ESPN.com Preseason Power Rankings

15. Notre Dame
Uh-oh. Here comes Notre Dame with a lofty preseason perch. You can practically hear the cries of "overrated!" outside South Bend at a team that finished 8-5 last season. But the Irish appeared to turn a corner by winning their final four games of 2010. They return a boatload of starters, and their strengths should be -- gasp! -- a defense that shut down Utah, USC and Miami late in 2010 and an experienced offensive line. If the QB derby produces a worthy winner (Dayne Crist will likely get the first snaps of the season) and if star WR Michael Floyd returns strong from his offseason suspension, this team should be favored in just about all of its games. This could be the rare recent Irish collection that meets -- or possibly even exceeds -- its preseason expectations. -- Brian Bennett, Notre Dame blogger
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ESPN Video
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- 01:25Ron Rivera rings the bell after final day of cancer treatmentWashington coach Ron Rivera receives an ovation as he walks down the hospital hallway to ring the bell after his final day of cancer treatment. 


