Part of a continuing series examining the Power 5 and top Group of 5 teams for the 2018 college football season. Other entries by conference: ACC | Big 12 | Big Ten | Pac-12 | SEC | G5/Independents



It will be Year 9 for Brian Kelly in 2018, and if that seems like a long time, that’s because it has been. Only four other Notre Dame coaches have made it this far, and they are four of the five who have won national titles in South Bend: Knute Rockne (13 years), Frank Leahy (11), Ara Parseghian (11) and Lou Holtz (11). (Dan Devine is the outlier, at six years.)



Expecting a national title from the Fighting Irish this season might be a bit much, but given the experience returning on defense, big things should at least be in striking distance for this group. Of course, pretty much all of that is contingent on getting the quarterback situation right (sound familiar?) and navigating what should be one of the nation’s most difficult schedules.



The positives?