Most teams getting ready for a bowl game have few issues, considering they have played 12 regular season games already. Some might have an injury problem or two but most use the practice time not only preparing for the game but also getting younger players into the mix.

For Notre Dame, the 2018 Citrus Bowl is anything but normal.

ND must deal with a meltdown of sorts in the final games in November, especially the complete collapse in the fourth quarter against Stanford putting the Irish record at 9-3. Add to this the regression of quarterback Brandon Wimbush. The young signal caller starter slow, as you would expect from a new starter. He then started to find himself, before his numbers, especially his passing numbers, took a dive in the final four games of the season.

Add to that the suspensions of sophomore wide receiver Kevin Stepherson and freshman running back C.J. Holmes after their arrests for shoplifting, and tight end Alize Mack being suspended for the bowl game for unstated reasons. Stepherson and Holmes suspensions are indefinite. Also, it was reported in the South Bend Tribune that Stepherson was facing a drug charge for an incident in October when he was found with marijuana.

The word is Stepherson has run out of chances and has now accumulated three strikes, and he is probably out at ND. For the other two, they will have a chance to redeem themselves. Head coach Brian Kelly said the Mack suspension was not related to academics, as all three players have no problem in that area.

Kelly said he couldn’t understand the mindset of these young athletes — who get plenty of clothing through the university — to risk suspension and even possible dismissal from school for a pair of sweatpants and a jersey, which Stepherson and Holmes are accused of stealing.

So the 14th-ranked Irish face the 16th-ranked LSU Tigers, also 9-3, with plenty of questions to be answered.

Adding to the problems for the receiving corps are season-ending shoulder injuries to sophomore wide receiver Chase Claypool and freshman tight end Brock Wright. Suddenly, four offensive pass weapons for the Irish are gone.

In response, Kelly said leading receiver Equanimeous St. Brown will move from his short-field outside receiver position into the slot. Junior Miles Boykin will take St. Brown’s spot and grad senior Cam Smith and juniors Chris Finke and C.J. Sanders will vie for playing time at the slot receiver spot.

LSU has also suffered some losses to key personnel for the game including three starting linebackers.

The New Years Day Citrus Bowl has a 1 p.m. start and will be televised nationally by ABC TV.

IRISH NOTES ... We have some catching up to do since the Stanford game. Kelly has come under fire from the South Bend press for his handling of his quarterbacks. In a in-depth article published a week or so ago, the South Bend Tribune went through the QBs that Kelly has coached in his eight years and showed how they start with promise and even shine for awhile before regressing, like Wimbush this season. The pressure will certainly be on him next season as he loses, potentially, just eight starters overall with a wealth of returning talent on both sides of the ball. This is barring any early departures for the NFL for those players eligible ... Some good news offensively is that the ND running back corps of Junior Josh Adams, sophomore Tony Jones Jr. and Junior Dexter Williams are all healthy and have not missed any practices for the bowl game. Adams ran for 1,169 yards and 8.86 yards per carry in the first eight games, 217 and a 3.68 average the last four. But that drop off in numbers can be attributed to some health issues for Adams, which Kelly said is now behind him ... ND announced its schedule for the 2018 season and kickoff times for all the home games. The home opener with Michigan on Labor Day weekend will have a 7:30 p.m. start. Other night games include Stanford on Sept. 29 and Florida State on Nov. 10. The other home games are Ball State,Vanderbilt and Pitt (All with 3:30 p.m. Eastern Time starts). The Syracuse game, a Shamrock Series contest, will be played on Nov. 17 in Yankee Stadium with a 3:30 p.m. start. It is an ND home game. All home games, of course, are on NBC ... For the first time, the NCAA allowed recruits to sign national letters of intent early. The short signing period was Dec. 22-24. ND had all 20 of their verbal commitments sign. High on the list by many recruiting sites was the best football player in Pennsylvania this year, quarterback Phil Jurkovec from Pine-Richland High School at Gibsonia, near Pittsburgh. Jurkovec led his undefeated (14-0) team to the state 6A state championship and set new state passing yardage, completion and TD record. Kelly, asked about Jurkovec’s arrival in 2018, said he hoped he will challenge Wimbush for the starting position ... Earlier this week, top offensive lineman Luke Jones of Pulaski Academy in Little Rock, Ark., announced he would sign with the Irish on the usual signing day in February ... Some more good news for the Citrus Bowl. With the loss of those receivers mentioned earlier, freshman wide receiver and Louisiana product Michael Young is surging at the right time. He has caught the eye of the Irish coaches in the practices for the bowl game. Young is from Freedom High School in Orlando, Fla ... Also, Kelly said that Wimbush is finding himself again in the practices leading to the bowl game. He said he appears to be at the high level he was in mid-season ... LSU has held its last seven opponents to a combined 11 fourth quarter points including Auburn 0 and Alabama 3 ... With all the uproar in the passing game due to suspensions and injuries, the Irish face an LSU team ranked ninth in the nation in pass-efficiency defense. ND is 103rd-ranked in pass offense with the nation’s seventh most prolific rushing attack. Wimbush is 87th nationally in pass-efficiency (122.3), 74 spots down from his LSU counterpart, Danny Etling (155.3) ... With the passing attack struggling prior to the loss of players due to injuries and suspensions, ND’s running game is the key today. With little faith in Kelly in big games, I pick the Tigers to win today.