Analysis: Will the real Notre Dame please stand up? Fighting Irish undefeated, but must improve fast to stay in contention

Patience is not the easiest thing in college football when the expectation is to consistently be in contention for the playoff. Expectations also can be a burden if you're focused on style points instead of just winning games.

So for a team rebuilding and still hoping to stay in the chase for the postseason, Notre Dame is not looking like the team that made the playoff two of the last three years.

Most of the offensive line that powered the attack departed. So did Ian Book, a three-year starter at quarterback. On defense, Marcus Freeman arrived from Cincinnati as the new coordinator. There were always going to be growing pains.

But even the most optimistic Fighting Irish fans would have been seriously concerned after the first two wins against Florida State and Toledo were in overtime and by three points on a final-minute drive, respectively.

The thing about playing a 12-game season is that you improve and you're not the same team at the beginning that you are at the end.

Saturday's 27-13 defeat of Purdue again revealed some positives and raised some questions about where this team is headed.

Making his third start at quarterback, Jack Coan seemed more comfortable leading the offense after arriving in the offseason from Wisconsin. He threw for 223 yards and two touchdowns with no interceptions.

The defense held the Boilermakers, who averaged 39.5 points in two victories, to just 266 yards before a drive that statistically made the day look better for Purdue ended with a Kyle Hamilton interception in the end zone that sealed the game.

There were some negatives, too, starting with the running game. The Fighting Irish managed just 63 yards on 27 attempts before Kyren Williams went 51 yards with six minutes left. On the previous drive, Brandon Lenzy dropped a wide-open touchdown in the end zone that illustrated there's still some issues in the passing game.

The glass half-full perspective is that Notre Dame is finding ways to win, especially while not playing its best football.

The half-empty approach would be that the Irish are not good enough to handle an increase in schedule difficulty, starting next week against No. 17 Wisconsin in Chicago.

A home game against No. 8 Cincinnati follows and then comes Virginia Tech, Southern California and North Carolina.

It's a decisive stretch that will determine whether the season is one that can end in one of the semifinals or possibly outside the New Year's Six. That's the ceiling and the floor for this team.

It would be easy to write off Notre Dame given its start. There's enough talent and time to put things together. The clock is ticking, however.

Sometimes tougher opponents create urgency. Surely this week at practice, the Fighting Irish know what is ahead with the Badgers and Bearcats. Both are tough, defensive-minded teams that will force more from Coan and his receivers with the likelihood that the running game still will be a work in progress. The defense that gave up 264 rushing yards to Florida State also faces a big test.

But these big games are why Notre Dame players came to South Bend. Now they must rise to the occasion after getting through an early start with some blemishes, but unscathed.

Follow colleges reporter Erick Smith on Twitter @ericksmith

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: College football: Notre Dame undefeated, but toughest tests are ahead