Where Would Notre Dame Football Finish in the ACC?

What if Notre Dame was fully in the ACC this season? Where would it finish in the conference? It's today's ND on SI Noon Question.

Nov 4, 2023; Clemson, South Carolina, USA; Clemson Tigers defensive tackle Ruke Orhorhoro (33) defensive lineman Peter Woods (11), and defensive lineman DeMonte Capehart (19) play against the Notre Dame Fighting Irish during the third quarter at Memorial Stadium. / Ken Ruinard-USA TODAY Sports

ND on SI Noon Question: Where Would Notre Dame Finish in the ACC?

Notre Dame has its conference alignment in other sports, but what if this was like 2020 again and the football side didn't dabble and way fully in with an ACC membership? It already has bowl ties with the conference, but what if it was in the league and could challenge for the ACC Championship? Where would it finish in the conference? We answer this in our daily ND on SI Noon Question.

Rich Cirminiello
@RichCirminiello

Interesting topic since almost half the 2024 schedule is against current ACC programs. The Irish clearly have the talent to win the league… but the league is becoming deep enough to keep ND from even making the title game.

Florida State and Clemson can match rosters with the Irish. Miami HAS to be better with that new backfield, right? Louisville won the head-to-head last year and might be better this year.

Don’t sleep on SMU… definitely do not sleep on Virginia Tech, which returns almost everyone. Point being, this isn’t the SEC or the Big Ten, but the ACC is solid from top to bottom with few gimmes or layups.

ND handles Florida State at home on Nov. 9, but the Noles get revenge four weeks later in Charlotte.

The Irish would be no worse than a top 3 ACC school but if the schedule broke poorly, it wouldn’t be a shocker if the team was home on Dec. 7.

Pete Fiutak
@PeteFiutak

As is the Irish are playing a friends with benefits ACC schedule with Louisville, Stanford, at Georgia Tech, Florida State, and Virginia, but there’s just one road game in that bunch and they’d need three more to fill out the slate.

Let me put it this way. Replace a road game against Purdue, and two neutral site games against Army and Navy with three ACC teams.

So let’s spin the wheel and give Notre Dame, say, Pitt’s road schedule. Take out Louisville - already playing the Cardinals - and give it at North Carolina, at SMU, and at Boston College in the mix.

At worst, the Irish are 5-3, and more likely they’re 7-1. Spin the wheel again and what comes up … Georgia Tech. At North Carolina, at Virginia Tech, at Syracuse.

Again, considering Florida State will be a fight for Notre Dame, going to Georgia Tech is dangerous, and watch out for Louisville, it wouldn’t be crazy to go 5-3, but it would still be good enough to get to the ACC title.

To answer the question, the expectations would be to play in the ACC Championship no matter what the conference schedule.

Nick Shepkowski
@NickShepkowski

Notre Dame would enter the 2024 season in the ACC on paper as being viewed at worst as good as any team the league throws at it.

Florida State lost a bunch to the NFL draft but will again be loaded.

Miami SHOULD be on the rise - we say that often- and what if the stability of the roster in Clemson is a good thing for Dabo Swinney and the Tigers? Add in Notre Dame and those four teams would be the most talented in the league but the likes of Louisville and Virginia Tech should certainly be tough outs this fall as well.

As improved as the league is, Notre Dame’s overall rostered talent is better as well. The expectation would certainly be to be playing in the conference championship game and as long as it didn’t have to go play Clemson, Florida State, and Miami, the path shouldn’t include more than one conference loss.

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