Raising the bar

Irish Insights

From the wire: Kelly says Golson, Vanderdoes both accountable

BRIDGMAN, Mich. – Coach Brian Kelly says Notre Dame quarterback Everett Golson and UCLA defensive lineman Eddie Vanderdoes won't be playing college football this fall for the same reason: accountability.Wednesday

New date set for Notre Dame's 2014 game at Arizona State

Arizona State announced Tuesday that it reached an agreement with Notre Dame to keep the football teams' game in Tempe, Ariz., on the schedule in 2014.June 11, 2013

Irish score big in the classroom again

Notre Dame was tops among Football Bowl Subdivision schools with 12 teams earning perfect 1,000 scores in the Academic Progress Rate statistics that the NCAA released Tuesday.June 11, 2013

FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. – Brian Kelly aspired to end Notre Dame's 25-year title drought when he arrived on campus three years ago.

With No. 1 Notre Dame (12-0) on the door step of winning the BCS championship – the Irish play No. 2 Alabama (12-1) Monday night in the title game – Kelly said just reaching the season's final game has raised the bar for the program to a championship-or-bust mentality from here on out.

"Playing in this game is an incredible springboard into the next season, because as I just mentioned, you set a goal, you set a bar," Kelly said during the final BCS coaches news conference Sunday. "They've already been here. You come back the next year, it's unacceptable for a standard to be any less than being back here again. So it's an incredible springboard.

"When I was playing for championships at the Division II level (at Grand Valley State), it just changes everything when you walk into that building on a day-to-day basis. Everybody is playing for championships. So this will be a great springboard in making sure that we get back to this game."