It's always fun to have a few bold predictions heading into Canaan Smith-njigba Jersey the college football season to see which of them flame out and which end up coming true.When it comes to the Notre Dame quarterback "battle," however, there were no bold predictions to make -- it was basically a certainty that former starter Everett Golson would be the man for the Irish when they open the season.On Wednesday after practice, head coach Brian Kelly ended the charade and said Golson did indeed get the nod at quarterback for the 2014 season.The 6-foot, 210-pound Golson was the starter for Notre Dame in 2012 and guided the Irish to an undefeated regular season and a berth in the BCS National Championship Game. He threw for 2,405 yards and 12 touchdowns while also adding another dimension with his legs (six rushing touchdowns).The now-senior was set to be the team's leader once again last year but was suspended from the school due to an academic violation, which he later admitted was because he cheated on a test. He spent most of 2013 away from South Bend and was a regular training with quarterback guru George Whitfield Jr. in San Diego.Golson beat out redshirt freshman Malik Zaire for the job, although the latter should see action in 2014 with an eye toward his sophomore year."I let Malik know first and let him know his situation," Kelly . "I got the right answer from Malik. He wasn't happy."Notre Dame opens the season against Rice on August 30th. The Irish are ranked 21st in the and no doubt hope Golson's return under center will allow the team to channel its winning ways from two years ago when N.D. made a magical run to the title game.*Follow Bryan Fischer on Twitter * Jim Bibby Jersey