Notre Dame A Top-10 Team In Pro Football Focus’ Early Preseason Rankings
Notre Dame is seen as a College Football Playoff contender by one early preseason ranking.
Pro Football Focus released its “too-early” top 25 power rankings and slotted Notre Dame as the No. 8 team, as generated by its “ELO” algorithm that weighs actual results and stats against what was expected to happen in a game.
Turns out, the math likes the Fighting Irish and their 11-2 2019 season.
“After earning the 40th-highest PFF passing grade in the country in 2019 (minimum 350 drop-backs), Ian Book returns to see if the Irish can get in the College Football Playoff for the second time in three years,” PFF’s synopsis read.
Book is one reason Notre Dame comes out favorably in PFF’s algorithm, which favors teams with returning quarterbacks who were productive in the prior season.
PFF graded other aspects of the Irish’s 2019 season favorably as well. It gave Notre Dame’s offensive line the 13th-best line grade of all Football Bowl Subdivision teams in 2019. It rated the special teams unit as the third-best in college football last season. Kyle Hamilton was named to PFF’s All-Freshman team and given a “near-elite” coverage grade of 89.4.
Clemson was the No. 1 team in PFF’s ranking. Two other 2020 Notre Dame opponents appeared: Wisconsin (No. 13) and USC (No. 24).
Here is the full list:
1. Clemson
2. Ohio State
3. Alabama
4. LSU
5. Georgia
6. Florida
7. Oklahoma
8. Notre Dame
9. Penn State
10. Auburn
11. Michigan
12. Oregon
13. Wisconsin
14. Texas A&M
15. Utah
16. Texas
17. Iowa
18. Washington
19. Tennessee
20. Kentucky
21. Baylor
22. Minnesota
23. Memphis
24. USC
25. Mississippi State
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