Despite Notre Dame going 12-1 and advancing to the College Football Playoff in 2018, and the return of 19 players with starting experience, there remain many doubts about the Fighting Irish heading into the 2019 season.

Notre Dame was ranked No. 9 in both the Associated Press and coaches polls, and it remains behind Michigan — a team the Irish beat last season — in both polls.

There is one organization, however, that is much higher on the Fighting Irish than the national polls and the preseason publications. Pro Football Focus believes Notre Dame is poised to make another College Football Playoff run, ranking the Irish No. 4 in its own preseason rankings.

Author Anthony Treash wrote: “With Ian Book’s superb accuracy and having time to develop his pocket awareness alongside Notre Dame’s elite offensive line, edge unit, and secondary, the Fighting Irish have everything in place to finally dethrone the Power Five in 2019. Many are overlooking the Irish after their crushing defeat in the College Football Playoff and the losses on their defense (and it shows with their slight fall in the AP top-25), but don’t write off the Irish quite yet.

“All things considered, the Irish won’t have to wait long to prove their doubters wrong as they take on the third-ranked Georgia Bulldogs in Week 3 in what could very well be one of the best college games of the season.”