Notre Dame Football: Hey, Lou Holtz Wasn't So Bad After All, Was He?

What would Notre Dame trade to get Lou Holtz back and send Brian Kelly back to Cincinnati or wherever he chooses?

Okay, maybe it's a little too early to jump to extremes, but things aren't looking good if you're a fan of the Irish right about now.

When Brian Kelly was hired as the head coach of Notre Dame, everybody believed that he would be the guy to take Notre Dame back to the top. He was the hottest head coach after leading Cincinnati to a 34-6 record in three years and two bowl victories.

He was considered an offensive guru as his Bearcat teams put up great numbers on that side of the ball.

After an 8-5 record and a bowl victory last season, things were looking up in South Bend. So much that many believed Notre Dame had what it took to not only win 10 games this season but also make a BCS bowl game. 

After a 4-3 record, all of those hopes are gone, and now the Irish will be lucky to just make a bowl game.

This season went from promising to Coach Kelly saying things like this.

"It's more about how I want things done, how I want this team to play, and I haven't been able to get it the way I want them to play," Kelly said. "For me, if they're going to do all the things the right way, and we're getting beat because the teams are just better, I'll be OK with that. But that's not the case right now. I'm not very happy about the way we handle the little things.

Kelly can try and put the blame on the players as much as he wants, but the coach is just as responsible.

Not calling any timeouts when you're only down two touchdowns with seven minutes left is your fault. Not being able to get the most out of your players who are extremely talented is your fault. Losing the team and having many believe they are quitting on you is again, your fault.

You remember the days Lou Holtz coached this team and led them to a 100-30 record and five bowl victories? He had this team in the spotlight and on top of the college football world. He had this team where the Irish want to be right now.

When was the last time the Irish won a big game?

Maybe that's what is making everything so frustrating, the Irish want to be where they used to be but can't seem to do what it takes to get there.

It is only Kelly's second season with the team, but they have been playing undisciplined football and seem to be getting worse. Maybe Kelly is able to turn things around at some point or maybe the Irish will have to begin the search again for a new coach.

All I know is Holtz wasn't that bad when he was here, and ever since he left, the Irish have been struggling to replace him.