What Notre Dame Should Do With Charlie Weis

Just two weeks ago Notre Dame fans were talking about a possible return to the BCS. Sitting at 6-2, it appeared that Charlie Weis had finally righted the ship and his recruiting was finally paying dividends. Well this is college football and the outlook on things can change quickly.

After two disappointing losses to Navy and Pittsburgh, the outlook on Notre Dame's season and the future of Weis has taken a turn for the worse. Notre Dame was regarded as one of the most improved teams in college football. Now its 6-4 record is exactly the same record they had last season after 10 games.

We all know how that ended. It featured an embarrassing loss to Syracuse and then getting throttled by USC. Now with a Connecticut team that took Cincinnati to the limit and a hot Stanford team left on the plate, another 6-6 season is looking like a real possibility.

One thing is clear to just about all Irish fans. Weis is not the answer. I have been a Weis supporter. I thought what he did his first two years could not be overlooked. I also thought his recruiting efforts were adequate. I also gave him the benefit of the doubt the last two years since he played so many young players.

Since those young players are now seasoned players and the results are still not great, I can't give Charlie Weis the benefit of the doubt any more. It is time to move on.

However, I still appreciate all he did for Notre Dame and will never feel compare him to Tyrone Willingham. Therefore, I would like to see him go out a winner.

Based on that, Jack Swarbrick should make the announcement today that Weis will be replaced after the season. They should allow him to finish the year and coach the bowl game. That is what could create an emotional spark to the players. They will know that they are playing for the next coach and they would want to send Weis out a winner.

Without that emotional spark, Notre Dame will lose to both Connecticut and Stanford. The result will be 6-6 and who knows what bowl they go to? Who even wants to go to a bowl with that record?

However, an 8-4 record is still enough to get a decent bowl like the Gator Bowl. It is not BCS but is a huge upgrade over the Hawaii Bowl. Then the Irish can get an opponent like Miami and it could be a good game. Then the players can play for Weis one last time and send him out on a positive note.

This article is also posted on http://fightingirishgameday.com/