Irish in the BCS: What Is Different for Notre Dame This Year

On the eve of the opening of the 2011 season, Notre Dame finds itself in a rather familiar position: full of preseason hype, holding a preseason ranking with many reasons to be excited for the campaign to come.

We've been here before.

Each of the previous three coaches had at least one season where all signs pointed to a fantastic finish. There was momentum. Returning talent. Continuity on the staff.

In 2000 the Irish dropped only a heartbreaking overtime loss to No. 1 Nebraska and a last second-defeat at Michigan State, earning their first BCS bid. Despite being pasted in that Fiesta Bowl by Oregon State, Notre Dame entered the 2001 season listed among favorites to return to the BCS if not contend for the title.

For the first time in school history Notre Dame opened a campaign by losing its first three games. What was more alarming was the the initially No. 18 Irish were annihilated in two of the three contests, being routed at Nebraska 27-10 in the opener, and then falling 24-3 at Texas A&M.

Notre Dame went on to drop games at Boston College, at home to Tennessee and at Stanford.

Not only did the team not achieve a BCS game, but at 5-6 Notre Dame did not qualify for a bowl game and Bob Davie was relieved of his duties. 

Ty Willingham had his year of elevated expectations in only the second year of his ill-fated tenure in South Bend. In his first he ran the Irish full of Bob Davie's talent out to an 8-0 start before finishing 9-3.

Again excitement built as Notre Dame entered the season ranked at No. 19.

The team dropped three of the first four and six of the first eight before finishing 5-7. Mixed in were a 38-0 pounding at Michigan, a 45-14 home beating by USC, a 37-0 loss at home to Florida State and a 38-12 loss at Syracuse.

Willingham would hang on one more year before a complete lack of recruiting would force his termination.

Charlie Weis experienced high expectations twice in his five seasons at the helm of the Irish. His second season marks the most fulfilled Irish season when hopes were lofty.

Weis led Notre Dame to a 9-3 record in his initial campaign and entered his second season ranked No. 2 in preseason polls.

The team suffered a blowout loss at Michigan in its third game, and again to end the campaign in what was becoming the annual disaster against USC. Still, the Irish had many memorable moments—chilling comebacks against UCLA and Michigan State highlighted the Irish's road to their second consecutive BCS bowl.

In that Sugar Bowl Notre Dame was routed 41-14 by LSU, marking a disturbing trend of Willingham and Weis led teams of losing games by 20 or more points.

Weis again faced high expectations entering the 2009 season.

After a nearly perfect performance by Jimmy Clausen in a Hawaii Bowl victory that was very much in doubt prior to the game, Notre Dame entered their season-opening game with Hawaii ranked No. 23.

They rose to No. 18 before stumbling at Michigan.

Notre Dame re-entered the ranks, only to fall at home once again to USC just before the wheels came off as the Irish finished the season with four consecutive losses to Navy, Pittsburgh, Connecticut and Stanford.

Notre Dame qualified for a bowl game, but voted to decline any invitation.

Charlie Weis was dismissed, not only for the amount of losses (second straight 6-6 record) but for the way that the team got worse throughout the season.

The same can be said for each of his predecessors.

There was a running trend that Notre Dame teams wilted down the stretch. Willingham's and Weis's squads routinely started well only to drop several at the end of the year. Blowout losses and embarrassing defeats became routine. There was never a sense of urgency, or a feel of unity.

Brian Kelly's tenure began as a bumpy road.

Things looked decidedly the same.

Notre Dame began by beating an overmatched Purdue squad, but allowed the game to remain close in the end.

Then they found a way to lose games to Michigan and Michigan State.

Stanford came in and physically dominated the Irish.

Navy ran all over a defense that looked totally lost, and Tulsa put an exclamation point on what had to be the program's low point.

In the loss to Tulsa junior QB Dayne Crist was lost for the season.

Sitting at 4-5, the Irish likely needed to win out in order to qualify for postseason play.

Standing in the way were No. 15 Utah, Army and USC, who owned an 8-game winning streak over Notre Dame.

But something happened when Tommy Rees took over. It wasn't suddenly stellar QB play, but rather a tightening of the reins. Suddenly there was a rallying cry. The kids bought in.

Where in every season since Lou Holtz left the team would crumble, this one dug in and chose to put the fight back in the Fighting Irish.

Notre Dame destroyed heavily favored Utah 28-3, holding the Utes to a season-low 273 yards of total offense and only 71 yards rushing. It was also the first time Utah had been held without a touchdown since 2007.

Next the defense solved the triple option in dismantling Army 27-3.

Finally, despite four Tommy Rees turnovers and a driving rain, Notre Dame vanquished the Trojans of USC at the Coliseum 20-16 behind another stout defensive effort and a solid night of hard running from Robert Hughes.

Notre Dame accepted a bowl bid to face old enemy Miami in the Sun Bowl.

Thought to be evenly matched and with a close contest expected, Notre Dame easily dispatched the Hurricanes. Notre Dame turned in its fourth straight dominating performance, at one point, leading 27-0 before coasting to a 30-17 win. The Irish and Cierre Wood ran the ball at will, and the defense allowed little ground to be taken.

The fantastic finish to 2010 has once again elevated expectations in South Bend.

The Irish enter 2011 ranked No. 18. Many are talking BCS.

What will be different this time?

Brian Kelly.

Nobody is more unimpressed with the preseason rank than the Irish coach.

"I don't walk around with my top-25 T-shirt on," Kelly said to the Chicago Tribune.

He is truly a man seems to have accepted his position. Unlike Davie, Willingham and Weis, Kelly doesn't at all appear overwhelmed by being head honcho at Notre Dame.

He is also the consummate college coach. He's spent his entire career molding high school potential into collegiate production.

Everywhere he has gone he has turned a program around and has gotten his teams to the peak of their potential.

Let the end of 2010 serve as the primary reason as to why this will be different. Kelly's kids didn't quit. When everything was against them, when everyone expected them to fall apart they chose to rise up and come together.

It is true that we have been here before.

But this time, the result will look a little different.