Never underestimate the power of Notre Dame hype.
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Despite finishing with a 4-8 record last season and needing to replace its starting quarterback, the Fighting Irish have been picked by ESPN analyst Trevor Matich as a legitimate "dark horse" team to contend for a College Football Playoff berth in 2017.
Here's the video of Matich insisting that Notre Dame will be good this season:
"They've got to win 10 games, 11 makes them a serious threat," Matich said. "The thing with Notre Dame is that they've got some issues to deal with on defense. Their offense has no flaws at all."
Matich expects new starting quarterback Brandon Wimbush to lead Notre Dame to a strong finish.
"The offense should be able to carry (them)," Matich said.
Notre Dame is coming off its first losing season since Brian Kelly took over in 2010. On Thursday, the preseason Amway Coaches Poll was revealed and — as many expected — the top for included No. 1 Alabama, No. 2 Ohio State, No. 3 Florida and No. 4 USC.
