Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/200019
murphy's Law dan murphy C Head coach Brian Kelly's Notre Dame team has been picked as the favorite 19 times since the 2011 loss to USC, and has won all 19 of those games. photo by Bill Panzica Taking Care Of Business ollege football's most endearing quality is its propensity for upsets. They happen every year, nearly every week, and nothing's better than seeing one unfold in front of your eyes. That is unless you're a head coach. Ask Charlie Weis. The former Irish head coach once told fans that he was done losing to the underdog. Gone are the days, he said, of Notre Dame coming up short against the Pittsburghs and Purdues of the world. Then he lost twice to Pittsburgh (and Navy, Syracuse and UConn at home). And then gone were the days of Charlie Weis. Brian Kelly arrived intent on scrubbing the residue of a losing mentality from Notre Dame's locker room. It took some time for his message to take root, but it appears he's done it. The first step to building a consistent program is winning the games you're supposed to win. Notre Dame's 45-10 dismantling of Air Force in Colorado made it more than two years since the Irish have been on the wrong end of an upset. It was Oct. 22, 2011, when rival USC — a 9.5-point underdog — ruined what was supposed to be a benchmark night for Kelly's program. There were rally towels, and lights and shiny helmets — and then there was a Notre Dame team that couldn't take care of business. In 27 games since that USC loss the Irish have been favored to win 19 times.