Brian Kelly Deserves Some Respect

Notre Dame head coach Brian Kelly has built the Irish program into one of the very best in college football

Notre Dame fans, myself included, expect a lot from the football program. This is not a debate. We are - thanks to the history of the program, the money spent, and the money generated - an entitled bunch.

Because of that, we are often overly critical of our players and coaches. The most recent example of that was the rollercoaster treatment of Ian Book. He was somehow a polarizing figure at Notre Dame, despite leading the Irish to two College Football Playoff berths during his tenure and finishing with more wins than any quarterback in the program's legendary history.

He never got the respect he deserved - nationally or by Notre Dame fans.

As it stands, you could make the argument that the same is the case for head coach Brian Kelly.

We all know that Kelly is not the most likable guy, but he has worked on that, and he has improved his entire approach and demeanor with the players, fans and media. That may not seem like a big deal, but it does matter. Just ask Nebraska, who fired Bo Pelini - a consistent winner - seven years ago because of his personality.

The program hasn't been on the right side of relevance since.

Kelly's personality aside, here are some facts:

- Kelly took over a program that had won 10 or more games in a season 5 times in the previous 20 years. Notre Dame has now won 10 or more games 5 times in the last six years.

- Only 5 programs have made the College Football Playoff more than once since its inception: Alabama (6), Clemson (6), Ohio State (4), Oklahoma (4) and Notre Dame (2).

During Kelly's tenure, Notre Dame has asserted itself as one of the top six college football programs in the country. They are a blue blood, and they are performing like a blue blood year in, year out.

Think about this: USC, Texas, Michigan, Florida State, Miami, Nebraska and Tennessee are all programs that consider themselves blue bloods. During Kelly's tenure at Notre Dame, only one of those programs - Florida State - has ever been a serious national title contender, and that was under a coach who is no longer employed there. During Kelly's Notre Dame tenure, those seven schools have had a total of 24 coaches roaming the sidelines, trying to return those programs to prominence, and failing to do so.

Winning college football games is hard. Winning enough college football games to consistently be a top ten program is harder. Winning enough games to consistently be a College Football Playoff contender in today's game makes you elite.

Brian Kelly is elite, and it's time that Notre Dame fans and the rest of the nation start viewing him that way, starting Sunday night in Tallahassee. 

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