Notre Dame Football: What Does Win vs. Pitt Mean for Brian Kelly's Hot Seat?

Entering Week 4, Notre Dame is just 1-2, largely due to a plethora of turnovers in their first three games. 

Pittsburgh, the reigning Big East champions, faces off with Notre Dame this week.  While the Fighting Irish defeated the Panthers last season, it was a close game and Pitt is a team that rarely gets blown out. 

Enter Head Coach Brian Kelly.  

After an 0-2 start, plenty of fans were already calling for Kelly's head.  Let's cut the guy some slack though: Finishing 8-5 with one of the most difficult schedules in 2010 is nothing to be ashamed of. 

Nevertheless, one of Notre Dame is one of the most historic programs in college football history, so one subpar season in 2011 may be all it takes to run Kelly out of town.  

The Pittsburgh game can really go either way, and the Fighting Irish see other tough tests this season in USC, Maryland, and Stanford, just to name a few. 

Purdue, Wake Forest, and Boston College are the only matchups that ND fans can confidently pencil in as wins right now, given the teams propensity to shoot themselves in the foot three games in 2011. 

Once again though, it is justified to still have a little faith in Kelly: He's been a head coach since 1991, and he has only had one season under .500, and only four full seasons with less than seven wins.

On the flip side, it is impossible to ignore a 1-3 start, regardless of the caliber of competition.  A loss against Pitt could very well spell the end of Kelly's tenure in Indiana.  

At halftime, it's a closely contested game with Notre Dame leading 7-6.  Let's see what happens from here.