Notre Dame has right guy on sideline

Using profanity can be an effective way to get a point across. As his face turns bright red and his head appears ready to explode, Notre Dame coach Brian Kelly tends to scream (expletive) at his quarterback.

It's not a big deal to me, but some more sensitive people think maybe Kelly should be fired if he fails to clean up his foul language. It's also possible those sensitive people were just upset the Fighting Irish lost a home game to South Florida.

Kelly explained he was "extremely frustrated" and promised to behave better on the sideline. With Notre Dame at 0-2, a few lunatics suggested Kelly was on the hot seat.

But I'll swear Kelly is the right coach to get the Irish turned around, and it will be evident to everyone eventually.

"I don't think Notre Dame has been a disappointment," SportsMemo.com handicapper Erin Rynning said. "It was a good sign that being 0-2, they came back and dominated Michigan State. Quite honestly, I think Notre Dame has been impressive, but they just don't have the record to show for it."

Kelly quickly admitted a mistake by switching quarterbacks midway through the season opener, and signs point to Tommy Rees turning the Irish offense into a higher-scoring attack heading into Saturday's game at Pittsburgh.

It helps Rees that he can throw to Michael Floyd, who has 31 catches in three games and might be the best wide receiver in college football. Expect those two to connect on a Panthers defense ranked 119th of 120 teams in the nation against the pass.

Moving the ball won't be a problem for Notre Dame, but committing turnovers (10 in the first two games) and defensive breakdowns in the secondary are issues Kelly must get cleaned up. The Irish allowed four touchdowns during a fourth-quarter implosion at Michigan before the defense reappeared last week in a 31-13 victory over Michigan State.

Two of Notre Dame's three games went under the total, but Rynning said it won't be a surprise if scoring starts to soar in Irish games.

"I still think Notre Dame can be an 'over' team," Rynning said. "Remember, this is Brian Kelly, and at Cincinnati he was all offense and no defense. Notre Dame is a team that can score, and the pass will give Pittsburgh a lot of problems."

The Irish are favored by 6½ points over the Panthers, up from the opening number of 3½, and Rynning lined the game at 6.4 points and the total at 56. The current total is 53½ to 54.

First-year Pittsburgh coach Todd Graham is looking to develop an explosive offense, but he doesn't have a quarterback to pull the trigger on it and is relying on Ray Graham, who is fifth in the nation in rushing, to carry the load.

I'm 3-0 against the spread on Notre Dame games, but this one is tough to call and there's not much value in laying the points. I'll play the favorite on a money-line parlay and expect Kelly to even his record at 2-2 as he starts to put together a winning streak.

I had high expectations for the Irish, writing in August they should win nine or 10 regular-season games and go over their total of 8½. I still think they can win nine, though eight looks more likely.

Notre Dame-Michigan might have produced the most exciting finish we see all season. Rynning said the Wolverines, 3-0 and obviously improved under coach Brady Hoke, could wind up in another struggle as 10-point favorites over San Diego State, Hoke's former team.

"It's a big game for San Diego State and kind of a tricky game for Michigan," Rynning said. "I think Michigan could be a little vulnerable."

Two games in the Pac-12 Conference should reveal a lot about coaches on legitimately hot seats, Arizona State's Dennis Erickson and UCLA's Rick Neuheisel.

The Sun Devils, 2½-point home favorites over Southern California, have lost 11 in a row to the Trojans and are 3-11 straight up in games decided by seven points or fewer the past three years.

UCLA, a 4-point underdog at Oregon State, continues to disappoint, and The Gold Sheet handicapper Bruce Marshall said it's time to "pull the plug" on the Neuheisel error and turn to former Texas Tech coach Mike Leach to revive the program.

"The Bruins have become such an afterthought, no one in L.A. is taking them seriously, and it's sad. Watching them sleepwalk through that loss to Texas, Neuheisel has to go," Marshall said. "There's no buzz. Leach could create a buzz there."

■ CLOSING NUMBERS -- My college plays are paying off so far, at 4-2 last week and 10-5-1 for the season. Here are six for Saturday (home team in CAPS):

Tulane (+10) over DUKE; Western Michigan (+13) over ILLINOIS; WASHINGTON (Pick) over California; Notre Dame-PITTSBURGH (Over 53½); CLEMSON (-2) over Florida State; Southern Cal (+2½) over ARIZONA STATE.

Contact sports betting columnist Matt Youmans at myoumans@reviewjournal.com or 702-387-2907. He co-hosts the "Las Vegas Sportsline" weeknights at midnight on KDWN-AM (720) and thelasvegassportsline.com.