Notre Dame had a disappointing end to the 2012 season, but the loss to Alabama in the BCS Championship shouldn’t overshadow what’s taking place in South Bend.

The Fighting Irish have made major strides under coach Brian Kelly, and there’s plenty of talent on the roster to make another run at a national championship in 2013 and 2014.

Greatness is defined in so many different ways.

Spring practice has finished for all 125 Football Bowl Subdivision teams for 2013. And with spring workouts over, the picture for the national championship battle is starting to come into focus.

Notre Dame is always one of the most polarizing teams when it comes to preseason rankings.

The Fighting Irish are coming off a 12-1 season but was handled by Alabama in the national championship game.

Notre Dame has experienced a sustained stretch of "lean" years since claiming its last national title in 1988, failing to compete on a national level for elite bowls or championships (at least until the 2012 season). That still doesn't take away from the one of the most storied histories in all of college football.

The college football season is still months away, but it’s never too early to start thinking about which assistants will be atop athletic director’s wish lists to fill open vacancies after 2013.

Coaching is one of the driving forces in building a national championship team or program. No matter how much talent a program has, it can’t win a national title if the coaching is questionable.

Considering how important coaches are to teams or even making preseason predictions, Athlon is taking a look at how all 125 college football coaches rank nationally.

The start of the 2013 college football season is still months away, but it’s never too early to start thinking about preseason predictions and some of the top games to watch in each conference — and since BYU doesn't play in a conference, the Cougars stand alone.

The start of the 2013 college football season is still months away, but it’s never too early to start thinking about preseason predictions and some of the top games to watch in each conference — and since Notre Dame isn't in a conference, the Fighting Irish stand alone.

So, too, does the difficulty of their schedule.

Barring any late movement, college football’s coaching carousel for 2013 has ended.

As with any offseason, there were plenty of changes nationally. Over 100 coordinator jobs have changed hands from 2012 and there were numerous moves among the assistant ranks.