Truthfully, the program hasn't exuded true confidence since Lou Holtz left

Bob Davie, Tyrone Willingham, Charlie Weis, and Brian Kelly.

That's a lot of trash coaches and a huge amount of time lost. And while I think we can certainly say MF is an elite recruiter, we don't have the strongest evidence that he is an elite coach, i.e., he's had accomplishments, but also his fair share of warts.

It's become a recurring joke that ND fans always think their program is "back" when, in fact, they're only seeing what they want to see in the Rorschach inkblot of the moment. The schedule has been dumbed down significantly over the years to make the program seem better than it really is, and we all saw the consequences of that in our game against BYU. You can line up a bunch of creampuffs to stat pad, but how will you perform when you eventually have to play against another heavyweight?

ND is a top program that commands the public's attention. And while they can and do have their moments, they're not a truly consistent force to be reckoned with. But then again, nowadays, who really is?