SOUTH BEND, Ind. - Notre Dame has returned to the national rankings after sitting out 33 straight sets of polls, landing at No. 23 in the USA Today preseason coaches poll released Friday.

"Certainly, I think we've turned a corner here," Irish assistant coach Brian Polian said.

But is the ranking warranted? Here's the case for and against the Irish in the Top 25.

Yes, they're for real
1. Receivers: Michael Floyd and Golden Tate, Notre Dame's two top wideouts, spent eight June days in and around the California home of Irish quarterback Jimmy Clausen. They worked out eight hours each day, then spent nights dining at In-and-Out Burger and hanging along the beach.

"Golden wouldn't get out of the water," Clausen said of the down time. "And Mike was a little scared of the sun. So we had to go sleep in the car. It was a good time out there."

The crew has cemented itself as a bunch of buddies; now, they will set out to become the top receiving tandem in the country, and maybe school history. Tate's speed and Floyd's size (6-3, 215) combined to earn them 106 catches and 17 touchdowns a year ago. If the summer training worked, those numbers should get a bump this season.

2. Veterans: Asked for the primary way the Irish will be better in 2009 than in 2008, coach Charlie Weis said, "Experience."

Eighteen players with significant starting experience return to Notre Dame, most for the program since 2001. And 10 of them come on the offensive side of the ball.

Veterans alone don't guarantee victories (remember that thought for a minute). But the Irish insisted at Saturday's player media day that the logged game time will help. The offensive linemen, who welcome Paul Duncan back from injury and see Eric Olsen slide from guard to center, rave about continuity that doesn't seem obvious.

"The moving around, it doesn't matter that much," right tackle Sam Young said. "At the end of the day, I know Eric because I've played with him so long. I can count on him. I can count on Paul."

3. A man named Manti: For now, the Notre Dame depth chart features three Smiths as starting linebackers: Brian, Scott and Toryan. Brian Smith seems like a safe bet to keep his job on the weak side, but true freshman Manti Te'o, a stud recruit from Hawaii, could snag one of the other two slots before training camp ends.

Teammates say Te'o has impressed with his athleticism early in workouts. And they seem curious how he'll fare when he takes the field, as he almost certainly will, in the Sept. 5 opener against Nevada.

"He's the real deal," Brian Smith said of Te'o.

No, they're frauds
1. Clausen: Weis uses the phrase "perfect game" to describe Clausen's Hawaii Bowl performance — 22-for-26 (the four incompletions were dropped passes), 401 yards, five scores and no interceptions. The regular season, though, was far from perfect: a meager 230 yards per game and a touchdown-to-interception ratio of 20-17.

Clausen said Saturday he feels healthy, and his physical tools appeared sound the last time he played a game. So the changes need to come from the neck up. Decision-making will help define whether the junior can finally push Notre Dame among the elite.

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"He's definitely set the bar for what the expectations for his teammates are," Olsen said Saturday. "We're not going to accept less than what he showed us in that game."

2. The trenches: Running the ball has been bad news — Notre Dame averaged 3.3 yards per carry last year. Want more? The defense ranked No. 106 in the nation in tackles for loss. Youth on the defensive line and the lack of a proven go-to back bring little clarity to those problem areas.

The hope for answers, though, comes from a new-look coaching staff. Weis jettisoned everyone involved in 2008's shakiness and brought new guys to lead the backs (Tony Alford), the offensive line (Frank Verducci) and the defensive line (Randy Hart). The trio brings 80 years of sideline experience to the program. Throw in graduate assistant Bryant Young, an NFL all-pro at defensive end, and the message, at least, should be different in 2009.

3. Comebacks: Up 24-16 at North Carolina, lost 29-24. Up 17-3 on Pittsburgh, lost in four overtimes. Up 23-10 on Syracuse, lost 24-23. Safety Kyle McCarthy has heard the numbers and watched the film, and he said his secondary has focused on preventing such rallies in 2009.

"Not to make excuses, but we had some young guys playing last year," McCarthy said. "We're more experienced now, and that translates to a comfort level on the field."

See a trend here? Clausen will be better because he's older. The line play will be better because the linemen are older. Ditto for the defensive backs.

Sure, the groups have grown faster, stronger and, of course, older. But better? Check back in September.

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