Notre Dame Fighting Irish

Date: Nov. 27, Chapel Hill, NC

Notre Dame 2019 Record: 11-2

Postseason: Beat Iowa State in the Camping World Bowl.

Returning Starters: Offense 7, Defense 4.

Head Coach: Brian Kelly enters his 11th season at Notre Dame and is coming off the best three-year stretch for the program – 11, 12 and 10 victories, respectively - since the early 1990s. He’s entrenched and is the current face of the most famous program in the sport.

3 Key Players: Kyle Hamilton, DB (41 tackles, 4 INTs, 6 PBUs), Ian Book, QB (60.2 completion percent, 3,034 yards, 34 TDs, 6 INTs), Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah, LB (80 tackles, 13.5 TFL, 5.5 sacks, 3 FFs, 2 FRs).

Must Figure Out: The Irish lost two of its best playmakers on defense and the bulk of its pass rush, so they must find quality replacements to maintain what has become the status quo in South Bend.

In Great Shape: Ian Book is a high-end QB, a terrific leader and will guide an offense that has explosiveness but can also grind when it needs to behind an experienced offensive line that could be one of the nation’s best.

Looking Ahead: “Our mission is clear: to see them graduate and win a national championship. I don’t think that’s one (conversation) that takes very long. They’re not here for any other reason.” – Notre Dame Coach Brian Kelly

History vs. UNC: Notre Dame leads the series 18-1 and has won two straight.

Notre Dame’s ACC slate: Home: Duke, FSU, Louisville, Clemson, Syracuse. Away: Wake Forest, Pitt, Georgia Tech, Boston College, UNC.

Matchup with UNC: This should be UNC’s toughest opponent on the schedule and Notre Dame’s toughest road game, at least that’s the case on paper right now. With that understanding, this meeting could have huge implications, especially coming the day after Thanksgiving. It’s obvious the ACC bean counters knew what they were doing when they paid out this one. The Irish are better on paper and would be favored in Chapel Hill today, but will that be the case by late November? We will have to see. As of now, edge goes to the Irish.

Rivals site:

Blue & Gold Illustrated