SOUTH BEND, Ind. -- Bob Diaco will leave the speculation to the media. He knows what he sees when he takes to the LaBar Practice Complex each day. And he is certainly aware of the buzz around campus as Notre Dame approaches its first test in Year 2 of a new regime.

But Diaco isn't ready to join the chorus that says this is the year the Fighting Irish returns to national prominence.

Not yet, at least.

"It's just about this particular moment," the defensive coordinator said. "We'll carry with us the lessons we learned yesterday, we definitely won't be focused on tomorrow -- we're just in the moment. So as it relates to sustainability and prognosticating, that's not my cup of tea."

The simple math shows the preseason No. 16 team in the country returning 17 starters. Eight of those starters are on the defensive side of the ball, where the Irish allowed less than 10 points per game during a 4-0 stretch to close out 2010.

Does that at least give Diaco more confidence in the unit's ability to execute this season?

"That's a fair question, and I would say that that's true," he said. "We've been able to take the next step as it relates to some calls and style of calls because the players have experience."

That spreads to the other side of the ball as well. Second-year head coach Brian Kelly can already see that the offense has a better idea of what it can and cannot do before taking the field Saturday against South Florida, making life easier for quarterback Dayne Crist as he, too, enters his second year in the spotlight.

"More than anything, I think there's an excitement level," Crist said. "I think there's a confidence level. Really guys just want to get going, want Saturday to come around."

Kelly admitted the offense was "kind of still all over the map" before Crist's season-ending left-knee injury in the ninth game last year, whereas this year the unit has a better idea of its strengths.

Linebacker Manti Te'o has had the best view of the progress this offseason.

"I'd say that I see an offense that understands their scheme, and I see an offense that had a year to kind of have a grasp of what coach Kelly wants," the junior said. "I see an offense that obviously is a lot better than what they were at this time last year. I see an offense that has a lot of confidence and an offense that has leaders but also followers. And they have guys set in the right place to help us win."

An unforgiving schedule to open the season's first month makes a fast start a priority.

And the potential momentum from the way Year 1 of a new era ended has Irish players and staff itching to kick off Year 2.

"Obviously the test is Saturday, in terms of really getting your identity," Kelly said. "You practice things, you certainly look toward the way you want to play, but I think it has to all come together in the way you play the game. So I think we can have an idea of what we wanna be like, we can practice those things -- we actually gotta go do it.

"So I think after the first game we'll be able to come back and say, 'This was our intention, this was what we were looking to do,' or, 'We wanted to do this, we weren't able to do it and we gotta figure out why.' "