Notre Dame Football: Why Air Force Is Notre Dame's Most Important Game Yet

Notre Dame is at a crossroads. At 3-2, they are retuning home for a three-game stretch that will come to define their season. Their game vs. Air Force sets the tone for their ever-so crucial stint at home and is their most important game of the season to date.

Michigan and Michigan State were obviously pivotal games for the Irish. Even so, they haven't needed a victory all season long more than they do right now. Taking down Michigan State kept them from dropping to 0-3, but a victory over Air Force may be enough to get them back on track this season.

If Tommy Rees can show a bit of the fight that his sister readily displays at football games, the Irish could really turn the corner.

They have home games against USC and Navy after Air Force. The big concern this week is that Notre Dame could be looking forward to those games and overlooking Air Force.

Air Force is coming off a huge overtime win against Navy, and the Irish can't afford to take Air Force for granted. Notre Dame has been fed heartbreaking losses in past years, and though they've got big matchups lying ahead, their season can be ruined by dropping a game this week.

They face three tough teams consecutively and have a huge opportunity to gain some momentum. If they are able to take down Air Force this week and jump to 4-2, they have a great shot at moving to 6-2 before they head back on the road to take on Wake Forest.

If not, it's back to square one with Brian Kelly's legitimacy, the quarterback controversy and the state of Notre Dame in general.

They control their own destiny and we'll know exactly how this season will shake out for Notre Dame by the way they come out against Air Force.