The last time Notre Dame started a season this poorly, it finished the season 3-9. That was back in 2007 when the Irish started the season 0-5 after finishing 10-3 the previous year. The 2016 Irish are now 1-3 following last year's 10-3 record.
At least the Irish have one win already?
It's hard to say how bad things could get for Notre Dame over the rest of the season, but it's clear Brian Kelly's team has some very big problems. Duke racked up 498 yards of offense in South Bend on Saturday, meaning the Blue Devils came up just two yards short of being the third team in only four games to reach at least the 500-yard mark against the Irish this year.
The Notre Dame defense has now allowed 454 yards and 33.5 points per game. In its three losses, those numbers rise to 505.3 yards and 41.3 points per game.
This is not some kind of fluke that can be easily corrected.
Losing to Texas in overtime in the first game of the season could be written off as coming up short against a good team on the road. Losing to Michigan State last week didn't look that horrible, either, at least not before Michigan State lost 30-6 at home against Wisconsin earlier on Saturday.
Now Notre Dame can add a loss to Duke to its resume. A Duke team that was a 21-point underdog coming into the game. The last time Notre Dame suffered an upset this large was when it was also a 21-point favorite against Air Force back in 1996.
They say you are what your record is, and this Notre Dame team isn't showing any signs of proving them wrong. This is a 1-3 team, and I don't know how much better it's going to get.
