The Notre Dame Fighting Irish remained steady at #4 in the College Football Playoff rankings after Tuesday's reveal on the strength of a solid 28-7 home win over the Wake Forest Demon Deacons this past Saturday. With the Irish now at 9-1, it's time to assess what we know about this team heading down the stretch with our list of 5 Things We Know About Notre Dame Through 10 Games.
5. The defense remains a concern
The Irish have given up 22 points or more in each of their last nine games. It's a testament to the explosiveness of the offense that Notre Dame is 8-1 in those games, but that stat is still troublesome enough to give us pause. With a season-ending "elimination game" of sorts looming against Stanford, Notre Dame is going to have to cinch things up in all three levels of the defense or risk leading themselves into a massive letdown against the Cardinal.
4. Prosise/Adams are a dynamic RB duo
Notre Dame head coach Brian Kelly has the luxury of being very cautious with RB CJ Prosise's recovery, even though Prosise has passed through the NCAA's concussion protocol. That's because Josh Adams has been a revelation in his stead. Adams rushed for 141 yards on 17 carries against Wake, including a school-record 98-yard touchdown run.
3. Notre Dame has things set up for them nicely
Notre Dame won two straight road games against quality opponents before taking out Wake Forest on Saturday, showing that they're playing their best ball when the games count the most. The Irish now head to Fenway Park to take on an offensively-challenged Boston College team to tune up before their showdown against Stanford. Win out, and they're in fantastic position to slide into the College Football Playoff as a #4 seed.
2. DeShone Kizer is very, VERY good
Many thought Notre Dame was doomed when Malik Zaire went down, but that hasn't been the case. DeShone Kizer has stepped up in an incredible way, is playing better than Zaire was expected to. If Kizer keeps playing this well, and he should, Notre Dame has a great chance to run the table.
1. We can't question Notre Dame's resolve
The laundry list of season-ending injuries which have plagued the Irish would have taken down 99% of the teams in the FBS. Notre Dame is something special. The guys have rallied behind head coach Brian Kelly, not accepting a predetermined fate while building a lasting legacy for themselves in South Bend. Notre Dame is in fantastic position to earn a College Football Playoff. It's a minor miracle that such is the case, but it's been well earned.
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