Are 10-win seasons the new norm for Notre Dame football?

After three straight 10-win seasons, it appears that this might be the new floor for the Notre Dame football team. Can fans come to expect 10 wins annually?

Following a disastrous 2016 campaign that left Notre Dame with a 4-8 record, Brian Kelly and Co. have put together three straight 10-win seasons. If you told any logical person that the program would turn around in that manner after all that went down in 2016, they’d tell you you’re crazy.

But — we’re here.

It may have taken a season like 2016 for Brian Kelly to truly re-evaluate his program at Notre Dame. After 2016, Kelly changed his coordinators and also changed his demeanor on the sidelines —  towards his players and towards the media.

In the past, Kelly was known for his red-faced rants on the sidelines, yelling at other coaches, referees, players or all of the above. You hardly see that anymore from Kelly.

That was a rough overview of the vast changes Kelly made to the Notre Dame football program, but they’re very real and are the reason why Notre Dame is in the position it is in now.

For example, this season was considered a disappointment in many people’s eyes, but others remember just how bad Notre Dame football was before the Kelly era. Those people remember dreaming of 10-win seasons, but thinking it likely wouldn’t happen.

Well, it seems like the Notre Dame staff and fans alike have come to expect 10+ wins, and that’s the way it should be.

For the fans that were left disappointed after dropping games on the road to Georgia and Michigan — I get it.

Kind of.

Of course those losses were tough to watch — especially Michigan — and fans would’ve loved to see their team win ‘the big one’. Of course you would. The Irish have struggled to do that for years.

However, it is important to see the improvement in the team, the coaching and the overall success of the program. It seems as if the days of “Notre Dame always plays down to its competition” and “Notre Dame can never blow out teams it should” are gone.

Improvement.

I do understand how immensely frustrating it is to see the Irish lose the big games constantly.

The team is getting there and will win the big game soon, especially with how well it is recruiting. The 2020 and 2021 recruiting classes for Notre Dame have been the best in recent history, and it doesn’t look like that momentum is stopping anytime soon.

The future is bright, Irish fans, and it does appear 10 wins can be expected year-in and year-out.

Can Notre Dame get back to the College Football Playoff and eventually win a national title?

The coming years will tell.

PS – The Tyler Buchner era is coming QUICKLY. It’s going to be awesome.