Street & Smith's Ranks Notre Dame No. 7
After going 12-1 and advancing to the College Football Playoffs for the first time a season ago, Notre Dame is once again considered one of the nation’s best teams according to Street & Smith’s College Football preview magazine.
Notre Dame checks in at No. 7 in the preseason magazine, behind No. 1 Alabama, No. 2 Clemson, No. 3 Georgia, No. 4 Oklahoma, No. 5 Ohio State and No. 6 LSU.
Street & Smith’s has Notre Dame facing Florida in the Orange Bowl following the regular season. The Gators are picked to finish second in the SEC East Division.
Notre Dame senior guard Tommy Kraemer was named a preseason 1st-Team All-American according to the publication. Seven Irish opponents were named All-Americans, with four being named to the first team and three to the second team.
Four of the team’s 2019 regular season opponents were named to the preseason Top 25. Georgia was ranked No. 3, Michigan was ranked No. 11, Stanford ranked No. 22 and Virginia is ranked No. 25.
A look at Notre Dame’s 2019 opponents in the magazine, with the teams listed by place on the schedule:
Louisville Cardinals
Street & Smith’s has Louisville picked dead last (seventh) in the ACC Coastal Division, which isn’t a surprise with the Cardinals coming off a 2-10 season. It looks like it could be a rough year for talented first-year coach Scott Satterfield.
Louisville junior offensive tackle Mekhi Becton was selected as a preseason second-team All-American and first-team All-ACC selection.
New Mexico Lobos
Bob Davie’s New Mexico squad is predicted to finish last (sixth) in the Mountain Division in the Mountain West Conference. No Lobos were named to the preseason first-team All-MWC squads. Davie was named the coach on the hottest seat from the league.
Georgia Bulldogs
The Bulldogs were chosen as the SEC East champs and a College Football Playoff teams by Street & Smith’s. The publication has both Georgia and Alabama making the playoffs from the SEC.
Junior offensive tackle Andrew Thomas was named a preseason first-team All-American and first-team All-SEC player. Junior running back D’Andre Swift, senior safety J.R. Reed and senior kicker Rodrigo Blankenship were also named first-team All-SEC picks.
Virginia Cavaliers
The ACC Coastal Division has had six different champs in the last six years, and the Cavaliers are the only team not to win it. Street & Smith’s expects Virginia to change that this year and predicted them to win the division. Virginia is the preseason No. 25 team according to the publication.
The Cavaliers are projected to play in the Camping World Bowl after losing to Clemson in the ACC title game. Senior cornerback Bryce Hall was named a preseason first-team All-American and All-ACC player by the magazine.
Street & Smith’s named Virginia as the ACC’s team on the rise. It wrote:
“The Cavaliers have made consecutive bowl appearances, and plenty is back to help them contend in a wide-open Coastal Division. Virginia’s trajectory is as good as it’s been in a decade and a half.”
Bowling Green Falcons
Street & Smith’s believes that first year coach Scott Loeffler and the Falcons will finish fifth among six teams in the Mid-American Conference East Division after going 3-9 a season ago.
None of Bowling Green’s players were selected as preseason first-team All-MAC picks. 2018 starting quarterback Jarrett Doege recenty announce his intention to transfer to West Virginia as a graduate player.
Southern Cal Trojans
The magazine picked USC to have a bit of a bounce back this season after going 5-7 last fall. USC is not a preseason Top 25 squad, but the Trojans are expected to finish third is the South Division and to make it to the Cheez-It Bowl where it will face Texas Tech.
USC junior defensive tackle Jay Tufele was the only Trojan named to the Pac 12 first-team. Sophomore wide receiver Amon-Ra St. Brown was named a player to watch for a breakout season, finishing fourth on the list of five players.
Head coach Clay Helton was named by Street & Smith’s as the No. 1 coach on the hot seat in 2019.
Michigan Wolverines
Street & Smith’s projects that Michigan – its No. 11 preseason team – will finish second in the East Division, falling behind Ohio State yet again. It predicts Michigan to advance to the Cotton Bowl, where it will face UCF. The magazine ranked five teams without a playoff appearance that are closest to the playoffs, and Michigan was named the third team, behind Texas and Florida.
Senior cornerback Lavert Hill was named a preseason first-team All-American and first-team All-Big Ten player. Senior offensive tackle Jon Runyan, senior guard Ben Bredeson, senior safety Josh Metellus and senior punter Will Hart were all named first-team All-Big Ten guys.
Senior quarterback Shea Patterson was named the Big Ten’s best passing quarterback and freshman safety Daxton Hill was named the top freshman.
Virginia Tech Hokies
After going 6-7 last season and finishing fifth in the ACC Coastal Division, Street & Smith’s is expected Virginia Tech to bounce back a bit. The Hokies are picked to finished third in the division, which will earn it a Music City Bowl bid where it will face Missouri.
Junior linebacker Rayshard Ashby was named to the preseason first-team All-SEC squad. He was also named the league’s hardest hitter. Junior wide receiver Damon Hazelton – who had 12 catches for 131 yards and a score against the Irish last season – was named Virginia Tech’s best NFL prospect.
Duke Blue Devils
The Blue Devils return to South Bend on November 9thfor the first time since beat Notre Dame (38-35) back in September of 2016. Street & Smith’s predicts a drop for the Blue Devils, who are projected to finish sixth in the Coastal.
Duke finished sixth last year as well, but in 2019 the publication does not project Duke to make a bowl game, something it has done six of the last seven years.
None of Duke’s players were named to the All-ACC list, but head coach David Cutcliffe was named the league’s most innovative coach.
Navy Midshipmen
After making six straight bowl games and making a bowl in 10 of the previous 11 seasons, the Midshipmen missed a bowl game last year and went 3-10. It was the worst season of head coach Ken Niumatalolo’s career, and Street & Smith’s believes that downward trend will continue. Navy is slated to finish last in the West Division of the American Athletic Conference.
No Navy players were named to the All-AAC squad.
Boston College Eagles
After finishing fourth in the ACC a year ago, the Eagles are predicted to finish fifth this season. Street & Smith’s believes Boston College will play in the Quick Lane Bowl, where it will face Northwestern.
Boston College junior running back AJ Dillon was named to Street & Smith’s second-team All-American squad and the first team All-ACC unit. Junior offensive lineman Ben Petrula was also named to the preseason first-team All-ACC group.
Stanford Cardinal
Street & Smith’s predicts that Stanford will finish the season fourth in the Pac 12 North Division. It would mark the first time of head coach David Shaw’s nine-year career that Stanford finished lower than third in the North.
The publication named junior offensive tackle Walker Little to the first-team All-American team, and junior cornerback Paulson Adebo was named to the second-team All-American squad. Both players were named to the first-team All-Pac 12 team. Senior kicker Jet Toner and junior tight end Colby Parkinson were named to the first-team All-Pac 12 unit.
The magazine named Stanford as the Pac 12 team on the wave (decline). It wrote:
“Usually the choice for first or second in the Pac 12, the Cardinal could finish as low as fifth this time. The system is proven but there’s just not enough skill around quarterback K.J. Costello.” Costello was named by Street & Smith’s as the best passing QB in the Pac 12.
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