Notre Dame Football: Why the Fighting Irish Must Let Go of Tradition

After another disappointing season that started with such high expectations, Notre Dame, once again, traveled down the road of mediocrity.

The 2011 regular season came to a close with a 28-14 loss at Stanford in another showing of how far the Fighting Irish truly are from being nationally relevant. Following the loss, pockets of fans began to call for the firing of Brian Kelly, and others are slowly beginning to lose any remaining shreds of faith they had remaining in the program.

An invitation to the Champs Sports Bowl against former rival Florida State is a consolation prize of sorts, but certainly does not have the power or significance to make fans forget about the trajectory of the season.

What they're seeing, and I as well, is the fact that Notre Dame continues to fall deeper into the crevices of irrelevancy with each mediocre season. I was once a member of the group that believes Notre Dame will never again be on par with college football's elite.

However, my viewpoint changed upon having a conversation with my father, who is a 1980 graduate of the prestigious university. His solution is a straightforward one, but a solution that would likely rock the traditionalists out of their rocking chairs.

To be concise, Notre Dame's football program must abandon tradition if it wishes to climb back into promised land of relevancy.

What does my father's solution entail? Many things, a few of which Notre Dame fans saw this season.

The first issue that must be addressed is Notre Dame Stadium. Yes, it is commonly considered the cathedral of college football, but it is lagging far behind the state-of-the-art facilities in other parts of the country.

How many fans truly enjoy sitting on splintery, wood benches in South Bend's brutal weather? Not many, if you ask me. Imagine a brand new stadium with seats that match those in NFL arenas. Not just new seats, but the addition of private suites would be added, as well. Envision a massive JumboTron with a speaker system blaring music that resonates with 17 and 18-year-old recruits.

Earlier this season, Brian Kelly called for the implementation of a JumboTron, as well as artificial turf. Those wishes show that he's thinking forward, an attitude that athletic director Jack Swarbrick needs to develop.

Constructing this proposed facility will only help Notre Dame begin its journey back to the upper echelons of the sport.

Along with the proposed stadium project, more home night games would be beneficial for a program that has traditionally stuck to 3:30 p.m. kickoffs. This season's lone night game against USC, the first night game at Notre Dame Stadium in 21 years, didn't result in a victory, but it provided for an electric buzz on campus leading up to the game. That buzz led to a frenzied, raucous crowd that October evening.

Let's just hope that the university's game-day operations crew has learned that playing Ozzie Osbourne's Crazy Train on repeat will only drive fans away.

I'm not suggesting that Notre Dame should forget about its glorious past, for it's the accomplishments of teams gone by that have made Notre Dame what it is today. However, the football program, which has been on life support for the better part of 15 years, can't continue to cling to the past.

It's time Notre Dame embrace the future and the opportunities that await. Relics of the past will remain and watch over the program that is loved by so many.