What is with the increasingly smaller numbers that keep appearing next to Notre Dame's school name when I tune into broadcasts of Fighting Irish football?

The Irish have only occasionally had numbers next to their name the past several years, and when they have, they've almost always been double digits and begun with a "2." They're in single digits now, and if the Irish keep this up, they'll stay that way.

And these Irish, unlike so many teams in the past several years that have showed promise and flamed out, appear to have staying power. They're not reliant on a Brady Quinn to Jeff Samardzija connection clicking to win on a weekly basis. Instead, they're built around a defense that gives them a chance in every game.