Notre Dame is a far more talented and experienced team than we are. Consider this:
1) Bill Connelly of SBNation ranked teams based upon returning production. This is what he had to say about our defense:
"Still, when I update the returning production figures for 2018, VT is going to come in around
32 percent on defense, second-worst in the country. Asking even Foster to avoid a big drop-
off might be too much."
By comparison, ND came in at 96% on defense which was #1 in the country. FWIW, Southern Miss at 30% was the least experienced. Connelly's calculation was before the dismissal of Trevon Hill and can't account for a less than healthy Vinnie Mihota.
2) To amplify this point, we start 3 upperclassmen on 'D' while ND starts 10.
3) Imagine what our 'D' would look like with Tim Settle at DT, Tremaine still at LB, Hill at DE, a healthy Mihota on the D-line, Alexander, Mook and Terrell still playing in the defensive backfield along with Jeremy Webb. I'm not sure we wouldn't have run the table during the regular season to set up a titanic clash with Clemson for a spot in the playoffs.
4) With regards to talent, ND has one 5-star and 43 4-stars according to 247. We have no 5-stars and 14 4-stars. That talent gap can be closed with coaching (which we have) and experience (which we don't have).
5) A reasonable goal for us is to get to the Miami game with no more than one conference loss. As of now, we are favored, but not by a lot, @UNC, GT, BC and @ Pitt. The Miami game is 6 weeks away and we should be much improved on 'D' by then. It is highly likely that the winner of that game represents the Coastal. A true make or break game.
6) I am not so concerned with 'reputation'. As has been mentioned, Lane Stadium still garners a lot of hype despite a lack of big wins there in the last 9 years. A loss to a ND team that may well go undefeated should not diminish this rep. On the other hand, if we win...
7) BTW, a bad time to "stripe" the stadium. It looks like a fair number of VT fans decided to sell their ND tickets after the ODU debacle. Going to Lane has become a bucket list trip for many college football fans and nobody has more fans than ND. I expect to see a lot of blue sprinkled through the orange and maroon. Speaking of which, how much money did we cost Duke in lost ticket sales? How many people decided not to drive down for that game after ODU?
8) I'm solidly behind Fuente. What offense was impacted more in 2017 by the loss of players leaving with remaining eligibility (Evans, Ford, Hodges)? What defense is impacted more in 2018 by the loss of eligible players? To not fall off a cliff (see UCLA and Nebraska) is quite a testament.
9) America is rooting for the Hokies (well, fans of most other programs are). Let's pull the upset and be the talk of the country for the next week!