Make-or-break player: Reggie Ball, QB
Biggest offensive strength: Offensive line
Biggest offensive weakness: Depth at wide receiver
Biggest defensive strenght: Starting linebackers
Biggest defensive weakness: Defensive secondary
Spring Depth Chart
Georgia Tech is the prefect season opener for the Irish. A solid team that will help the overall strength of schedule, the Yellowjackets will prepare this team for the tough stretch of games that start the schedule, but their weaknesses in the defensive secondary should give Brady an excellent opportunity to kick off his Heisman campaign. Also, a solid offensive line and one of the nation's best receivers will sufficiently test our weaknesses - pass rush and defensive secondary. This should be a high-scoring game, but Reggie Ball and Calvin Johnson are simply not capable of matching Brady Quinn, Rhema McKnight, Jeff Samardzija, and Darius Walker blow-for-blow in a shootout. The Irish can double-team Johnson, and let whoever starts at the other wide receiver try to beat man coverage. The Irish have so many weapons, however, that the best any team can hope to do is keep the receivers in front of them, not to prevent the offense from being effective. I expect our defensive experience to give Ball enough pressure and good enough coverage to contain Calvin Johnson, allowing the Irish to pull away in the second half for a victory.
Schedule
| Date | Opponent | Prediction |
| 9/2 | Notre Dame | L |
| 9/9 | Samford | W |
| 9/16 | Troy | W |
| 9/21 | Virginia | W |
| 9/30 | @Virginia Tech | L |
| 10/7 | Maryland | W |
| 10/21 | @ Clemson | L |
| 10/28 | Miami | L |
| 11/4 | @ NC State | W |
| 11/11 | @ North Carolina | W |
| 11/18 | Duke | W |
| 11/25 | @ Georgia | L |
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