ESPN Insider has been counting down 20 teams that could win the national title this season, and Football Outsiders' Program FEI — an efficiency rating that takes into account five years' worth of data — plays a big part in deciding the pool of possible teams.

You won't find Notre Dame among the 20 contenders this year, but Brian Fremeau suggests that the Irish are one of five teams that could be a year away , citing enough positives for them to build on this season but ultimately too many flaws that will keep them from a BCS bowl in 2012.

You'll need Insider to read the full piece, but you can probably guess some of the biggest issues — namely, turnovers and an unsettled quarterback race. That ridiculously tough schedule could hurt, too. But there is enough talent on both sides of the ball to suggest Brian Kelly has Notre Dame trending upward, and a season comparable to the last two could have the Irish primed for bigger things in 2013.

One thing I'll add, echoing longtime program chronicler Lou Somogyi, is the burden of expectation. A variety of factors — the schedule probably chief among them — has seemed to create a perception that much of the fan base's expectations for 2012 aren't what they have been in recent years with the program. One of the reasons for that, Somogyi suggests on BlueandGold.com, is that some may view this fall as the "setting the table" year for 2013, an attitude that seemingly aligns with Fremeau's data.