In two of the last three seasons, Notre Dame has made the College Football Playoffs. It’s been an impressive feat, but what the Irish haven’t done in those two trips in the sports biggest stage has been coming away with a win. Both games resulted in losses for Brian Kelly’s teams, but getting to that point in the season is still the envy of many collegiate programs.

Today, ESPN’s Bill Connelly (insider) deep dived into some analytics to try and figure out which program could be the next Clemson, a good football team that has had a baseline to get to the elite level by breaking through and winning a championship.

What Connelly saw that separated the Tigers was their ability to make the “key-plays” which brought about their breakthrough. Of the other teams that he considered for the breakout candidacy, only Georgia made more key plays than the Irish.

It shouldn’t come as a surprise that the Bulldogs were the first school on Connelly’s list, but right behind them? You guessed it, Notre Dame. Both schools have had issues with quarterback play, although it seems like Kirby Smart’s Bulldogs have found their answer in USC transfer JT Daniels.

Clemson broke through because it had elite quarterback play on top of all the other positive traits; Wisconsin transfer Jack Coan could potentially play at an Ian Book level, but Book wasn’t Watson either. Is incoming freshman Tyler Buchner? Redshirt freshman Drew Pyne? That might be all that’s missing, but its quite the important piece.

The Notre Dame rise to college football’s elite resides with one position group, quarterbacks. Kelly has recruited many other key positions well enough to get to the brink of breaking through, but the most important position on the field has held them back.

That was a key point made after the most recent CFP loss to Alabama, the signal callers. We all loved what Book brought to the table but he wasn’t a game-breaker. The defense held the Crimson Tide to it’s lowest output of the season.

The Irish are close, really close to making the leap into the upper-echelon of the sport. We’re not the only ones that think so and with improved quarterback play, Notre Dame can get there.