Notre Dame coach Brian Kelly has a must win game to start his career.

I know it sounds ridiculous, but the Irish American coach has such expectations heaped on his shoulders that if he fails to beat the boilermakers the sucking sound you will hear is the air going out of the millions of Irish fans who have been living for this day.

Kelly has been sold simply as the savior, a new touchdown Jesus who will lead the way to the promised land.

In all my years of watching Notre Dame I have never seen a coach arrived with such expectations.

Sure there was pressure on Lou Holtz and Charlie Weis, but in today's exploding media world, the hype about Kelly has reached record proportions.

I think he has broad enough shoulders to handle the hype and the talent to overcome them but unless he gets off to a winning start the naysayers will start their negative drum beat right away.

They will say he can't make the step up that he is out of his depth and a hundred other reasons to denigrate him.

Kelly does not need that. Notre Dame will lose games this season, but please not the first one!

Kelly has certainly made it clear that he expects to succeed and has made no bones about that fact. About 6.15 Eastern today we should know the answer



I predict the Irish 28-14.