Notre Dame Football: Why Are the Irish Statistically So Good and Yet So Bad?

I know Notre Dame fans are tired of hearing how bad their team is. This team started the season off with expectations through the roof, but once again failed to live up to them.

They started the season off with two straight losses against teams that they should have beaten fairly easily. A few weeks ago, they weren't competitive against a USC team that has its fare share of struggles this season as well.

They barely beat a subpar team in the Pittsburgh Panthers, and just barely edged by a less-talented Wake Forest team.

We all know Notre Dame's struggles this season—they are one of the most covered teams in college football. Everything this team does is magnified 100-fold, and everyone pays close attention to all the good and bad things.

But what if I was to say the Irish are one of the top teams in the country? Yes, a team that is 6-3 and lost to the South Florida Bulls are one of the top teams in the country.

There are only 10 teams that are in the top 40 in total defense, scoring offense, total offense, and scoring defense (via ESPN). Notre Dame is one of them.

In the last four games, the Irish have scored touchdowns 88 percent of the time when they get in the red zone. They have scored 15 times in 17 trips—the highest over any four-game stretch for the Irish since 2000.

The Irish have also only allowed five sacks all season, which is the fifth-fewest in the country.

Pretty impressive right?

So, how is Notre Dame so bad this season?

I think the answer to this question is pretty simple: It comes down to turnovers. Notre Dame has turned the ball over 22 times, which is one of the worst statistics in the country. The five turnovers each in the first two games are the reasons they lost.

The three turnovers against USC didn't help when they got blown out. In the six wins, the Irish turned the ball over nine times.

Having a young quarterback who is still learning how to play the position completely is a big reason for Notre Dame's lack of success. But, those stats above show that this team has all of the potential to be great and really turn things around.

Notre Dame is great statistically but unfortunately it's the turnover stat that is holding them back.

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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