Is There an Argument for Keeping Charlie Weis?

Alright, so the talk seems to have turned at this point to the obvious firing of Charlie Weis and who should and will be the next coach...

In my opinion the question should be whether or not firing him would be in the best interest of the university.

After the game I was admittedly the most depressed about the state of Notre Dame football I have been in recent memory. This was a brutal loss especially since the irish had a chance at the end which was stolen by a somewhat questionable call . 

However after a very serious and admittedly somewhat drunken discussion with a close friend that night, I would agree that the new AD, Swarbrick has several good options (not necessarily in this order):

1) Fly to Gainesville...with a blank check, the rest is obvious.

2) Find another coach other than Urban. There are options that people aren't talking about enough. How about TCU's coach Gary Patterson ?

I don't know about anyone else, but it looks like he has a proven track record, and is able to coach defense, which is what we need the most. He also would be able to recruit, potentially even from the great state of Texas which is where Charlie has had some trouble.

3) And finally, dare it be said? Swarbrick keeps Weis, sits down and explains what needs to happen next year. 

Now wait...

Imagine this scenario...

Charlie stays one more year. What does this mean?

Do Jimmy, Tate, and the offensive lineman with fifth year eligibility stay? And if this does happen...if everyone comes back next year...then the question becomes this.

How good is this team and how far can they go if (and only if) they stay together in 2010?

And that my fellow Irish faithful should and hopefully will be the number one priority on Swarbrick's list. Making sure that this team with so much potential does not fall apart. I have faith in Swarbrick and in this program that we can pull through this incredibly rough patch in our proud history.

So Swarbrick, even though I'm sure you probably won't read this, the fate of an entire football nation rests in your hands.

Good luck, and we'll be rooting for you.