Notre Dame Football's 2014 season...One game to go, is it a disappointment?

Hey folks, it's Potsy, and I'm going to talk about something we haven't discussed on the show at all this year, which is one of my favorite things, Notre Dame Football. The Turd isn't exactly a sports fan, so we haven't discussed it, but since I'm passionate about it, I figured it's important to give a rundown of how the season has gone, and are they better or worse than I expected them to be this season.

Let's quickly touch upon where this team was before the season began. Everett Golson was coming back from suspension, and Malik Zaire looked good in the spring, causing people to think we may see the sophomore press for game time. That has not proved to be the case, and Golson has started every game, while Zaire has seen very limited time, though he did get snaps in the first two games of the season, he still has not attempted a pass. Five players were suspended for academic fraud, and of those five, only Eilar Hardy has been allowed back on the field this season, though no one has admitted they were suspended for the rest of the season, leading us to believe they are red-shirted.

After 6 games, the Irish were #5 in the rankings, and 6-0, and looked like the sky was the limit. That was until the Irish got their first real test of the year, Florida State University, led by their crab leg stealing, mouth running, referee pushing, possible point shaving, illegal autograph signing, and maybe sexually assaulting, Heisman Trophy winner, Jameis Winston (that covered it all, right?). Losing the game on a "was it or was it not a penalty" call, the Irish gave Florida State everything it could handle, but it was the "start of the downfall."

Since starting 6-0, ND has lost 4 of 5, and sits at 7-4, on a team that has only three seniors playing on it. So is the year disappointing?  Sure, but let's look at some of this.

How many other teams could lose a potential All-American to suspension, as well as 3 other starters and even get to 6-0?  Brian Kelly has coached his team to a level that is just amazing to see, especially considering how young they are. They have growing pains, but this team has so much young talent on it, that next year, everything bad we see from kids that were 6 months  removed from prom night will be the learning on the job that we all go through.

Maturation of these prodigies will push them further next season.

Losing Joe Schmidt, a former walk on that is more RUDY than Rudy (you've seen the movie and probably cried at the end), to a bad leg injury devastated this defense, that they now have to throw a true freshman in the position is showing, and the mistakes are piling up.

They are the tale of two teams. With one week to go, they need to beat USC to match my pre-season prediction of 8-4, and 9-4 with a bowl victory, because as a realistic fan, I looked at what they were facing and saw this schedule being difficult on anyone. Finishing 7-5 but being competitive in every game is realistic, now, and yes, disappointing, but the future is bright on the gold helmets, especially if they can remain competitive on the recruiting trail.

Now if only we could get NBC football to STOP showing Doug Flutie Boston College highlights on their already pitiful football coverage, and start showing WHY kids who watch the games will want to go to school and play for this historic team, with more Heisman winners than anyone else, maybe we can start seeing the elite recruits say, "I want to play in Prime Time. I want to be on TV EVERY week...I want to wear Under Armour and get a great education..." Then, we will see a true return to prominence.

Notre Dame Football has been competitive with every team, the offense when clicking has been fun to watch, but the fumbles, the interceptions, and the defense getting decimated by injuries put this team in a solid building for the future, but this season has been disappointing. I'd love to see them close out with a win against USC, however.