We’ve talked about the Fighting Irish and their schedule. We’ve also talked about the Irish’s cornerback conundrum. While the quarterback battle takes center stage entering the 2012 season, the real question to ask about the player lucky enough to land the first-string job is how long he will last starting under center.

There are a couple of different ways to look at this question. On the field, Notre Dame is in prime position to be a quarterback’s best friend. While they lose Michael Floyd, they have a reliable tight end in Tyler Eifert and a running game that is going to be their most reliable offensive weapon.

However, the man who wins the quarterback spot will also be forced to contend with Brian Kelly and his impatient approach to success. Mistakes will cost Everett Golson, Tommy Rees and Andrew Hendrix dearly, especially when the next best option is standing right there on the sideline waiting to get tossed into the game.

All in all, whoever wins the quarterback battle is going to have to play some lights-out football to keep the gig. While the offensive line and running game will make their job easier, playing for Brian Kelly is going to make it tough to truly lock down the starting quarterback gig.

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