Notre Dame Football: Soft Schedule Binds Inconsistent Irish to Failure

Almost every year, Notre Dame's cushy schedule makes it seem as though the Fighting Irish will only have one or two losses maximum when the season ends.

Every year, they prove that some of their "sure wins" aren't so, by dropping seemingly easy games and regressing into the disappointing team the whole nation is forced to watch on national television on a weekly basis.

While it may seem like Notre Dame should benefit from an easy schedule, it hurts them year in and year out. When they enter a game against an opponent like Navy or Air Force, they have nothing to gain.

Everyone is gunning for Notre Dame and the Fighting Irish aren't dominant enough to make quick work of teams they should be blowing away. It makes for huge upset losses that make everyone question Notre Dame, including Notre Dame themselves.

Notre Dame hasn't beaten a team worthy of being in the top 25 this season. While South Florida looked like voters may have underestimated them after their opening win against Notre Dame, this week's blowout proves the team has no business being ranked.

Playing scrub teams week in and week out should have given Notre Dame close to an unblemished record, yet they find themselves with a 2-2 record.

USC may be right around the corner and Stanford is lurking at the end of their schedule, but it's not those games that should have Notre Dame fans concerned.

If the only teams they lost to were teams people saw as challenging games for Notre Dame, the Irish would be in business. Unfortunately, it's teams like Navy who have the ability to completely demoralize a team and inflict the harshest criticism and self doubt upon Notre Dame.

Even when they gear up for huge games like Michigan and USC, Notre Dame is bound for failure because they aren't good enough to put away the so-so teams that can ruin their season.