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Commentary: Brian Kelly Needs Eight Wins To Return As Coach in 2018

By Andrew Hall

SOUTH BEND, IN - OCTOBER 10: Head coach Brian Kelly of the Notre Dame Fighting Irish argues with a referee during a game against the Navy Midshipmen at Notre Dame Stadium on October 10, 2015 in South Bend, Indiana. (Photo by Jonathan Daniel/Getty Images)
SOUTH BEND, IN - OCTOBER 10: Head coach Brian Kelly of the Notre Dame Fighting Irish argues with a referee during a game against the Navy Midshipmen at Notre Dame Stadium on October 10, 2015 in South Bend, Indiana. (Photo by Jonathan Daniel/Getty Images) /
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Notre Dame Head Coach Brian Kelly needs 8 wins to return as the main man in 2018

Earlier this week, Slap the Sign published a breakdown of the number of wins that allow Notre Dame Head Coach Brian Kelly to return in 2018.

Many readers voted in poll posted on our Twitter page. 65% of voters believe that Brian Kelly needs 9 wins or more to remove him from the hot seat.

Although the question “How many wins will it take to cool that seat down?”, it is very similar to the question of: “How many wins does Kelly need to return in 2018?”

The concept of a number of wins is brought up frequently when a coach sits on the hot seat. However, how a team plays is much more important than the number of wins a coach ends up with. But, a number of wins is much more entertaining to discuss.

Kelly desperately needs 8 wins in the 2017 season. Based on the schedule, if Notre Dame plays well, they can beat 8 wins. More victories would truly be an achievement for the Fighting Irish. If they win 9 contests, they would need to beat one of Georgia, USC, Miami (FL) or Stanford.

Swing Games

If Notre Dame loses to all four of those teams, they still need to beat very strong opponents including Michigan State and NC State. Depending on the expert, many believe that NC State could battle for the ACC title this season. A victory against the Wolfpack is going to be hard to come by. Michigan State is currently an enigma. Mark Dantonio won double-digit games since 2010. Last year, the Spartans failed to become bowl eligible for the first time in his tenure at Michigan State. Suspensions and controversy riddled their off season.

Must Wins

Temple, Boston College, Miami (OH), North Carolina, Wake Forest and Navy represent the contests that Notre Dame absolutely must win. Losing to these opponents (as it would seem right now) would be a disaster on the same lines of when Notre Dame lost to Duke last season. It would indicate that the program is not headed in the right direction. Of course, these teams could be sleepers but it is not likely.

Marquee Victories

If the Irish take care of business in their “must wins” and “swing games”, they do not need victories against Georgia, USC, Miami (FL) or Stanford. However, if they are able to pick up a win or two in these four, Brian Kelly will completely remove himself from the hot seat.

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