It is pretty common knowledge that there are two jobs that Luke Fickell would have a very hard time turning down if offered. Notre Dame is one of those 2 jobs (the other is obviously Ohio State). Which is why as a double alumni of Cincinnati, the news of Kelly leaving last night was tough to hear because it meant that Fickell was a real possibility to leave, and Fickell is an awesome coach that has been awesome for Cincinnati. The two things working against him leaving both relate to timing, though of different sorts. First, it would be absolutely stunning if Fickell left Cincinnati before the playoffs, so if they beat Houston (and they should as it is a home game and they are the better team), the earliest he'd leave for Notre Dame is basically January, which puts Notre Dame way behind in recruiting, planning, etc., especially if Freeman, their uber recruiter, leaves the program when he doesn't become head coach. The second timing issue is that Cincinnati is headed to the Big 12, which should allow for better recruiting, more dollars, more exposure, and an easier time making the playoffs (even in a non-OU/UT Big 12), which makes Cincinnati a more desirable job and thus staying more desirable.
And do not discount Freeman. He is a rising coaching star that is a mega-recruiter. Notre Dame's recruiting classes have been epic this year and next year and it is almost solely because of Freeman. If he doesn't stick around that could really derail what Notre Dame is building, which is why Notre Dame is giving him a very hard look at becoming coach. He is very young at 35, but we've seen both Oklahoma and Ohio State have established coaches leave and turn the program over to a young rising star with great success. That isn't to say the new coach wouldn't keep Freeman (they probably would), but I do think if Freeman is passed over he very well might end up as a head coach somewhere else as early as next year, and that would be a big blow to ND.