U.C. Needs Another Big Comeback, This Time To Keep Kelly

There have been bigger upsets, but this one would be along the lines of Joe Namath and the Jets beating the Colts in the Super Bowl. There have been bigger come from behind wins, the Bearcats erasing of a 21 point deficit at Pitt Saturday immediately comes to mind. Now the U.C. administration faces a similar deficit, and I'm not sure what they can do. Should the reports be true, Brian Kelly will meet with Notre Dame about the coaching position. That would make him the first to meet with them about filling the large leather chair Charlie Weis left behind. Believe me, if they had met with anyone else in the past week, we would hear about it. It's possible Stoops, Meyer, and others gave the Irish a big fat no through the back channels. But as far as anyone knows, Kelly is the first to sit down and listen to the Notre Dame pitch. That's a problem for U.C. Unless both parties are ultra-interested, it doesn't reach this point. Sure, there have been some times in the past where it's made it to this point and the candidate turned down the job. Guys have even accepted a position, then turned around a day later and went running back to their previous post. But I cannot believe Notre Dame would get to this point with Kelly if the Irish didn't think it was practically a lock that Kelly will take the job. No program wants to go through that embarrassment, especially Notre Dame given the string of missteps that program has made over the last 15 years. You know Notre Dame has reached out and taken the temperature of Kelly's interest. Apparently that interest in strong enough that Kelly would not guarantee he would be coaching in the Sugar Bowl. That's a shame, and a topic for another post. It's time for Mike Thomas to pull his best Tony Pike and Mardy Gilyard. But unlike Saturday in Pittsburgh, I think it's too late in the game for this comeback.

BTW, should Kelly go, then he goes. U.C. should find its man and start out with that guy coaching in the Sugar Bowl. As much as he has meant to the program, it is not the University of Brian Kelly. He doesn't get to call all of the shots. Cut the string and find your man. Plus it's a nice little plum to attract the new guy.