Notre Dame Ranks 6th In Way-Too-Early 2022 Top 25 From ESPN

ESPN ranked Notre Dame 6th in its way-too-early Top 25 for the 2022 season

The 2021 season is now complete, which means it's already time to take a look at the 2022 season. Notre Dame is once again expected to be a playoff contender, and ESPN ranked the Fighting Irish 6th in its way-too-early Top 25 for the 2022 season.

Notre Dame finished the 2021 season ranked 8th in the final Associated Press poll after finishing with an 11-2 record. It marked the first time since 1992-93 that Notre Dame finished a season ranked in the Top 10 in back-to-back seasons.

"The start of the Marcus Freeman era didn't go off as planned, as Notre Dame blew a 21-point lead in a 37-35 loss to Oklahoma State in the PlayStation Fiesta Bowl. The former defensive coordinator will grow into the position, but it's hard to ignore his energy and desire to upgrade recruiting. The defense got a boost with junior end Isaiah Foskey deciding to return, along with fifth-year seniors Jayson Ademilola and Justin Ademilola. Joseph, an All-American at Northwestern in 2020, has had nine interceptions the past two seasons. Center Jarrett Patterson also hasn't announced his future plans. With Coan departing, Drew Pyne and Tyler Buchner will battle for the quarterback job this spring. The offensive line should be better, especially after freshmen Joe Alt and Blake Fisher emerged as the starting tackles. The Irish will play road games against Ohio State, North Carolina, Syracuse and Southern California in 2022." - Mark Schlabach, ESPN

Four of Notre Dame's 2022 opponents also cracked the early Top 25 from ESPN.

Ohio State is the highest ranked of those opponents, checking in at No. 2 on the list. The Buckeyes should have an explosive offense in 2022 and are also coming off an 11-2 record after they beat Utah in the Rose Bowl.

Clemson dropped off quite a bit in 2021, ranking 14th in the final Associated Press Poll after six straight College Football Playoff trips. ESPN expects the Tigers to take a step forward, but not quite back to their previous heights. Schlabach ranked Clemson 11th in its way-too-early ranking.

BYU went 5-1 against Power 5 teams this season and ranks 18th in the ESPN way-too-early Top 25 ranking. USC rounds things out at 22nd on the list. The Trojans went just 4-8 this season, but the arrival of new head coach Lincoln Riley and the expected pickup of transfer quarterback Caleb Williams has folks thinking they are going to get back on track in a hurry.

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