In the past two weeks or so, these things have happened:

Notre Dame lost to rival USC, 45-27, to finish 4-8, about a month after head coach Brian Kelly expressed displeasure with his athletic director publicly promising stability.

Backup QB Malik Zaire, who flashed promise for three years, announced his transfer, with multiple Power 5 teams reportedly interested.

Starting QB DeShone Kizer declared for the NFL draft. While not a surprise, since he's likely a first-rounder, that does mean the 2017 starting job will go to someone with no more than five career throws.

Offensive coordinator Mike Sanford, a widely respected coach, is reportedly taking Western Kentucky's head coaching job. Notre Dame was already in the process of replacing DC Brian VanGorder, who was fired midseason.

That's kind of a lot, especially for a team in such a high-pressure setting. However, there are more reasons for hope than it might seem.

Notre Dame was far better than its (deeply amusing) record suggests, losing only one game by more than a single score. The Irish ranked No. 25 in S&P+, No. 51 in SRS, and No. 56 in Sagarin ratings, and while fans don't have any reason to celebrate computer rankings, there's still a sign that this season could've gone much differently.

differently. That QB who's thrown five career passes is rising redshirt sophomore Brandon Wimbush, a former four-star profiled here as a recruit. No QB is a guarantee, not even a blue-chip, but that's about as good a fresh start as you can hope for. His teammates vouch for him. Kizer was solid overall, ranking No. 26 in passer rating against FBS teams after ranking No. 19 a year earlier, but didn't offer irreplaceable production.

We'll see where Kelly turns to replace Sanford, but the defensive coordinator search could land on Wake Forest's Mike Elko, whose recent defenses have greatly overachieved, ranking No. 28 in S&P+ this year.

Fresh starts can be good. They're rarely good in and of themselves. And fans can talk themselves into anything over the course of a long offseason. Still, a team that's recruited this well and only loses a handful of starters on either side should be able to bounce back, with two good hires and a plan at QB.

(Whether it bounces back enough for Kelly and the Irish to stick together through 2017 might be another story.)

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