3 Observations
The best just might still be ahead for Brian Kelly as he prepares to sign an extension beyond the 2021 season.
Over the past three seasons, Notre Dame is 33-6, which is the fifth-best record among the 65 Power 5 Conference teams.
This is the first time the Irish have won 33 games over a three-year span since the 33-4 run from 1988-90. Now, that in itself doesn’t mean the current Fighting Irish are at a similar level as those Lou Holtz-led juggernauts.
The significant difference is those 1988-90 teams defeated 10 teams that finished in the AP Top 10, whereas the current three-year run has no such victories. That is why the Irish are still a strong Tier 2, Top-10 caliber operation instead of classified in the upper echelon like three decades ago.