2011 Bowl Schedule: Notre Dame Must Extend Postseason Win Streak Against FSU

The Notre Dame Fighting Irish have won their last two bowl games, and for the sake of the program, they better make it three in a row. 

Last year, the Fighting Irish had no trouble against Miami in the Sun Bowl. This year, they take on another ACC opponent, the Florida State Seminoles, in the Champ Sports Bowl. 

It's no secret Notre Dame is no longer the program it once was, but head coach Brian Kelly and his staff are headed in the right direction. However, a postseason loss would be a major setback. 

Both Notre Dame and Florida State used to dominate college football, but things are certainly different these days. 

They're on the rise, and a victory in the Champ Sports Bowl helps the program moving forward. 

Failure 

That's such a terrible word that no college football team ever wishes to speak or do. Unfortunately, Notre Dame failed in many bowl games prior to the win streak, as well as plenty of times in the early going this season. 

Before Notre Dame's postseason win streak started in 2008 against Hawaii in the Hawaii Bowl, the Fighting Irish had lost nine straight bowl games. They can't afford to go back to that. Winning is the only option for this storied program. 

The Fighting Irish failed to live up their preseason hype, posting an 8-4 record. They beat one ranked opponent and struggled against teams with much less talent than them. 

However, all of this can be forgotten and wiped away with a win over Florida State. Sure, some will remember the hard times from this season, but most will focus on the positive, which is the fact that Notre Dame keeps winning in postseason play. 

That's what teams strive for, and it has to be done on Thursday night in the Champ Sports Bowl. A loss would mean more failure for the Fighting Irish, and that's something the program has had all to much of in recent years. 

Flip Flop Offense 

Tommy Rees has been the guy for most of the season, but he's recently had some competition from fellow sophomore, Andrew Hendrix. 

Kelly told Brian Hamilton of the Chicago Tribune that he intends to play both against Florida State. 

"

We're going to play them both. Getting them in the game–I don't think we have to worry about, "We've got to be in this part of the field" and "The game has to be like this." We just play them. Both of them have the ability and are prepared to go in there and play. We're just going to go in there and we're committed to playing both quarterbacks. 

"

Hendrix had special packages for him, but during the lengthy bowl preparation, he's had the full playbook to use and will see the field of play more against Florida State. 

This is an interesting move by Kelly, most likely to get a feel for who should be the main man at quarterback next season. 

However, this could have a huge impact on the outcome of the game. Swapping quarterbacks doesn't work all that often, and if the Fighting Irish lose then some will complain the problem was the use of two quarterbacks. 

Of course, that will all depend on how the game turns out, but the two quarterback system already doesn't sit well with some. 

Hamilton tweeted Kelly's response about the reaction over using two quarterbacks. 

If it works out then all is well, but if it fails then expect a lot Kelly to receive a lot of backlash. Fighting Irish administrators and fans are tired of the losing ways, and postseason success is the way to brighter future.

Gutsy moves like these from Kelly not only make people nervous, but also frustrate them to no ends when it doesn't pay off. That's the last thing Notre Dame needs right now. 

Moving Forward 

Notre Dame made the right hire in Kelly, and over the years they will keep getting better. If his squad suffers a loss in the Champ Sports Bowl then it will upset some, but it's not the end of the world because they know the program is in good hands. 

However, it's best to avoid all of that mess by just winning. Plus, a postseason victory always helps recruiting.

The Fighting Irish currently have a Top 15 recruiting class, but there is room to grow and climbing up the rankings is a must. 

Beating Florida State is the first order of business. Extending the bowl game win streak to three means happy times in South Bend, which is something the program could use after not finishing as well as many hoped.