Air Force vs Notre Dame: Irish Should Be Undefeated and Fans Know It

Quite simply put, turnovers will kill you.

Ten of them in eight quarters will quickly lose you a pair of games, and this is how Notre Dame began the 2011 football season.

That fact would be frustrating enough, watching the Irish dominate both South Florida and Michigan for most of the contests only to ultimately hang one in the loss column.

What makes it infuriating is that the team has played largely as it was expected to—like a BCS contender.

Entering coach Brian Kelly's second campaign in South Bend, the Irish were once again shouldering high expectations. Preseason polls had Notre Dame ranked as high as sixth, and all had them in the top 20. The media and fans alike expected a strong start en route to the first BCS birth since 2006.

The 0-2 start left a bit of a sour taste in everyone's mouth.

After painfully throwing away the first two games, Notre Dame welcomed what seemed to be their toughest competition yet in No. 15 Michigan State. Prepared for a tough game, the Irish tore through Sparty like he was the JV squad, rolling up a 31-13 tally that wasn't that close.

Notre Dame followed their first win by traveling to Pittsburgh and nearly dropping a game to the Panthers.

Pitt had been seen as ripe for the taking, having a secondary that had surrendered 300 yards through the air to each of its opponents, including two FCS schools.

The Pittsburgh defense responded, and Notre Dame committed another pair of turnovers in addition to missing a field goal in narrowly escaping the steel city with a 15-12 victory.

The win looked better by the next weekend as during the week Pittsburgh destroyed No. 16 South Florida, 44-17.

Finally, after four very up-and-down performances, Notre Dame put together a full 60 minutes of solid football, relentlessly pounding Purdue into submission. In the 38-10 win, Notre Dame went a full game without a turnover for the first time this season.

A 3-2 start against a schedule of South Florida, Michigan, Michigan State, Pittsburgh and Purdue for some would seem reasonable. And had Notre Dame actually been beaten in that stretch, it would have been understandable.

However, knowing that Notre Dame not only could have, but SHOULD have won both of the games they lost is fueling more than a little discontent around the program.

There are articles aplenty questioning the quarterback (sophomore Tommy Rees is 117-for-180—65 percent—for 1,242 yards with 10 touchdowns and six interceptions) and Kelly's decision to stick with him. There are questions of heart, resolve and killer instinct.

Without the benefit of time travel, there is no way to go back and win the first two games, which is the only way to truly satisfy everyone.

Notre Dame could easily be 5-0 and a top-10 football team.

But they aren't. They are 3-2 and just on the outside of the top 25 looking in.

The Irish still have a shot at a BCS bowl. They have a shot at a 10-win season.

But the margin for error is nil.

Notre Dame has a bye week looming followed by a visit from USC.

It would be easy to overlook a tough squad from Air Force that flies into South Bend today.