Notre Dame resumed its place among the nation's elite last season with a 10-3 season. Suddenly, everything was right in South Bend last fall. The Golden Dome was a little brighter. Tyrone Willingham and the students coordinated their wardrobes (matching green shirts, of course) on Saturdays. And ND backers were suddenly popping out of the woodwork and chirping about a national championship.

Hitting The Road

Don't miss ESPN College GameDay's Spring Practice Tour as Chris Fowler, Kirk Herbstreit and Lee Corso check in every day during SportsCenter. The GameDay guys will make stops in South Bend, State College, Iowa City and Columbus. During the week, there will also be features on some of the best storylines around the country, including who will replace Ken Dorsey and Marcus Vick's battle to win the starting job at Virginia Tech. A quick recap of the stops: April 15 -- Notre Dame April 16 -- Penn State April 17 -- Iowa April 18 -- Ohio State

Now Willingham and the Irish will try to score back-to-back Top 20 finishes in the AP poll for the first time since 1995-96. But it won't be easy. Here's a few lingering questions on the Irish as they roll though spring practice.

Who will play offensive line?
Gone are four starters, including All-American center Jeff Faine. How inexperienced is this group? Last spring, the Irish were working with a group that had started 79 games in their careers, including 32 by tackle Jordan Black. This spring, ND returns a group that started just 21, led by lone returning starter right guard Sean Millligan's 17.

For a team that averaged just 139 yards rushing per game -- or 3.4 yards per carry -- this may be the biggest concern of the spring.

Is the offense Battle-tested?
No more Arnaz Battle may mean more pressure on the four skill players returning on offense. This wasn't the most potent offense last year, but it does return a solid core of skill players. QB Carlyle Holiday is growing more and more comfortable in Willingham's offense and is distancing himself from Pat Dillingham and Chris Olsen this spring.

Senior RB Ryan Grant became ND's seventh 1,000-yard rusher as he notched 1,085 yards last season. The running game could also receive a spark from former Irish RB Julius Jones, who is trying to earn reinstatement by fall practice. Omar Jenkins leads a solid group of receivers that also includes Maurice Stovall and Rhema McKnight. Add in TE Gary Godsey, who is recovering from a knee injury, and there are enough weapons to overcome the loss of Battle.

The defense never rests
For all the questions on the offense, there are very few about a defense that carried the Irish last season. Notre Dame was ranked ninth in the nation in scoring defense (16.7 ppg), 10th in rushing defense (95.2 ypg) and 13th in total defense (300 ypg) and returns the three top tacklers from that unit -- LB Courtney Watson, S Glenn Earl and LB Mike Goolsby -- plus CB Vontez Duff to form what should again be the strength of the Irish.

One key question will be who can replace All-American Shane Walton, who had eight interceptions last year. Jason Beckstrom -- a three-time letterwinnner who missed the '02 season with a torn bicep -- is the favorite to win the job.

A killer schedule
There are no gimmes on the Notre Dame schedule. Three teams who played in BCS bowls last year -- Washington State, USC and Florida State -- are on the schedule. The only plus is that all three of those games are in South Bend. But that's not the only tough tests as the Irish travel to Michigan, Purdue and Pittsburgh as well.