2011 Notre Dame Football Predictions, Odds, Picks and Schedule – 2011 Notre Dame Fighting Irish Preview

2011 Notre Dame College Football Expert Predictions, Picks, Vegas Odds and Schedule – Notre Dame Fighting Irish NCAA Football Preview: Brian Kelly endured setbacks both on and off the field in his first year as head coach at Notre Dame. From the 1-3 start and quarterback questions to the unfortunate death of five-star offensive lineman recruit Matt James, it was far from a smooth transition. Despite the slow start, Kelly rallied the Fighting Irish to and 8-5 record when all was said and done. With plenty of returning talent on offense running Kelly’s high-powered system and another strong recruiting class, hopes are high in South Bend that Notre Dame can return to prominence in 2011-12.

Offensively, Kelly has plenty of weapons to run his high-powered spread attack. However, the Irish first have to decide on a starting quarterback. Dayne Crist is the most experienced option, but he has had knee issues throughout his career.  Tommy Rees went 4-0 in his starts last season, but he lacks the mobility Kelly like to utilize from his QBs. Youngster Andrew Hendrix is probably best suited for the offense, but the talent at the skill positions is too good to waste while breaking in a new signal caller. In the end, Crist will probably be under center until he gets hurt or plays his way out of the gig.

Whoever ends up leading the Irish, they will have the advantage of playing behind an excellent offensive line led by tackle Zach Martin. The same group will also pave the way for running back Cierre Wood. After taking over the starting role for the final six games of last season, Wood ran for more than 600 yards on more than five yards per carry. He should have the full-time role to himself this year, and a 1,000-plus yard season is well within reach.

Of course anyone that knows Kelly’s offense knows that the ball is going to be put in the air a lot. When that happens, receiver Michael Floyd is going to be a major factor. While he has had several off the field issues, Floyd is a beast when he puts on his pads. He caught 12 touchdowns last year despite dealing with some nagging injuries. Floyd should team with sophomore T.J. Jones to form a formidable receiving duo.

While the offense outlook is optimistic, the issue for the Irish the last few years has been defense. That should start to change in 2011-12 as Notre Dame welcomes back a borderline dominant front seven. Standout linebacker Manti Te’o and defensive ends Aaron Lynch and Ethan Johnson will cause all kinds of problems for the opposing offenses. However, the true test will be the play of the secondary. Safety Harrison Smith leads and experienced group that has struggled mightily. Smith and company don’t necessarily have to be elite this year for the Irish to be successful, but the secondary can’t continue to get torched for big plays.

The schedule is always tough for the Irish, but this year’s slate is somewhat manageable.  South Florida is a deceptively tough matchup to open the year, and both Michigan and Michigan State are programs headed in the right direction. Throw in a road game at Pittsburgh, and Notre Dame won’t have any cakewalks in the first few weeks. The schedule lightens up a bit after initial rough patch, but the season ends with the toughest matchup of the year when the Irish visit Andrew Luck and the Stanford Cardinal.

Kelly has built dominant programs at schools with far fewer resources than Notre Dame. After some growing pains last season, the Irish have the talent on offense to make some noise in 2011-12. As the defense continues to develop, Notre Dame will probably split the opening four games of the year before going on a big run heading into the finale. It would take a miracle for the Irish to knock off Stanford with their current pass defense, but even without an upset of the Cardinal, it will be a solid season. Kelly should push Notre Dame back to the cusp of the BCS conversation this year, but the Irish are still a year away from becoming a national power once again.

2011 Notre Dame Fighting Irish College Football Predictions: 9-3 Record

Preseason 2011 Notre Dame NCAA Football Odds:
Odds to Win 2012 BCS Championship: +2800
You can BET on these lines or any other College Football Odds and Lines daily at SBG Global Sportsbook(upto 235% in Bonuses!)

2011 Notre Dame College Football Schedule
Sat, Sep 3 South Florida 3:30 pm —
Sat, Sep 10 at Michigan 8:00 pm —
Sat, Sep 17 Michigan State 3:30 pm —
Sat, Sep 24 at Pittsburgh TBA —
Sat, Oct 1 at Purdue 8:00 pm —
Sat, Oct 8 Air Force 3:30 pm —
Sat, Oct 22 USC 7:30 pm —
Sat, Oct 29 Navy 3:30 pm —
Sat, Nov 5 at Wake Forest TBA —
Sat, Nov 12 Maryland 7:30 pm —
Sat, Nov 19 Boston College 4:00 pm —
Sat, Nov 26 at Stanford 8:00 pm —

Check out NSAwins.com’s official 2011 College Football Over Under Team Wins Odds and Predictions article.

Need Expert Winning College Football Picks? Be sure to check out NSAwins.com’s award-winning College Football Season Picks Packages for expert winners against the vegas spreads and totals in College Football this season including 2011 College Football Picks and Predictions to beat the vegas point spreads and totals!