Blue and Gold Illustrated

August 2016

Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football

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THE FIFTH QUARTER LOU SOMOGYI exacerbated when the schedule is so treacherous. Think of it this way: In Brian Kelly's six years at Notre Dame (2010‑15), not even Alabama's Nick Saban — today's version of Frank Leahy — has finished a regular sea‑ son undefeated. Notre Dame recruits well at a top‑10 to top‑15 level, but not at the elite magnitude Alabama currently does, or the Irish did from 1987‑90. Kelly is a proven, quality head coach, but not yet quite in the same category at this point as Holtz. We're aware that "taking on all comers" is part of the Notre Dame fabric. But even during the run to his first consensus national title in 1924, Knute Rockne began the nine‑ game regular season with Lombard and Wabash, and ended it with so‑so Northwestern and Carnegie Tech. As Lou Holtz liked to say, "The schedule wouldn't look so difficult if we were better." Yet one can't over‑ look that in 21 of the last 22 seasons Notre Dame suffered at least three losses (and five or more 12 times). Notre Dame's Catch‑22 is it needs to upgrade the schedule for College Football Playoff contention — yet the potential degree of difficulty is what might also keep it out of it. That's the chance that must be taken if one dares to be great. ✦ Senior Editor Lou Somogyi has been at Blue & Gold Illustrated since July 1985. He can be reached at lsomogyi@blueandgold.com 1-800-421-7751 • www.BlueGoldOnline.com NOTRE DAME SCRAPER MATS $69.95 + FREE S&H • Choice of Football or Camo Style Scraper Mats have nibs that scrape shoes clean of dirt, debris, and moisture so that your home stays clean. Debris is trapped below the walking surface. Clean up is a breeze — just use a hose. Mat features a high resolution image that won't fade! Textured backing keeps mat securely in place. (ITEM #6523)

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