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If it weren't for the biggest upset in the history of college football (aw, come on, embrace the honor), the rapidly deflating coaching myth that is Charlie Weis would have dominated this week's college football conversation.
It isn't just that Georgia Tech thumped Notre Dame 33-3 last week, in a game that probably wasn't even as close the final score indicated.
It's that Notre Dame has lost its last three games by a combined score of 118-41.
Notre Dame fans have gone from worrying Weis will be snatched up by the NFL to comparing him to - believe it or not - fired coach Tyrone Willingham, the man who was run out of town to be replaced by Weis.
The latest blowout caused The South Bend Tribune to compare Weis' losses of 20 points or more with Willingham's. Willingham still leads Weis 6-4 in blowouts through 26 games, but all of Weis' are in the last 13 months.
"I'm very, very disappointed in my performance and our players' performance," Weis said at his weekly news conference. "And I expect all of our performances across the board to improve."
Weis made headlines by announcing he'd start heralded freshman Jimmy Clausen at quarterback, but that seems unlikely to fix what went wrong against Georgia Tech.
What the Irish need is somebody who can stop the run. Georgia Tech racked up 265 yards on the ground last week, continuing to roll even when Weis packed the box with multiple linebackers to, um ... help?
Oh, and some bodies for the offensive line, which couldn't stop the Georgia Tech pass rush (nine sacks allowed) or operate efficiently in the run game (minus-0.2 yards per carry).
Nine sacks allowed, and now Weis is going to start a freshman quarterback against Penn State this week in Beaver Stadium.
Wow.
I never thought these words would ever pass my lips when the kid flew to Notre Dame and took a Hummer to the College Football Hall of Fame to announce his college choice, but I actually feel sorry for Jimmy Clausen.
Suddenly, there's not much talk about Weis' recruiting success and all his Super Bowl rings, huh?
Michigan fans clamoring for Lloyd Carr's retirement or firing would do well to pause for a second and consider how much difficulty Notre Dame has had finding a good coach, let alone a great one.
Would you trade Carr for Bob Davie? For Willingham? Obviously not.
Would you trade him for Weis? There was obviously a time when some Michigan fans might have, but right now? I'd go with Carr.
If you're one of those folks who believes Carr's success comes mostly because it's so easy to win at Michigan, take a minute to explain to me why it hasn't been so easy for the last three coaches at Notre Dame, which has all the stature of Michigan, if not more.
Game of the week
No 19 Texas Christian at No. 7 Texas (2 a.m., tape delay, FSN Detroit): Yes, this game gets the nod over Virginia Tech at Louisiana State, because if TCU wins this game, it might not face another ranked opponent all year (and, thus, is perfectly set up to crash the Bowl Championship Series).
The Frogs have a feisty defense. Defensive end Tommy Blake gets all the pub, but the other end, Chase Ortiz, linebacker Jason Philips and safety Brian Bonner are all legit. If the defense can keep it under 30, and tailback Aaron Brown moves the chains, TCU has a shot.
Heisman hype
No change in our Heisman rankings this week, which is fairly unusual. The temptation was to find a place for Hawaii's Colt Brennan, after he ripped Northern Colorado for 416 yards, but it was Northern Colorado. Besides, nobody in our top five struggled.
1. John David Booty, QB, USC; 2. Darren McFadden, RB, Arkansas; 3. Brian Brohm, QB, Louisville; 4. Ray Rice, RB, Rutgers; 5. Mike Hart, RB, Michigan.
Underdog picks
Well, there you go, a 2-2 start to the season. The sad part is, if past form holds it's going to be the high point. Georgia Tech and UConn both pulled straight-up wins out against Notre Dame and Duke, both pretty much gimmes. Eastern Michigan was four points short of a cover versus Pitt, Arizona well off against Brigham Young.
Eastern is my white whale. Every time I like 'em and don't pick 'em, they cover. Every time I pick 'em, they don't. I'd like to swear Jeff Genyk's team off, but I won't.
This week let's start with Oregon (+8) at Michigan. Seriously, how can you not? (Besides, for me it's a no-lose pick. If Michigan loses, I get the cover, if Michigan wins, I'm happy for the kids and my hope for a good bowl trip remains alive).
Navy (+17) at Rutgers is too many points to pass up given Paul Johnson's coaching. Bowling Green (+18) won't beat Michigan State, but again, that's a lot of points. Brigham Young (+7.5) is a risky pick at UCLA, but the Cougars looked like they have a defense last week against Arizona. TCU (+9.5) at Texas is a bit of a reach, but a fun one.
Last week: 2-2 against the spread; Season: 2-2 ATS.
Big Ten rankings
Biggest mistake last week was not ranking Minnesota last. Whether Tim Brewster succeeds or fails long-term, it's going to a rough transition from Glen Mason's dedicated rushing attack to Brewster's vision of a balanced attack. Oh, wait, did I say biggest mistake? Well, yeah, there was that matter of ranking Michigan first. ...
1-t. Penn State; 1-t. Appalachian State; 3. Ohio State; 4. Wisconsin; 5. Iowa; 6. Michigan State; 7. Purdue; 8. Northwestern; 9. Indiana; 10. Illinois; 11. Minnesota.
*Wolverines suspended from conference until they beat a I-A opponent.
Quick Michigan
It's a bad sign that my initial thought is, "If Michigan can keep Oregon under 30 ..." and a worse sign that you've got to be skeptical of the Wolverines' defense being able to do just that. This one feels like a shootout, and Michigan typically struggles in shootouts. Expect big-time redemption from Chad Henne, solid yards from Mike Hart, and solid bounce-back effort. Prediction: Michigan 39, Oregon 27.
Quick Michigan State
Had to really like what you saw out of the Spartans last week, despite the fact Alabama-Birmingham clearly won't be much good this year. Jehuu Caulcrick and Javon Ringer looked like the expected one-two punch at tailback, while quarterback Brian Hoyer and the defense were solid. Bowling Green is a small step up in competition, but not much. Prediction: Michigan State 30, Bowling Green 13.
Quick Eastern Michigan
Ball State comes to town with an experienced offense and a defense that was solid in last week's 14-13 loss to Miami. The Eagles couldn't muster even the threat of a threat against Pittsburgh offensively, which is a bad sign. If Eastern can't move the ball against a spotty Ball State defense, it's hard to imagine them scoring against anyone. Prediction: Ball State 27, Eastern Michigan 23.
