No. 22: Notre Dame

Why I like the Irish: The Irish ended the season on a positive note, beating Hawaii in the Hawaii Bowl and put up 49 points. That eased the pressure on Charlie Weis just a bit. Quarterback Jimmy Clausen is back. So are a talented set of receivers led by Golden Tate. There are 10 starters returning on offense, including four linemen. Outside of a certain loss to Southern Cal, the schedule isn't full of challenges. Michigan State won't be easy, but the Spartans visit South Bend. The Irish play two of the worst teams in the BCS (Washington, Washington State) and have seven home games.

Why I don't: Before pounding Hawaii, the Irish lost four of their last five in 2008, including a home game against Syracuse. That one could have cost Weis his job. None of the seven wins came againt a plus-.500 team from a BCS league. While Clausen finished strong, his overall numbers weren't great. He still throws too many passes to the other team. The running game was a mess in 2008 and doesn't figure to get significantly better. The pressure to produce could overwhelm Weis and his staff.

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