Maybe I misunderstood you, but are you saying that 83-27 is a 67.5 winning percentage? Also, Patterson is not a flash-in-the-pan type coach, his teams have had 10+ wins for six out of the last eight years. I know the MWC isn't the toughest conference in the world, but that is still pretty darn impressive. Also, he has had high-profile wins, such as the bowl games and beating a #5 OU on the road to begin the season in 2005. Also, he is a seemingly good guy with plenty of energy and his own charity.
I know that record is far from the only thing that should factor into a decision for a coach, but I do think that we should get the facts straight.
I believe the major concerns with Patterson are: 1) Will he be able to recruit at a higher level? 2) Will he be able to make the rigors of a Notre Dame schedule? (No matter what people say, our schedule is still more difficult the majority of seasons than TCU.) 3) Will he have the sway to bring in a top-tier offensive coordinator to ND? (His specialty is defense - not saying he doesn't have adequate offensive knowledge, but that is his specialty)