Notre Dame: Complacent Fighting Irish Don't Have the Attitude to Win

Forget about the quarterback situation at Notre Dame, the turnovers this season and the win last week against Michigan State. We can put forth reasons why the Fighting Irish will rebound this season and reasons why they will revert back to losing, but until they can change their mindset, there is no way the Irish can hope to win.

This goes beyond the field. They are sitting at 1-2 and seem to be feeling pretty good about their chances of moving to 2-2, and that is the problem. This is Notre Dame we are talking about.

They are complacent and it's blatantly obvious. Blame the turnovers, whoever is under center or just bad luck, but it's the culture that has failed to change that is the problem.

Sure the team is improved and Brian Kelly can't be expected to completely turn the program around to a national championship contender already.

Even so, underachieving in the manner they are is unacceptable. They came in with high hopes after being overrated and ranked No. 16 this preseason, but even after a big win over Michigan State, it's clear the suffering isn't over.

They have a number of trap games and a few ranked opponents lying in front of them that are bound to give them problems. They aren't going to be considered runaway favorites against Navy and it's hard to see the team winning eight games this season.

They certainly have the talent to do so, but mentally they aren't there yet. The low expectations the team has for itself are holding them back from winning. They don't expect to win, which makes it impossible for them to do so.

Sure, they may come away with another signature victory or two this season, but it's not winning that will define this season for the team, it's the manner in which they lost.

Until Notre Dame changes their mindset, they can't expect to make winning a habit.