Navy’s victory over Notre Dame marked the first time an Irish coach lost back-to-back home games against the Mids.
It was the first time an unranked Navy team beat a ranked Notre Dame team since 1936, the first year of the AP Poll.
It was the second time the Irish lost to the Mids in the last three years — after winning 43 consecutive games against Navy from 1964-2006.
But Notre Dame’s struggles against their Annapolis rival aren’t the only reason that Charlie Weis needs to get the boot out of South Bend.
Weis’ tenure at Notre Dame is full of embarrassment and lacks a real signature win.
He started strong with two trips to BCS bowls, but a loss to Ohio State in the Fiesta Bowl in 2006 and a blowout 41-14 loss to LSU in the 2007 Sugar Bowl marked the Irish’s ninth straight bowl game defeat, the longest drought in NCAA history.
The 2007 season was a mess for the Irish, losing the most games in school history (9).
Notre Dame was able to bounce back to end its bowl skid with a win over Hawaii in the Hawaii Bowl last year, but the 2008 season will also be remembered for the Irish’s first loss to an eight-loss team — a 24-23 home defeat to Syracuse.
Weis has a 35-24 record as head coach at Notre Dame. He’s a loss away from having the same winning percentage as former Irish coaches Ty Willingham and Bob Davie and he’s not too far behind Gerry Faust‘s 30-26-1 record — which some believe is the program’s lowest point. All three previous coaches were shown the door.
The former New England Patriots offensive coordinator has had a pair of Heisman Trophy candidate quarterbacks and a top 25 recruiting class since 2006 (according to scout.com) at his disposal, but he’s failed to bring prosperity back to the Golden Dome.
Maybe the next Notre Dame coach can capitalize on the Irish’s national TV contract, top recruiting classes and BCS loophole to bring a national championship to South Bend.
