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Posted at 9:30 AM EST.

3:30 PM EST. Notre Dame is a team that needs no introductions but on the opening Saturday of the college football season, you will be paying some massive premiums to back some blue bloods and this is a great example of that. The Golden Domes assignment today is not as easy as this line suggests it will be, as they are going up against the defending American Athletic Conference Champions. Temple was not expected to win the American last year. All eyes were on Houston, USF, and Navy as the top choices. Nevertheless, Temple did what it does best and played sound defense to expose notoriously offensive-oriented ball clubs. The rest is history.

In 2016, Temple featured one of the best passing defenses in all of America. However, many analysts argue that the Owls are due for attrition with a regime change coupled with three of their premiere pass rushers leaving town. The most notable loss for the Owls was defensive end Hasson Reddick who ascended to become a first round draft-pick. However the defensive backfield that was responsible for producing stellar numbers in 2016 returns in full force. In addition, the hiring of Geoff Collins figures to help the continual growth for this program, as he is a defensive specialist. Collins spent many years coaching in the SEC as a defensive coordinator for Mississippi State and most recently the Florida Gators. The performance of the Gators’ defense speaks for itself, as Collins managed to architect defensive units responsible for leading the Orange and Blue to two consecutive SEC Championship Games in 2015 and 2016, while having to whether often inconsistent shoe-string Gator offenses to complement them. Temple is simply not known as a good football team. For many years, Temple has been regarded as one of college football’s kick-around teams. Few can recall a time where the Owls were playing at a high level for such an extended period of time and as a result of this prejudice, many are expecting a collapse. A road trip to Notre Dame in the eyes the market is primed to be the catalyst.

On the contrary, expectations are often very high for Notre Dame yet they are the ones who have failed to live up to the hype. Since being smoked in the National Championship in the 2012-2013 by the Alabama Crimson Tide, the Fighting Irish have had just one 10-win season. 2016 was their worst effort of all, as Notre Dame finished 4-8 and failed to make a bowl game. Lastly, Notre Dame could easily find itself ensnared here as they may be guilty of looking ahead to Week Two when they host the Bulldog Nation of Georgia in one of the most anticipated contests of 2017. We have an opportunity to step in on a defending conference champion at an enhanced price. and that’s precisely how we’ll proceed.

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