ND recruits the OL better than anyone. They also can recruit QB very well. Those two pieces, IMHO, make your skill players significantly better.
If/when ND starts to take the OL and a culture of physical football serious, they will ascend. That doesn't mean, 3 yards and a cloud of dust. You can still run spread offenses and be physical. You can still run a spread and like Bama, mix in a lot of I formations or Jumbo sets.
If they do that, they will have explosive offenses and offenses that can control the ball.
Currently, I love our defensive philosophy. Simple. Let the kids play fast instead of think. Try to eliminate big plays. Make teams go 80 yards without a mistake or you making a play.