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Adjusting expectations: What can Notre Dame fans hope for now?

By Greg Hadley

Sep 17, 2016; South Bend, IN, USA; Notre Dame Fighting Irish wide receiver Equanimeous St. Brown (6) has pass broken up by Michigan State Spartans cornerback Vayante Copeland (13) during the second half a game at Notre Dame Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Mike Carter-USA TODAY Sports
Sep 17, 2016; South Bend, IN, USA; Notre Dame Fighting Irish wide receiver Equanimeous St. Brown (6) has pass broken up by Michigan State Spartans cornerback Vayante Copeland (13) during the second half a game at Notre Dame Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Mike Carter-USA TODAY Sports /
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Most likely scenario

You can break down the rest of Notre Dame’s schedule into five categories: Lock for a win, should win, toss-up, should lose and lock for a loss.

Duke is probably a should win. The Blue Devils aren’t that good this season but have had success in the past.

Syracuse is a lock for a win. I just can’t imagine a world in which the Orange beat the Irish. If they do, Brian Kelly should resign.

North Carolina State is a toss-up at this point. If it were at home, I’d shift this one to should win, but the Wolfpack have a strong passing game, ND has a weak secondary, and the Irish haven’t won a true road game since Virginia last season.

Stanford is a lock for a loss. Sorry, but the way the Irish are playing, it’s just true. The Cardinal are just too good.

Miami is a should lose, trending towards a lock. The Hurricanes have been playing phenomenally through three games this year and will most likely be in the ACC championship. Even at home, they’re a team the Irish should not look past.

Navy is a should win. If the Midshipmen still had their starting QB, Tago Smith, it might be a different story, but they’ve struggled to win without him and needed some last-minute heroics to beat UConn and Tulane.

Army is a toss-up. Not to read too much into early season results, but Army is for real. The Black Knights are 3-0 for the first time since 1996, and they have a run game that can match up against any team in the nation. In possibly the final Shamrock Series game ever, the hardest thing to watch might not be Notre Dame’s uniforms, but their feeble attempts to slow Army down.

Virginia Tech is a should win. The Hokies are talented and have a good QB in Jerod Taylor, but they just don’t have the complementary firepower or a strong enough defense to keep Kizer in check.

And lastly, USC is a toss-up. The Trojans have playmakers, no doubt, but they’re also a mess. Home-field advantage is all that’s making me think this is a toss-up, not a should win for ND.

So tallying all that up means Notre Dame will be somewhere between 8-4 and 5-7. The Irish will probably make a bowl game, but it’s not going to be a very good one. Brian Kelly will probably return for 2017 with the store of goodwill he’s built up over six years, but next season will definitely be a make-or-break one for him.

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