The desert heat is the perfect thing to help fight a cold, so I’m regretting even more the fact I can’t go. But I soldier on with the Irish Blogger Gathering, muscling through the Nyquil fog and sharing my opinions with the masses. My fellow participants asked their usual questions of me, and their answers to my questions (found at the close of the article) can be seen via the links in my answers to them. Achoo.

Frank Vitovich, UHND: Notre Dame has not been strong the week following Navy under Brian Kelly and at the end of the Charlie Weis Era. Why have the Irish struggled the following week and what can Brian Kelly and his staff do to prevent a similar outcome this weekend against the #12 ranked Sun Devils?

I don’t put a lot of stock in the “Navy hangover” philosophy. I think the 2012 game against Purdue had a lot more to do with jet lag than it did Navy. The other seasons had ND teams that lost three or more games overall, so the fact that they struggled the week after Navy really isn’t any different than any of their other struggles during those seasons, to me. When you’re not a very good or disciplined team, it’s hard to attribute individual game problems to some kind of overarching issue when it’s much more likely to be the team’s overall shortcomings.

Ryan Ritter, Her Loyal Sons: Based on how the rankings this week, do you feel any differently about a too-close-for comfort win against Navy or, for that matter, playing Navy to begin with?

My feelings haven’t changed — I have no issue playing Navy, and think we should have played better last Saturday in the second half than we did. The foot came up off the throat and Navy got back in the game.

I’ve heard all the commentary about blocking style and injuries. While it’s not optimal, it’s also something I believe is tied closely to their current coach. Coaches don’t last forever. I also think if Navy hadn’t won three out of four games a couple years ago and we were still working on a major win streak, no one would be irritated about the series.

Josh Vowles, Subway Domer: With some bad officiating and some head scratching poll results, Notre Dame is sitting at #10 in a season that has seen a wide amount of injuries and suspensions for the Irish. Brian Kelly has played his part with an incredible amount of calmness. So, When is BK just going to snap? If you don’t think he will, sell me on Stoic BK.

I don’t think he will. We’ve seen a lot of growth in Brian Kelly since the purple face days. When you see him talking to his players, even if he’s correcting them and raising his voice, he looks in control. He looks like he’s teaching and not screaming. If he can look that way during a roller-coaster season last year, I don’t see him having a problem during a good season like this one.

Aaron Horvath, Fighting Irish Athletics: With Joe Schmidt out for the foreseeable future, here is a random question. Who is the most indispensable student-athlete on both the offensive and defensive sides of the ball? Why?

On offense, if we’ve learned anything this season and last, it’s the value of Everett Golson. That should be a no-brainer pick. He’s the engine that makes the offense go. Tarean Folston could be hurt or we could lose Will Fuller, and we’d likely not see a significant downgrade on offense. Golson’s a tough out if he can’t go.

Defensively, I give the nod to Cody Riggs. He’s the voice of experience in a young backfield, and I think his presence has gone a long way in Cole Luke’s development. Knowing you’ve got a veteran like Riggs available gives the front seven confidence. With KeiVarae Russell unavailable, Riggs’ presence becomes all the more important. He makes Brian Van Gorder the mad 70’s scientist that he is.

Now, riddle me this:

If ND wins out, do you believe they’ll get a fair shot at a playoff berth? Why or why not?