More than half the Notre Dame fans who responded to a recent poll said they expected Tyrone Willingham's second team to be as good as his history-making 10-3 first one. If not better.

The toughest thing about early success is the demand and expectation it creates -- especially at a place like Notre Dame, which demands and expects success anyway.

	Ty Willingham turned the Irish into 10-game winners in 2002.

Of the 3,590 respondents to a Blue & Gold Illustrated survey, 55.6 percent opined the Irish would finish no worse than 10-3. The poll was conducted earlier this summer, not long after more than 20,000 Irish fans sat through an offensively discouraging spring game in which the running game netted minus-2 yards on 43 carries and the passing game was 17-for-38 with two interceptions and no touchdowns. The event's loudest cheer came when it was announced that 2002 center Jeff Faine had been chosen in the first round of that day's NFL draft.

Still, after the best debut in Notre Dame history, many Irish fans expect greatness in 2003. That same Blue & Gold poll showed as many fans (555, or 15.5 percent) expecting a 12-0 regular season as an 8-4 or 7-5 mark (also 555 votes).

Don't talk to Willingham about polls or surveys, because he doesn't want to hear it. He's a contrarian by nature, a salmon swimming up the stream of public opinion. This spring after he signed what recruiting pundits considered the Irish's best recruiting class in years, Willingham brought his wet blanket to the party, saying, "I always try to temper my enthusiasm."

But when the Irish closed last season with a 28-6 loss to N.C. State in the Gator Bowl, Willingham reminded groaning fans that "there are not that many 10-win teams in the country."

Willingham has a fan base that expects more of the same after a 2002 season in which Notre Dame won its first eight games, reached the No. 4 national ranking and, in the words of Willingham, "got back to the business of being Notre Dame."

In hindsight, considering it lost three of its final five games -- and almost lost a fourth to 2-10 Navy -- the 2002 Irish probably overachieved. And considering Notre Dame will have to rebuild its offensive line and replace half its secondary and its sack leader, the 2003 version might not be as good.

Games aren't played on paper, of course, and to Willingham they aren't played solely on the field, either. They are played inside his players' minds, which is where he will try to combat complacency.

"I'm cautious that you don't want to get too comfortable," he said. "I think that (last season) with a new staff, we had an edge to us, and that edge created a certain amount of energy in itself and allowed us to move forward. So you always want to have that edge, and we've got to have something that keeps us on that edge."

In-house competition is a start.

Willingham said he expected several players from his 2003 recruiting class to challenge for playing time. "We enable our football team, knowing that every position is open," he said. "We as coaches don't want to determine who plays. We believe that should be left up to our players."

External competition is another.

The Irish play three games against teams from the 2002 Bowl Championship Series, all at home: Washington State, Florida State and Southern Cal. The Irish also have dates with four other bowl winners, all of them on the road: Michigan, Pittsburgh, Purdue and Boston College. Throw in games with Michigan State, BYU, Stanford and Syracuse, and it's another typically brutal Irish schedule.

"We'll be creative in thinking about how to create that edge," Willingham said. "But in most cases, you name the team on our schedule -- that usually gives you a pretty good edge."

Just in case that fails, though, Willingham isn't afraid to turn up the heat on individual players. Tailback Ryan Grant can't get too comfortable with himself, even if he did become just the seventh Notre Dame player to rush for 1,000 yards in a season, because Willingham has gone out of his way to say two-time Irish rushing leader Julius Jones would be of quite useful this season. Jones gained 1,750 yards and had 19 touchdowns from 1999-2001 but was academically ineligible last season.

Quarterback Carlyle Holiday can't get too comfortable with himself, either, even if he did engineer a five-victory improvement from 2001 to 2002. Willingham was effusive in his praise for sophomore Chris Olsen, saying his play as offensive MVP of the spring game was at times "incredible." Asked if Olsen might unseat Holiday, Willingham answered, "Time will tell."

Willingham isn't the only coach to use such blatant motivational tactics. South Carolina coach Lou Holtz, who in 1988 became the most recent Irish coach to win a national championship, is famous for poor-mouthing his teams in the press. Ohio State coach Jim Tressel is from a similar school of thought.

"If you watched our games last year, you know we have to improve in every phase of everything we do," said Tressel.

Ohio State was 14-0 and the national champion.

Notre Dame won't get there this season -- right? -- but the Irish are getting the message: Last season is over, and this season the Irish, considering their improved knowledge of Willingham's system, should be better.

"Last year it was all new," Holiday said. "It was like starting over again as a freshman. This year, we know what the basic concepts are. We just have to take it to a higher level."

Gregg Doyel covers college football for the Charlotte Observer and can be reached at gdoyel@charlotteobserver.com.