OPINION

By Dave Curtis

updated 12:18 p.m. ET Jan. 7, 2009

This story first appeared in the Jan. 5 edition of Sporting News magazine. If you are not receiving the magazine, subscribe today, or pick up a copy, available at most Barnes & Noble, Borders and Hudson Retail outlets.

Rearrange the letters in beleaguered Notre Dame coach Charlie Weis' name, and discover what a typical Irish fan wanted to do after the team's performance this fall: Cries Awhile.

Yes, ND's football win total increased from 2007 to 2008. Yet the angst around Irish football, thought to have peaked after the Irish's 3-9 season in '07, has grown. What used to be the nation's most storied program is wondering whether it has the right coach, the right players or the right structure to ever contend for a national title.

Most of the questions surround Weis, who is 10-17 in his last 27 games. He spent much of November defending his performance as head coach, and the same school that rewarded Weis with a 10-year contract just seven games into his Irish career back in 2005 felt compelled to release a statement in early December simply to confirm he would be allowed back in 2009.

A cross-section of alums, from former players to message board posters, isn't sure of Weis' fitness to lead Notre Dame back to the top.

"People are very disappointed," legendary Irish star Paul Hornung says. "A lot of them just aren't real happy with Charlie. He needs to win more games."

He certainly can't keep losing home games to Navy (in 2007, to break a 43-game winning streak) and Syracuse (in November, when the Orange were 2-8 and led by lame-duck coach Greg Robinson). Those losses serve as the halfdone legacy of many Notre Dame players who are on pace to experience less success than any of their predecessors.

The team's younger players committed to Weis and the Irish as they reached consecutive BCS bowls after the 2005 and 2006 seasons. This December, after getting drilled again by USC, the same guys seemed excited by getting the opportunity to match mediocre records with Hawaii. Now the Irish face another seven-month offseason with only the momentum built from beating up on the Warriors in a bottom-tier bowl.

"You want to feel good about what's happening because it's so much easier to get out of bed and work hard and push yourself," says safety Kyle McCarthy, who described his team's mood heading into the Hawaii game as "dismal" and "dejected."

"We need to get back to feeling that."

McCarthy and his teammates could find some hope for 2009. The schedule looks Charmin-soft. Quarterback Jimmy Clausen and his line have another season of scars and errors from which to learn under their belts. More ballyhooed recruits will roll onto campus come summertime.

Then again, those were the same reasons for optimism heading into the 2008 season, and we see how that turned out.

But next fall, wins need to follow. Neither Weis, nor the program, nor the crying fans can endure another sorry season.

"We're a better program than what we've shown," outgoing defensive end Pat Kuntz says. "The guys coming back need to make a priority to live up to the tradition here. We owe it to ourselves and to everyone to do better."

Dave Curtis is a writer for Sporting News. E-mail him at .

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