Already last year, however, it was clear that teams that had been surprised by his schemes in his first year had caught on to his tricks. He had beaten Michigan and almost beat USC in his rookie year; last year, both teams waxed him.

And this year, he started the season playing coy about who his quarterback would be, then came out against Georgia Tech determined to show he could run the ball as well as Woody Hayes used to. He got trounced. The next week, with passer Jimmy Clausen at quarterback, he got thrashed by Penn State.

This was supposed to be a rebuilding year for Notre Dame, which means fans would have accepted a 7-4 record. But Weis has had two years to recruit now, and the quality of the product is going down, not up. He’s got no running game — none. His defense is worse than last year. The offensive line — a traditional Notre Dame strength — is thoroughly mediocre.

Weis doesn’t have to prove he’s a genius; he has to prove he can coach at all. And he has to do it against Notre Dame’s oldest rival — Michigan.

There’s that old question about what happens when an irresistible force meets an immovable object. This Saturday, we’ll get the answer to the reverse of that: What happens when a resistible force meets a moveable object.

College football Two-man race with Tebow, McFadden

It’s not likely to be pretty. But it will be worth watching. It may be the biggest game the rivalry has ever produced.

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