The game against Western Michigan provided the perfect opportunity for first-year head coach Brian Kelly’s squad to show something lacking in recent Irish teams—a killer instinct. Unfortunately, it didn’t surface , at least not in the first two quarters of play. The Broncos shrugged off an 80-yard touchdown strike from quarterback Dayne Crist to wide […]

Saturday marks the midpoint of head coach Brian Kelly’s inaugural season. To date the Irish have posted a 3-3 record against the 4th most difficult AVR strength of  schedule, with two of the losses coming by narrow margins to top 25 teams. Fortunately, the next three games feature three very winnable contests. The first is […]

Another week, another opportunity to extend an early lead and come away with a decisive victory. Much like the season-opener against Purdue, Notre Dame had Pittsburgh on the ropes with a 20-7 lead early in the third quarter, only to let the Panthers back in the game. This team hasn’t learned how to close out […]

What a weekend to release rankings. Number one Alabama falls to South Carolina, LSU hands the Gators their second consecutive loss in what can only be described as Milesian fashion, Michigan State’s defense contains Denard Robinson en route to thumping rival Michigan, Oregon State upsets Arizona on the road, and Stanford finishes off the Trojans […]

Notre Dame notched its second-straight victory over their Catholic archrival, but it wasn’t exactly pretty. The Irish started fast with three first quarter touchdowns before the offense was beset by inconsistency, scoring a touchdown on only one of the final 13 drives after posting three in the first four. In many ways, Notre Dame was […]

This one had a different feel. After hard-fought, last-minute losses to Michigan and Michigan State, Notre Dame was systematically dismantled by a physical, well-coached Stanford squad. The Irish offense never managed to get into a rhythm or established any consistent production, and the defense, which played well against a potent Stanford offense and kept Notre […]

Following the loss to Michigan two weekends ago, Brian Kelly made it clear that the moral victories that come from heartbreaking losses are nothing to hold onto anymore. And while I agree with him, that the Irish should be playing with energy and enthusiasm on every down, following Saturday’s loss to Stanford, it seems that […]

Notre Dame returns home to host 16th-ranked Stanford Saturday. The Irish enter the contest on the heels of two close, last-minute losses and in desperate need of a win. Fortunately, recent history is on their side—since 1997 Notre Dame has won nine of the last 13 (0.692) in the series, including six straight at home. […]

As I slowly recovered from the initial shock of the final play of Notre Dame’s game against Michigan State, something felt eerily familiar—almost like déjà vu. And as I continued to reflect, I realized that I had experienced it before. Notre Dame’s recent loss seems like a link in a chain of disappointments that have had […]

Thanks to all who participated in the 2010 Season Predictions Survey. When the data to support this analysis was gathered, over 1,500 votes had been cast. The primary goal of this exercise is to move beyond simply estimating a win-loss record. Selecting the percent confidence in a win on a game-by-game basis is not only […]