... has gone out on a limb and selected the Notre Dame Fighting Irish No. 7 in his 2009 preseason poll.

Steele, if not the best, is certainly the most in-depth of the college football analysts, and along with selecting the Irish at No. 7, he has labeled them a "dark horse national title contender."

Steele has placed huge expectations on the Irish, a team he lost some credibility on last year for picking them No. 19, only to see them finish a disappointing 7-6.

Steele reminds us that Jimmy "Santa" Clausen will be a third-year starter in 2009. He feels this and 15 returning starters will make the difference. He also points out that the Irish blew three double-digit leads last year.

There appears to be one othe...

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