I take all the points about the weak teams and the randomness of college football made below. But as a myopic ND fan the most notable thing about this year's team is that it is not as good as last years and a few others Kelly has fielded.

All I read about the linebackers is that they lack explosivity and are almost too hurt to play. We're down to Kevin Austin and a couple freshmen at receiver. Our OL is as weak as it's been since before Zack Martin. Our quarterback is streaky at best and our secondary lost its once a generation safety and is the same perpetual liability.

I've watched a fluky 12-0 team get blown out by Bama, and I did not like it. I've seen us go from competitive to getting run off the field with a Julian Love injury. Everything about this year's team tells me that that's who we are again. Last year, we had a lot of talent and had to feel good about a respectable 17 point loss.

All that in context, 95% of college football would love to have Notre Dame's weaknesses, but we're talking about competing with the 1%. Looking only at us and not who else is out there, I can't in good conscience argue we deserve a precious playoff spot, but hey maybe everyone is not that good.