By Chris MazaFan Fanatic Sports StaffApologies for the brief lapse in college football coverage by yours truly, but never fear. I have returned.
The Weis era is unofficially over.In reality, it was over after they lost to Navy twice at Notre Dame Stadium. After that, the snowball got rolling. Weis did a very nice job as far as recruiting is concerned, at least on the offensive side of the ball. Jimmy Clausen said he wouldn't be in South Bend if not for Notre Dame. Stud receivers Golden Tate and Michael Floyd as well as standout tight end Kyle Rudolph are all his. While we haven't see much of him, Dayne Crist was the top QB recruit a couple of years ago and is now the heir apparent to Clausen. Linebacker Mani Te'o has already developed into a marquee defensive talent. The class coming in next year, assuming they hold to their commitments, is 11th in the nation. But when it came to coaching, Weis came up short. This season, which is sure to be his last, the Irish were tabbed as having a vaunted offense. What the media should say is they have a vaunted passing game and that alone is easy to figure out. Ever since Darius Walker left, the Irish have struggled to have a running game, thanks to a combination of ineffective backs and a poor offensive line. So by the second half of the season, teams had figured out how to beat the vanilla Notre Dame offense. Boston College actually wrote the blueprints on how to contain the Irish, employing a cover-two or Tampa Two defense, which took away the big play downfield and forced the Irish to make short passes and try to beat them with the run. The result is a ton of yardage and a high completion percentage for Clausen, but a lack of explosiveness that keyed the offense earlier in the season. Since the Boston College game, every team Notre Dame has faced has run some variation of that offense and as a result, the Irish have not scored more than 22 points in regulation. They have lost all three of those games and a huge reason for that is the lack of any defense whatsoever. Jon Tenuta was supposed to come in and shore up the unit, but it's become clear that it's not the scheme, but Weis' inability to recruit enough defensive playmakers. There are several good athletes on that defensive unit, but other than Te'o and perhaps Kyle McCarthy, whose 5 interceptions are 11th nationally, the team lacks real difference makers. Weis will lose to Stanford, then go to a mediocre bowl, then will probably find a job as an NFL offensive coordinator, which is where he belongs. All this said, the team's decision to walk out with arms linked with Charlie Weis speaks to how much he's meant to the Irish players. But sentimentality does not overshadow the fact that this team has now underachieved for two straight seasons. At least they finally beat Boston College (Note the sarcasm).
Some things don't change.Let's face it, this week was kind of a yawner when it came to the top teams and the week upcoming week looks to be no different. This week saw no change among the top 7 BCS teams and none really look to stand a chance of dropping or gaining in the coming week. The only team with somewhat of a challenge is Boise State, going up against red-hot Nevada. After starting the season 0-3 against Notre Dame, Colorado State and Missouri, the Wolfpack have rattled off eight straight wins, the last seven all being league games. Nevada has a vaunted running attack, averaging 373.2 yards per game, but that plays right into Boise State's hands. The Broncos have a top-30 run defense. Should Nevada win, it would be a huge blow to the WAC, who assuredly would lose any BCS legitimacy.
The Pac-10 championship is still in doubt.The Ducks stayed on top with a 44-41 thriller over former Pac-10 darling Arizona, but don't look now. Here comes another darkhorse. Oregon State is playing its best football at this point, winning four straight. Granted, those teams are a combined 18-25. Still, the final game of the regular season is a huge one for the state of Oregon and either way, one team from that state will walk away with it. If Oregon wins, obviously, they walk away with the prize with an 8-1 Pac-10 record. If Oregon State wins, both teams will sit at 7-2, but with the Beavers holding the tiebreaker, they will win.
