State of the Irish as ugly as ever

This was supposed to be the year of Notre Dame football’s return after its previous 15 of mediocre and-at times laughable nature.

It was the year the echoes were to be awakened once again, and the year that Notre Dame could once again solidify itself as a premier program in college football.

There was coach Charlie Weis, an offensive mastermind who had three-year starting quarterback Jimmy Clausen and a core of some of the most talented receivers in the country.

There was the favoring schedule that included the likes of Navy, a down Michigan program and Stanford.

All the makings for a trip to the Bowl Championship Series were in line.

This was the year.

But in the end, this was Notre Dame.

Not Notre Dame of the 1920s, ‘70s or even ‘90s. But the Notre Dame of the 2000s and the post-Lou Holtz era.

It was the Notre Dame that dropped annual contests to service academies, unranked teams and the annual one-sided bouts with USC.

Blame it on the Irish defense, which in recent years has been softer than the other side of the pillow.

Blame it on Weis’ questionable, aggressive play calling at times.

Blame it on the right, but controversial, decision to can Tyrone Willingham after three years.

Whatever you blame it on, it doesn’t change the fact that Notre Dame is and has been a .500 program for the better part of the decade.

When Weis left the New England Patriots back in December 2004, he said 6-5 wasn’t good enough; not for him, not for Notre Dame and not for its fans.

And here Notre Dame is at 6-6 – a record tallied by some of the top recruiting classes in the country during the last three years, I might add.

What the Irish are now faced with is finding the right guy to lead the program back to
college football’s elite, the same problem they’ve had three times in less than 15 years.

Two problems have contributed to Notre Dame’s inability to do this its last few tries.

The first is convincing the right guy.

Picture yourself in the shoes of Florida coach Urban Meyer, who has been on Notre Dame’s hotlist since 2004. Why would he give up his legacy, his lifestyle and possibly his credibility to try and transform mediocrity back to greatness in frigid South Bend?

Sure, it’s Notre Dame. It’s the Golden Dome. It’s Touchdown Jesus and 11 national championships.

But if you’re a guy like Bob Stoops at Oklahoma, it’s also risking your coaching legacy by trying to lead a team heavily restricted by academic standards and character expectations. It’s done, or in this case, attempted to be done, under scrutiny that led to what Weis labeled as “irreparable damage” to his
family.

Doesn’t sound like the glory days of Rockne and the “Four Horsemen” that made coaches gush about the position.

The second problem is the Domers’ expectations. Notre Dame alumni and boosters don’t seem to get it.

With the emergence of the spread offense and the nation-wide approach more and more schools take towards recruiting, programs aren’t built overnight. One school cannot and will not monopolize college football like Notre Dame did for decades.

Can they compete for and win a national championship?

Sure. But with the right guy and the right amount of time.

I can’t question the firing of Weis. Given five years and the caliber of the recruiting classes he has brought in, there had to be substantial progress made. Maybe a couple of BCS wins or an appearance in the national championship.

Instead, things like the loss to Navy and fumbling a double-digit lead to Stanford doomed Weis, and the once-storied program, for now.

So now, as it’s been every few years in recent history, it’s back to the drawing board. Back to the drawing board in hopes of leading Notre Dame out of mediocrity.

And, just like before, the biggest question is who will be doing the drawing.