Notre Dame doesn’t need a Sherpa. It has one.
Coach Brian Kelly knows exactly where he has the Irish on their ascent to the top of the college football world. He knows what he needs to get to the top. He knows the Irish aren’t there yet.
Notre Dame fans — not the ones in South Bend or South Brooklyn — don’t want to hear this. They want the glory days. They want it in a New York minute.
Kelly is going to get the Irish back to a BCS bowl game, possibly as soon as next season but definitely in 2012. You can book it.
For now, Sherpa Kelly is focused on the next step, and that’s beating Navy on Saturday. This is a tough step.
The days of winning 43 straight over the Middies are over. Navy is better; Notre Dame is worse.
Consider that Navy is seventh in the nation in turnover margin. Notre Dame is 57th in that crucial category.
Consider that Navy is 22nd in scoring defense. Notre Dame is 53rd.
Consider that Navy is ninth in rushing offense. Notre Dame is, gulp, 97th.
Does that mean Navy, which has won two of the last three, will win on Saturday? No.
It means the Middies, with a terrific senior quarterback in Ricky Dobbs, have a team and a system that can give Notre Dame fits. It means that seven points is an awful lot considering the last three games have been decided by a total of 10 points.
“There is a great deal of tradition,” Kelly said of this rivalry. “There is a ton of respect, a lot of [good] games in the last couple of years.
“For us to think about any game other than a great opportunity for a win is not being realistic,” Kelly added. “So our focus is trying to get another win against a team that really derailed their season last year. I know they remember that.”
Last year, the Middies won 23-21. They believe they can win this year. Their only losses are to Maryland and Air Force by a total of five points.
This game is at New Meadowlands Stadium. There will be thousands of Notre Dame Subway alums. There will be thousands of Navy fans. There will no home-field advantage.
The Irish are playing better of late, having won three straight. But they are battered. Tight end Kyle Rudolph is done for the season with a hamstring injury. At wide receiver, Theo Riddick is out with an ankle injury and Michael Floyd is planning to play with a hamstring injury. Running back Armando Allen has a hip flexor injury.
Sherpa Kelly knows he faces an uphill battle.
“We’re not experienced enough in winning so many games that we can go, ‘Hey, I got this, I know how to get up here,’ ” Kelly said. “The further you go up, it gets more treacherous. This group is really learning their way up the hill.”
Take the Middies and seven.
TONIGHT
OREGON (-24) over Ucla: The nation’s highest-scoring offense gets a chance to show off on national TV against the nation’s 68th scoring defense. Heisman push for LaMichael James.
TOMORROW
CINCINNATI (-7½) over South Florida: Have you seen the Bulls’ offense? Neither have I.
SATURDAY
MINNESOTA (+9½) over Penn State: The Golden Gophers just fired their coach, which means the players are auditioning for interim coach Jeff Horton.
NORTHWESTERN (+5) over Michigan State: Noon start, homecoming at Northwestern and the Spartans are looking ahead to next week’s game against Iowa.
Rutgers (+12½) over
PITTSBURGH: No telling how the emotion over the terrible injury to teammate Eric LeGrand will affect the Scarlet Knights, but their defense should hold down the Panthers.
WEST VIRGINIA (-14) over Syracuse: The Mountaineers have won eight straight and have the Big East’s best defense.
Wisconsin (+5½) over IOWA: Big Ten elimination game. The Badgers are sky high after upset of Ohio State are due to be flipped, but the points are too good.
OKLAHOMA STATE (+5½) over Nebraska: It’s T. Boone Pickens vs. War ren Buffett in the Battle of the Billionaires. Take the home team and the points.
AUBURN (-6) over Louisiana State: LSU has won 5-of-7 by six or less. Auburn QB Cameron Newton has garnered all the attention; time for the defense to get some love.
Alabama (-16½) over TENNESSEE: The Vols could be the worst team in the SEC, and ‘Bama coach Nick Saban is livid over the BCS standings.
MIAMI (-6½) over North Carolina: Butch Davis modeled this Tar Heels team on his former Miami teams: speed and depth. He has the speed; not the depth, after those NCAA penalties.
Oklahoma (-3) over
MISSOURI: The Tigers haven’t beaten a team with more than four wins. They are frauds.
Air Force (+18½) over TCU: Air Force has the perfect offense to keep TCU’s offense off the field.
ARIZONA (-6½) over
Washington: The Huskies suffer dreaded letdown game after their overtime win last week against Oregon State.
BEST BETS: Oregon, Arizona, Oklahoma.
LAST WEEK: 7-8 overall, 1-2 Best Bets.