Navy vs. Notre Dame: Would Another Loss Put Brian Kelly on the Real Hot Seat?

I know Notre Dame fans are getting tired of the Brian Kelly talk, but at the same time I'm sure they're also tired of their talented team struggling every year.

The Irish started the season off with high expectations and BCS bowl hopes, but after a terrible 0-2 start to the season those hopes have disappeared.

Things haven't gotten any better, as the Irish lost to their rival USC Trojans in ugly fashion and were claimed to have quit by several USC players. The Trojans were up 14 points with over six minutes left and coach Brian Kelly refused to call any of the three available timeouts.

Notre Dame has yet to beat a quality opponent this season except Michigan State. All three of there losses have totaled 13 turnovers, which has played a huge part in their struggles this year.

The Irish play Navy this weekend in what should result in an easy victory. Navy has lost the last five games in a row and have a brutal defense that gives up 30 points per contest.

A game against Wake Forest should also result in a victory, despite the fact the Demon Deacons have been a surprise this season. The Irish are a more talented team than Wake Forest and aren't as one dimensional as they are on offense.

Games against Maryland and Boston College should be a breeze as they are 3-11 combined. Both teams struggle on both sides of the ball and Notre Dame is far the better team than both of them.

The big game comes against Stanford at the end of the year and will provide a stiff challenge and give us insight of where this team is heading. I don't expect the Irish to win this game, but it would be nice to see them at least compete against a Top 5 team and National Championship contender.

Brian Kelly is only in his second season and everyone should understand that it takes time to turn things around. However, this is a talented team with a lot of great recruits. The Irish shouldn't be losing to some of the teams they're losing to and shouldn't be losing the way they're losing.

Notre Dame will probably lose one more game this season, but if it's against any team other than Stanford, things won't get any easier for coach Kelly.

Another loss within the next month will put Brian Kelly on the real hot seat.

Randy Chambers is a B/R Featured Columnist that covers College Football and the NFL. You can contact him @Randy_Chambers or [e-mail]

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