The first decade of the 2000’s is drawing to an end, and that’s not such a bad thing for Notre Dame. Because there hasn’t been a lot of winning so far. The beginning of the new Millenia has been rather sad for the Irish, and these are the 5 biggest disappointments:

5.) The entire 2007 season. To watch Notre Dame in ‘07 was to watch a team struggle to cross the goal line. Just once. They got blown away in almost every game, and lost to Navy for the first time in a lifetime. The only reason the season wasn’t more of a letdown was that we knew early on that the team would be about as successful as white rappers, and expectations were never very high.

4.) Sam Young. He could have starred on Baywatch, ‘cuz Pam Anderson’s bust has nothing on this bust (I got mad bad jokes, son.). Even though he was Florida’s Mr. Football, and a top 5 recruit, Young will be best remembered for perfecting his “brush off the jersey” technique and he picked Jimmy Clausen up off the ground after he had been knocked down yet again.

3.) BCS beatdowns. Following the 2000, 2005, and 2006 seasons where we thought Notre Dame was starting to ascend up the ranks of the elite, the Irish got whacked by more aggressive, and far more athletic teams in BCS bowl games. Oregon State, Ohio State, and LSU all looked like Usain Bolt, and Notre Dame looked like a chubby kid running on the Nintendo Power Pad.

2.) Overtime loss to Nebraska in 2000. Julius Jones and Joey Getherall sparked some Notre Dame magic by returning kicks to put the barely ranked Irish on the verge of upsetting the #1 team in the nation. But, the Irish played for overtime, and Eric Crouch dashed golden dreams by turning the corner on the option, leading the Cornhuskers to victory, and keeping “Big Red” perched on college football’s thrown.

1.) Notre Dame versus USC 2005. SC was in the midst of a 34 game win streak, and thought to be one of the best college football teams ever. Brady Quinn spotted the Irish a 31-28 lead with just a few minutes remaining. The Irish had USC dead with a 4th and 9 in their own territory, but Matt Leinart completes a “go” route over Ambrose Wooden’s Stretch Armstrong pose by the width of hair to Dwayne Jarret for a 61 yard gain. The stage is set for the “Bush Push”, and the breaking of Irish hearts.

I’m a silly fan.

So are you.

We like to act like we know what we’re talking about-but we don’t have the answers at all.

We make statements like:

“Notre Dame needs a bigger name than Brian Kelly-someone who has won a championship at the highest level.”

“Brian Kelly needs to make a splash of a hire for his assistant coaches.”

“Brian Kelly needs to keep his “RKG” approach that he used at UC.”

“Brian Kelly needs to start recruiting 5* players.”

“Motivation has been Notre Dame’s problem.”

“Notre Dame players have been under-developed.”

“Notre Dame will have trouble recruiting due to academics”. (I have repeated this sentiment many times.)

We make grandiose statements that back up our opinions (and we all have different opinions), and the truth is we would have a better chance to find the answers to ND’s problems in the bottom of a Crack Jack Box than from our own “extensive” knowledge of how a football program is built.

Just some food for thought.

Bon Appetit.

So…Notre Dame hasn’t won a national championship since 1988.

That’s 21 years.

The High School seniors the Irish are recruiting weren’t even born yet.

Steve Guttenburg was actually a star.

Unbelievable. (With all that tradition, and plenty of resource$ to boot.)

So…all marketers are liars (ask Seth Godin).

And their newest lie?

Eating Taco Bell can turn a fatty into a borderline model (hot, hot, hot). It is a new ad campaign to excite/enrage the masses.

Unbelievable.

But, which of these crazy stories is more unbelievable?

Beano Cook would say Notre Dame (”I can’t believe with all the material they get, that ND hasn’t won a title since ‘88″).

Unfortunately, Beano is old and stuck in the past. What he believes hasn’t been true for some time (Notre Dame hasn’t been what they once were).

Can Brian Kelly turn it around, and restore Notre Dame to that level again?

It’s a question I can’t wait to be answered.