The Charlie Weis Debate

If you believe the anonymous sources at ESPN, Scout.com, WNDU-TV, and the South Bend Tribune, Charlie Weis will be back in 2009 for another season. An official announcement either way should come today, says the tipster, but so far, the school’s been tight-lipped. With rumors piling, I’m glad its going to end.

I don’t think that so many reputable sources would report that he’s staying if he wasn’t, and Weis himself seems pretty secure about his job. That doesn’t mean he deserves it. Or does he?

Weis is 28-21 at Notre Dame in four seasons. Last season, they became the school’s first 8-loss team, and they ultimately ended at 3-9. This year, they’ve been mediocre at best, with a 6-6 record ending in two embarrassing losses to Syracuse and USC. The USC loss wouldn’t have been so bad (they’re an excellent team), but afterwards, USC players were vocal about how easy it was to read the Irish and how predictable they were on every single play.

There have been good times too, though. As an independent, they need a high BCS ranking to get an automatic berth to a bowl, and they got there during Weis’ first two seasons. He’s only three years into a 10-year contract, and his buyout would be over $4 million, according to sources. That’s a lot of incentive to keep him around.

Do I think that Weis is running Notre Dame into the ground? Maybe. But I also think he deserves one more year before his firing is really considered. Last year was somewhat of a fluke – they had a young team with no quarterback – and this year, they weren’t perfect, but the did improve with, in general, the same players. Plus, people want to play for him. He’ll be good for recruiting, and then, if it is his time to go, will have set up the next coach with a team full of talent.

So give the guy one more year…then figure out a next course of action. That’s my vote. What’s yours? Leave a comment below.

Picture via Newscom.