Charlie Weis' Monkeys in 2009

Is there a more scrutinized coach in college football than Charlie Weis? I would say no.

That does, to some degree, come with being the head coach at Notre Dame. This guy has more monkeys on his back than anybody I have ever seen.

In 2009, he can get some of them off his back.

He already got a couple of them off at the end of last year. They both happened at the Hawaii Bowl. A victory in a bowl game, Notre Dame waited 15 years to get that monkey off their back. And did they ever get that one off in a big way?

Now I know Hawaii isn't exactly a historical powerhouse, but I have seen up close that they are better than people think. Last year they had to rebuild after the Sugar Bowl team had left.

They struggled at first but made strides late and almost beat Cincinnati. I know they were a better team than San Diego State, so it does show the improvement they made.

In that game they also finally beat a team on the road that they were not favored to win. That one had really been haunting Charlie.

Say what you want; it was Hawaii. But the fact is Hawaii was favored to win in the game. Winning a game he wasn't supposed to was a monkey he got off his back.

Although he did get a couple of big monkeys off his back, he still has many more to rid himself of in 2009.

Tyrone Willingham

Whether it is fair or not, this will haunt Weis until he takes players that he recruited to a major bowl game. This monkey irritates me because Willingham used Bob Davie's players and never did anything with his own. However, it will be there, whether we like it or not, until Weis kills it.

Michigan State

This is one I don't quite understand. On paper, Notre Dame is just the better team. Since Weis has been there, he has only beat the Spartans once, and it came with a huge fourth quarter comeback led by Brady Quinn.

I expect him to get this one off his back in a big way this year.

Boston College

This one goes all the way back to 1993. That was a heartbreaker.

Notre Dame had just beat Florida State the week before and were well on their way to playing for a national championship. BC changed those plans with a major upset. Since that time BC has had the Irish's number.

This is one Weis inherited. BC does appear to be rebuilding and this year is a good chance to get rid of this monkey, as well.

USC

It hurts to say that the last time that Notre Dame beat USC, Bob Davie was the coach. Looking at the two teams this year, USC doesn't rebuild—they reload.

However, Notre Dame is the veteran team, and with all but one senior on the offensive line, now is as good a chance as any. If not now, when?

Win against a Ranked Opponent

This is another monkey that Weis is stuck with until he does it. It can happen this year when they play BC, USC, or Pittsburgh. It is definitely a lot more realistic this year than in previous years.

I am hopeful that Weis can get the monkeys off his back, at least some of them. If he does, it will be a big year for Irish fans.