Notre Dame has started 6-0 three times under Brian Kelly. But the Irish have been 7-0 only once, in 2012.
So the question arose Sunday: Does this undefeated team feel like that one?
"It's such a different club," Kelly said. "It was constructed differently. (The 2012 team) was largely put together on the backs of a great defense and ball-control offense and slugging it out to the very end. Small ball, if you will. We won some very, very close games."
The 2012 Irish allowed only 10.3 points per game before getting throttled by Alabama in the BCS title game. The Irish offense surpassed 30 points just three times.
This team's offense has been transformed under quarterback Ian Book, averaging 46.3 points in victories over Wake Forest, Stanford and Virginia Tech.
"The similarities," Kelly said, "are that they know how to win and (know) the things you have to do in terms of week-to-week preparation."
The 2012 team beat Stanford in its sixth game _ its third victory over a ranked team. This 6-0 Irish squad beat Virginia Tech 45-23, also its third win over a ranked team.
The 2012 team still had to win at No. 8 Oklahoma _ and seal the deal at USC. This team has no currently ranked teams left on its schedule, with Florida State losing Saturday for the third time.
Again the Trojans, playing at home, will get a final say on Notre Dame's regular season.
Kelly said his 2012 team was exceptionally mature with the likes of Zack Martin, Theo Riddick, Tyler Eifert and, of course, Manti Te'o.
"That was a very professional, older, veteran group," he said. "Not that this is a non-veteran group, but you know, we signed 27 players in our last (recruiting) class and 15 of them were on this (Virginia Tech) trip. This is a younger group that is a little bit looser."
Does Kelly like having a loose group?
"As long as they do their job," he said, "I have no problem with having to listen to music that I'm not very familiar with. I can adapt."
