State and USC being the only standout opponents. This makes Joel Klatt tout the team for an 8-0 start to the 2024 season:

"Well they get [Texas] A&M in the opener, and then you start rolling through their games and you're like, 'win, win, win, win, win!', eyebrows go up, 'win, win' and you're like 'hold on a second, they're going to be 8-0. If they beat A&M they'll be 8-0 when they host Florida State at home."

Securing a spot in the College Football Playoff is undoubtedly the main goal of the Notre Dame Fighting Irish next season. The team will hope to be competing for the national title once again for the first time since the 2020 season.

How do you think Notre Dame will fare next season? Do you think they will go 8-0 to start the new season? Let us know your thoughts in the comments section below.