I want ND to succeed as much as anyone. But the reality is that ND has looked bad on the big stage under Kelly.
They have had a few big wins to go along with some bad losses during the regular seasons. I was just as excited as you when we beat Clemson last year. But those are not the games fans in general remember. They remember the playoff games, the old BCS title games, the major bowl games. ND has played in playoff and title games three times under Kelly, as well as a NY6 game one other time. They have sh*t the bed each time!!
Lest we start another discussion about how ND is better under Kelly than they were before, and Kelly at least gets us there. There is no question that that is true. That wasn't the point of the thread.
College football fans have strong views about ND. There are many haters, as you mentioned. The blowout losses in the big postseason games gives them all the reason they need to diss ND whenever they get the chance. But even the non ND fans that have an admiration for what ND stands for, have to look at those results and think ND gets overrated.
I will root for Kelly for as long as he is the coach, and hope that it is different the next time. My original point stands; until ND shows more in the games that really matter, there will be questions about the ranking that ND deserves.