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Well, if there was any doubt - and there shouldn't have been any, but just in case - that ought to do it.  A second straight Senior Day loss will do that.  Hundred yards games from Armando, Golden and St. Michael go for nothing as the Irish defense has no answer for UConn's running game down the stretch.   

I know Swarbrick said no decision would be made until after the season, but does Weis officially survive the week?  Let the wild rumpus of rumor mongering start....now.

by Michael Switzer - AP

about 1 month ago: Connecticut's Andre Dixon (2) and Kashif Moore enter Mountaineer Field carrying the helmet and jersey of slain teammate Jasper Howard before an NCAA college football game against West Virginia on Saturday, Oct. 24, 2009, in Morgantown, W.Va. Howard was stabbed to death early last Sunday outside a university-sponsored dance. (AP Photo/Michael Switzer)

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The last home game for a lot of seniors, potentially some juniors (Please stay Jimmy and Golden) and most definitely Charlie Weis in the capacity as head coach.  The Huskies are a solid team that have been on the receiving end of a lot of bad luck in the wake of Jasper Howard's tragic death.  If anyone due, it's them.  I'd call this the last stand for Charlie Weis, but I think we're past that point.

Go Irish, Beat Huskies.

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Nothing substantial from the coaching rumor mill so far today - Charlie didn't quit at his press conference, at least - so let's take a look at Mike Brey's 2010 squad.

In the interest of full disclosure, when Scott Martin went down with an ACL injury, I was ready to write off this Irish hoops season.  Not from a record standpoint - oh no, the schedule is so putrid they would roll up some victories on the Harangody/Jackson combination alone - but from a being a quality team that could compete for a Big East title standpoint.  Martin was so perfect for the Brey offense, a Rob Kurz/Ryan Ayers 2.0 that could go inside/outside, knock down threes and space the floor for Harangody on offense while still providing some size on defense.  Short of the big man himself going down, there wasn't a worse injury that could have occurred.  I was certain we were going to see an anomaly: a Mike Brey team that couldn't shoot, and therefore, would be just sort of awful and gruesomely entertaining to watch on the occasional Big Monday.

But then the Seth Davis preseason puff piece happened and likened Tim Abromaitis, who barely saw the floor last season, to Matty Carroll.   Well, that would be one shooter, and Ben Hansbrough would be another, and Tory and Jonathan Peoples maybe could continue progress on their jumpers, and Harangody's range was extending towards the end of last season....

That was a best case scenario and it seemed quite unlikely, but here we are two games into the season and the idea that Mike Brey would have a team without shooters seems completely laughable in hindsight.  I understand the competition has also been something to chuckle at, but you have to put the ball in the bucket no matter who you're against, and the Irish have been doing that from behind the arc and then some.  The team is 26 for 48 from 3m for a blistering 54%.  Hansbrough is 9 for 11, Peoples is 3 for 6, Tory is 4 for 7 and Tim "Matt Carroll" Abromaitis is 6 for 10 off the bench.  Throw in Luke Harangody tossing in 3 of his 9 and you have the main reason (beyond the schedule ) for the Irish averaging 90.5 points per game.

As long as Peoples and Jackson can continue knocking down a decent percentage - and they will get looks, with the double and triple-teams that will be thrown at Gody all season - this offense will be in fine shape.  Ty Nash can do nitty gritty things, bang with some guys and clean up misses, with Carleton Scott doing the same - plus shooting the occasional three! - when he's in the game.  Abromaitis is some bonus scoring punch off the bench, and also adds some size if you wanted to go a little bigger on the outside and move Hansbrough over to point while sitting Tory.  Or, if you really wanted to space things out, slide Abromaitis down to the four and put Harangody in there with him, Tory, Ben and Peoples.  You need another guy to add into the rotation, but this Irish team has some different combinations it can deploy and will be competitive in every game as long as Harangody stays out of foul trouble.

My other thought with this line-up is whether this might be the best perimeter defense we've seen from a Mike Brey squad in recent years.  God bless Kyle McAlarney, who elicited a record number of "laughing, shaking your head and high-fiving your nearest friend" with his three point barrages and will be sorely missed, but he wasn't exactly Gary Payton out there on the defensive end.  Chris Thomas, with a banged up knee plaguing him the whole season, couldn't guard anybody his senior year.  Tory is tenacious, but often undersized and forced into bad match-ups.  But this team -if Brey wants to - could be a very solid defensive squad.  Hansbrough played a hard-nosed style at Mississippi State and has the size, while Peoples has the athleticism to maybe make that Russell Carter leap for his senior season.  Tory is a bulldog pressuring the ball, so it's possible a lot of the problems that plagued the Irish over the years, like giving up penetration to make for easy slash-and-kick threes or dunks, could be mitigated.  With Harangody gobbling up rebounds and Nash/Scott jumping out of the gym to block shots, this could potentially be a considerably more balanced Irish team that we're used to seeing .  Granted, it's likely the perimeter defense assumes its usual position as a sieve-like turnstile, but the personnel is there to lock things down on the outside.

Your notable games for the Irish this season:

November 27^th vs. Northwestern

December 19^th vs. UCLA (who lost to Cal State-Fullerton last night)

January 2^nd at UConn

January 9^th vs. West Virginia (one preseason Big East favorite)

January 27^th at Villanova (the other)

And then the closing stretch of the Big East schedule, which consists of @Louisville, Pitt, @Georgetown, UConn and @Marquette.  Not quite as bad as the Bataan Death March in the middle of last year, but still no easy trek into the Garden.  Remember, some of these teams aren't as good as last year - Louisville lost Clark and Williams, Pitt Blair and Young, Marquette James, Matthews, McNeal and Burke - but they aren't exactly going to be gimme wins either, especially with the young players stepping into the replace the losses having a full season of conference play to get seasoned.

Fun Luke Harangody goal for the season that doesn't involve winning National Player of the Year or setting the career Big East marks in scoring or rebounding :

I'd like Harangody to get a triple-double.  He'll get the points and rebounds with his eyes closed, but the assists will be a little tricky simply because he is just a high volume scorer.  He only averaged two a game last year with a game-high of six against Syracuse, but if it turned into an up and down game and the opposition was really throwing double teams at him, it's possible. 

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The Irish must have used up all of their luck and exhausted everyone of their nine lives in those early season comeback wins, because the last couple of potential game-winning or game-tying drives against Navy and Pittsburgh have not done so hot.  Of course, you shouldn't put yourself in a position where you constantly need fourth quarter magic, even if Golden Tate - who should be right at the top of the Heisman conversation with CJ Spiller but isn't because the Heisman is fraudulent joke that means nothing - seems to relish the opportunities.  People are concerned about Clausen leaving early, and for good reason, but can you imagine this team without Golden Tate?  He's an All-American American, who somehow makes every play you want him to and then some more.  Is there a bigger anomaly this season than his dropped passes against Michigan?  How did that even happen?  (Pass interference?....  But even then, odd.)  Amazing to think about.

Do you like how I buried the lede there?  We need to talk about the greatness of Golden, but the Weis Era - for all intents and purposes - is over.  If the Irish don't lose out, I will honestly be surprised.  Can you imagine what the crowd will be like if UConn gets an early lead?  Even before that?  And they're so due, and this is the perfect national stage to honor their fallen teammate.  The next week, the Irish's main concern with Toby Gerhart should not be whether they can stop him, but whether he'll have enough time and space to chokeslam defensive backs on his way to the endzone for touchdowns.  A once promising season has ran into a brick wall, and the only question now is when does Weis go, and how.  A resignation after the season?  A firing before Stanford?  There is no conceivable way Charlie Weis is head coach at Notre Dame next year, and if he is, the entire administration will have a mutiny on their hands.  Personally, I'm all for it, because I'll get to write headlines like "Gug Burns To Ground Following Eighth Day of Rioting," so I'm in a win-win position no matter what the outcome.

I still feel like Weis has gotten a bit of a raw deal in the luck standpoint, at least when it comes to defensive coordinator.  He's made his own bed with the atrocious special teams over the years - don't even look at the punting numbers from last night, you'll want to punt something through a window yourself - but Jon Tenuta has been such a colossal failure it's hard to even fathom it.  The defense might as well not be out there most plays, as they just sort of wait for a pass to fall incomplete or a running back to trip at the line, biding their time between allowing long touchdowns.  The blitzes are laughably ineffective and the next time a defensive back not named Kyle McCarthy makes a play on the ball will be the first this season.  

It's sort of calming that none of that really matters now.  This season is a wash, and there will be a new coach and new schemes and probably some new faces.  We have so much more to talk about, but first, I'm going to direct you to John Walters' great column last night in the aftermath of the loss  I think these are my two favorite points:

25) Do you realize that if Weis is fired, and if he refuses to accept the remainder of his salary, that A.) It would be the ultimate statement in terms of "accountability"? B) He would in effect be donating enough money to, and this is a conservative estimate, fund 50 four-year scholarships?, and C.) you and I would be living in a fantasy world of unicorns and wood nymphs?

18) Notre Dame ran six plays, all passes, on its final drive and only one ball went to Tate. This is why you lose. Unless Tate is being double-teamed by Ed Reed and Darren Sharper, you go to him.

by Keith Srakocic - AP

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Pick a result - any result - and I'm pretty sure you could convince an Irish fan it was possible.  The only thing I'm pretty sure of is a lot of points are going to be scored, meaning look for a 10-7 game late in the fourth.  I'll be down at Heinz Field in Section 214 to witness a great win or the end of the Charlie Weis Era in person, so say hey if you see the guy in the classy, white St. Michael #3 jersey.

Go Irish, Beat Panthers.

by Keith Srakocic - AP

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1. Pitt hasn't really played anybody yet.  They've played teams that aren't bad - Rutgers, South Florida, NC State, Connecticut, NAVY - but there isn't one that makes you nod in appreciation of their great work.  To their credit, they take care of business against the bad teams, but Sagarin has them with the 70^th ranked schedule in the nation.  For comparison, Boise State is at 82, Penn State is at 72 and Notre Dame is at 26.

2. They get to the quarterback.  Dave Wannstedt is a Super Bowl winning defensive coordinator, so it's not a total surprise when you see Pitt all the way at the top of the national sack leaders page with 4.33 sacks a game and 39 sacks overall.  Do you know who is next on the list?  USC, who you might remember from that time they ran around Paul Duncan and Sam Young for three quarters as if they were on a friendly neighborhood stroll to maul Jimmy Clausen.  Greg Romeus is the lead sack man with 7.5, but linebacker Adam Gunn - a fantastic name for a linebacker, or really just in general - has 5.

3. Bill Stull is sneaky good.  If I asked you to name the top QBs in the nation, you'd rattle off names like Kellen Moore or Max Hull or Tim Tebow or Jimmy Clausen, and those would be good names, because those guys are all in the top eight.  (Colt McCoy, the new Heisman frontrunner because he blew up against Central Florida and ESPN says so, is 13^th, right around similarly heralded signal callers like G.J. Kinne and Kirk Cousins.)  But who is fifth in the nation, ahead of Case Keenum, Ryan Mallett and the Tebow Child?  Bill Stull.  17 TDs, 4 picks, 67.6% completion percentage.  Considering what every single quarterback has done to Notre Dame this season, I'm doubting Mr. Stull's numbers suffer.

4. He has some nice targets to throw to...  You might remember Jonathan Baldwin from last season, where he hauled in the game-tying touchdown in the waning moments of the fourth quarter in South Bend.  He hasn't really missed a beat, catching 35 balls for 698 yards (a smooth twenty yards per catch) and four scores in 2009.  The big time red zone target is tight end Dorin Dickerson, who has ten touchdown catches on the season, getting to the end zone in each of the last five games.  Considering what Anthony McCoy did to the Irish, I can't imagine the Tenuta scheme having any trouble containing Dickerson, who had a season high 118 yards against Syracuse last week.

5. ...and a great running back to hand off to.  LeSean McCoy, who ran over, around and through the Irish last season, has thankfully departed for the NFL.  Those of us thinking there would be a giant gap at running back were painfully mistaken, as freshman Dion Lewis has stepped into the role and done exceptionally well.  He's the seventh leading rusher in the nation, with just a shade over 126 yards per game and nine touchdowns, along with 16 catches for 134 yards and another score.  Greg Schiano compared him to Ray Rice after the Panthers won at Rutgers, so the Irish front seven will have its hands full attempting to contain the 5' 8" workhorse.

6. Pitt's secondary is relatively untested and possibly not good.  The Panthers' pass efficiency defense is only ranked 49^th in the country despite going against a list of QB's that don't exactly inspire fear.  The one top they've faced, NC State's Russell Wilson, went 21 for 35 for 322 yards and four touchdowns despite being in a 31-17 hole late in the third quarter, handing Pitt their only loss.  Wilson spread it around to eight different receivers, with no one catching more than four balls.  If the Irish can protect Clausen against Romeus and company, they can possibly have some success through the air.

7. Dave Wannstedt is coach.  I grew up a Miami Dolphins fan.  Many of my friends are Chicago Bears fans.  The common bond we share?  Both teams had the pleasure of being guided by Diamond Dave Wannstedt, possibly the best mustache in all the land, but a sort of inconsistent head coach.  There are a lot of things going against the Irish in this game, but the one ace up their sleeve is Dave Wannstedt On A Winning Streak, something that by the rules of nature has to come to an end.  (This is my personal favorite Wanny collapse.)

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Saturday was a collective fail for many in the Notre Dame family.  The team wasn't ready, the coaches weren't ready and a lot of fans - yours truly included - had overlooked Navy in anticipation of the big primetime showdown in Pittsburgh.  Granted, fans are allowed to have their eyes wander and focus lapse, but you expect a bit more from those actually participating in the games.  But it wasn't that effort and execution weren't there the entire time, particularly on offense outside the ten yard line.  The offense hummed right up and down the field like they should, and the defense made a few necessary stops in the second half after getting shredded for the majority of the game, but there was a feeling very early on that this just wasn't meant to be.  Charlie Weis' tenure at Notre Dame was, for all intents and purposes, going to end on that field against the Midshipmen, who haven't lost at Notre Dame Stadium since 2005.

Two missed field goals from a kicker who had set the Notre Dame record for success a week prior.  A fumble at goal line by your all-world quarterback, and an interception at the goal line caused by a miscommunication between that same quarterback and an all-universe receiver who was still knocking some rust off.  At one point when it looked like Kyle Rudolph's collarbone had gone the way of the Dodo and Clausen looked like someone needed to outline him in chalk on the goal line, it seemed like a perfect end to a season and a coaching tenure: just sheer, unadulterated chaos and horrendous luck.

Charlie Weis has brought a lot of bad things onto himself.  There are the play calls and personnel usages that seem to be randomly drawn from a hat every game.  There's a decided lack of schematic advantage in a lot of cases, and the way he handled himself his first couple years on the job put him in a rather large hole in regards to public relations.  But make no mistake; he's had some bad luck.  Despite showing a clear willingness to find that right guy, he's never gotten the great defensive coordinator to help him out, like Spurrier had Stoops.  His tenure coincides with some of the best runs in both USC and Naval Academy history*.  He's been so so close to getting the big defensive tackle the team so desperately needs a handful of times, only to have the rug yanked out from under him at the last second every time.  No, Weis has done a lot of damage to himself, but the comedy of random, Angry Football God errors that plagued the team Saturday is a nice representation of Weis' tenure as a whole.

*A lot of people are shouting about "We lost to Navy, you can't do that!", while ignoring the fact that Navy nearly won at Ohio State and has consistently beaten or kept up with very good teams over the last half decade.  I'm not saying the loss isn't inexcusable and the final nail in Weis' coffin, but a lot of teams would lose to Navy this year, especially when every single bounce went the other way.

So where does the program go from here, at 6-3 with three very losable games ahead and a fan base that's already starting to track private jets?  Before the season started, I wanted 9-3.  After USC, I wanted 9-3, and that record is still possible, however highly unlikely with two road trips against good teams and a home game against a UConn team long overdue for an emotional win.  I don't think Weis wins out, and if he doesn't, it's over.  Even if he wins out - even with the absurdity of firing a 9-3 coach - I'm not sure he can come back.  So much of the fan base is just poisoned against him and in need of a change, I don't know if he can make it.  The fact sheets are created, short lists are being trimmed and if the administration is any sort of competent, they're already sending out feelers for a replacement.  There isn't a group of ND fans in the country who haven't already started their e-mail chain looking for a replacement.

That's what makes Saturday night's game at Pitt so interesting.  I'm very confident in the Irish's ability to compete, despite the fact Pitt is a top ten team with a balanced offense and tenacious defense.  If the Irish lose, well then that's it.  It's Kelly or Gruden or Meyer or Stoops or Patterson or Eric Taylor or whoever you want to dream of in the slot.  If it's a win?  Then there's another week of teeth gnashing and garment rending and seeing if Weis can survive two more games.  If you're interested in high drama and sad because Mad Men just went on hiatus, there's no better place to look than the Notre Dame community as they plan the funeral of a man who is still among the living.

My position regarding Weis is that I wanted 9-3 and that record is still possible, so until it becomes unachievable, I'm going to hold off on posting about potential coaching changes.  I'll be listening to Monday Night Football  for secret signals from Jon Gruden and looking into Brian Kelly's system, but I'm going to cover this team like the games do still matter, at least until they don't any more, which could be this weekend in time for Saturday Night Live.  The FanPosts are available for anyone and everyone to discuss coaching rumors or potential options, but for a few more days at least, I'm going to act like Charlie Weis is the head coach at Notre Dame for the future.  That might be the epitome of naiveté, but that's how we're going to play it until Pittsburgh.

More photos » by Darron Cummings - AP

17 days ago: Notre Dame quarterback Jimmy Clausen, second from left, looks on as the team sings the Notre Dame alma mater after Notre Dame lost to Navy 23-21 in an NCAA college football game in South Bend, Ind., Saturday, Nov. 7, 2009. (AP Photo/Darron Cummings)

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Sigh.  We have a lot to talk about, friends, but enjoy the rest of your weekend and we'll get at it on Monday.  Sad times accomplished.  Solomon Burke, play us out.