Notre Dame Football: Losing to Navy Will Put Coach Kelly on Hot Seat

The Notre Dame coaching job is one of the most prestigious jobs anywhere. It ranks up there with being the head coach of the Yankees in baseball, the Lakers in basketball, the Steelers in professional football and the Red Wings in hockey. 

The job has a long history of coaching legends like Knute Rockne, Frank Leahy, Ara Paseghian, Dan Devine and Lou Holtz. All these coaches have in common is winning National Championships. 

However, since Holtz, the program has lacked bringing in a coach that can bring this program back to its glory days. 

Since Holtz’s last season in ’96, there have been four coaches in 14 years, with Charlie Weis lasting the longest at head coach with five seasons before running off back to the NFL for Brian Kelly. 

The shortest was Tyrone Willingham, who only lasted three seasons with the program, even after taking the Irish to a 10-3 season in ’02. Then, being ran out of the program after a disappointing 6-6 2004 season in favor of Charlie Weis.

But, after two years, the pressure to win now is starting to grow. 

Has Brian had a chance to play with his players that he recruited for Notre Dame, not the players that are left over from the Charlie Weis regime? No. 

But, in today’s “win now” culture, there is no time to build a program. And, at a program like Notre Dame which expects to be in a BCS bowl game or a BCS championship game every year, there is an expectation that if you do not win, you will be replaced with someone who can. 

This year started with a lot of promise as Kelly went 8-5 last year with a bowl game victory over Miami (FL). Two losses opened the ’11 season, as it seemed like Kelly may have not done anything to turn the program around.

However, four straight wins silenced all of the critics. 

After the USC loss, a loss that had a lot of hype leading up to the game, a game during which USC players are saying that the Notre Dame team  “Quit Playing,” the fault has to fall onto the leader of the program in Kelly.

What happens if Notre Dame is upset at home against Navy, in a game where the Irish are favored by 20 points? What happens if this team “quits” again, as they are rumored to have done against USC? 

If they do quit, it’s because of what Kelly is doing as the head coach.

A loss sends the Irish to 4-4 on the season and brings up questions about each loss this year.

Did the Irish not show up to the South Florida game? Did the Irish quit playing against Michigan. Are the accusations from USC true?

All of these questions, and a loss to Navy, will be the loudest thing coming from this Notre Dame football team. 

I do love Notre Dame fans and I hope y'all follow me on Twitter: Follow @tjmcaloon