Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/1426496
www.BLUEANDGOLD.com NOV. 13, 2021 11 UNDER THE DOME Head coach Brian Kelly expects junior safety Kyle Hamil- ton to play for Notre Dame again in 2021. Hamilton is progressing in well in his recovery from his knee injury suffered against USC Oct. 23, Kelly said, but not to the point of returning versus Navy Nov. 6. He did not practice at all during the week leading into the game. With each week he misses, though, it's harder not to pon- der the possibility Hamilton might have played his final college game, even if that's not Kelly's current expectation. Hamilton is draft-eligible and is viewed as a potential top- five NFL pick. His professional future is part of the discussion, too. It would be irresponsible not to consider the potential draft and financial ramifications when weighing a decision to return. That decision will be Hamilton's, Kelly said. "Those aren't easy decisions," Kelly said. "He will lean on his family. We have an outside source we bring in that evaluates all our players. He has a chance to listen to all that information. "Kyle will make the right decision and do what's right for him. We're assuming everything goes right with his knee. If that's the case, he will have all the information in front of him. We'll support him 100 percent, whatever it is." On the recovery front, Hamilton received a second treat- ment on his knee Nov. 1. A return for the Nov. 13 trip to Virginia is still a possibility. "He has made really good progress," Kelly said. "He will be evaluated next week [Nov. 8] as to whether he is in position to return for the Virginia game." — Patrick Engel Hamilton has not played since injuring his knee in the first quarter of Notre Dame's 31-16 win against USC Oct. 23. PHOTO BY CHAD WEAVER It's the first week of November. Notre Dame still has four regular-season games left to play. Subsequently, head coach Brian Kelly isn't too concerned about where the Fighting Irish landed in the first set of the College Football Playoff rankings. But he at least offered a short opinion on Notre Dame's position at No. 10. "I think I was a little surprised, quite frankly, that we were as low as we were and that Cincin- nati was as low," Kelly said, "but nothing that I lost any sleep over because it's the first week." The lone blemish on the Irish's 7-1 record as of the rankings' release, of course, was a 24-13 home loss to Cincinnati Oct. 2. The Bearcats (8-0 entering Week 10) have been ranked No. 2 in the Associated Press poll for three straight weeks but checked in at No. 6 behind three one-loss teams (Alabama, Oregon and Ohio State) in the first CFP rankings. Both Notre Dame and Cincinnati thus have an uphill climb to reach the CFP. Yes, it's early. But both teams are on the outside looking in, and there isn't room in the top four for both. As it stands, there's not any room for either of them. That has much to do with the respective schedules they've played and results against in- ferior foes. Cincinnati beat a one-win Navy team at the time by a touchdown. Notre Dame needed over- time to beat Florida State, a last-minute drive to beat Toledo and 11 unanswered points in the final four minutes to beat Virginia Tech. Cincinnati and Notre Dame only have one win apiece over teams currently ranked in the CFP rankings. Cincinnati's came against Notre Dame. Notre Dame's came versus three-loss Wisconsin (No. 21). Neither team has an opponent ranked in the CFP rankings left on its regular-season slate. Then there's the dynamic between the two teams themselves. If Cincinnati loses at some point, does a one-loss Irish team slip by a one- loss Bearcats team in the rankings even though the latter beat the former in a hostile envi- ronment? How much would Notre Dame be restricted from upward movement for losing at home to a Group of Five team that couldn't run its own table? Kelly said he isn't concerned about any of that just yet. He just knows to expect change, based on his prior experience. " There is so much more movement that is going to occur," Kelly said. During his press conference Nov. 4, Kelly thought back to 2012 when his Irish were ranked No. 5 in the BCS standings at the halfway point of the season. He recalled having "virtually no path" to the national title game with unbeaten Power Five programs Florida, Oregon and Kansas State standing in the way. Five weeks later, the Irish were 11-0 and ranked No. 1 in the country. A lot can happen in the next five weeks, too, but again — Kelly and company can only do one thing to help the cause: win. That's why he didn't discuss the rankings with his team this week and likely won't for the rest of the regular season. Everyone knows where the Irish stand now. But all that matters is where they stand a month from now. If that's in the top four, then it'll be the third time in the last four years Notre Dame has made the CFP. If it's just outside, then it wouldn't have been for a lack of trying. "A lot of these guys have been through it before and know it's the first ranking and there is a lot of football left," Kelly said. — Tyler Horka BRIAN KELLY 'SURPRISED' BUT NOT BOTHERED BY NOTRE DAME'S FIRST PLAYOFF RANKING Brian Kelly Believes Kyle Hamilton Will Play Again This Season