But Willingham is gone and what matters now, to use the latest overworked buzz phrase, is moving forward. Weis wasn’t the school’s first choice, but he’s there, and he brings everything he learned under two of the greatest coaches in the business, Bill Parcells and Bill Belichick. Both are coaches who think the way to win is not by collecting the best athletes, but the smartest athletes.

It’s been a long time, more than a decade, since Notre Dame was relevant for more than a few scattered moments. I’m a Domer, and even I didn’t bother watching their games. They were too ordinary, too sloppy, too beatable, too beaten. They weren’t what I was taught to expect when I was there and Ara Parseghian was coach. They weren’t worth the effort.

It’s too early to declare that Notre Dame has rejoined the elite of the game. But there is no question that the program it worth paying attention to again.

It has three impressive wins under its belt and a top 25 AP ranking for the first time since 2002, when Willingham won his first eight games before skidding to 17th at year’s end.

The NBC execs have to be delighted, because ratings are sure to go up. This is a team you want to watch because Weis is a coach you want to keep track of and Notre Dame is a school you can’t ignore, not when it’s playing with skill and passion and precision.

It’s been such a long sleep, it might have been mistaken for a coma. But the echoes are waking up. And that’s not good just for Notre Dame. It’s good for college football.

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