Notre Dame
 

Seriously, what has happened with this program?

Ty Willingham is now on the hot seat, I'm not sure if everyone knows this but ND has never let a coach go before their original contract expired. Willingham is in his 3rd year of a 6 year contract, so this could make some more history.

Once the prestigous school of them all, what has gotten Willingham on the hot seat here?

1.) Davies killed the prestige of ND? Possibly. I think in todays world, it's a lot more attractive to go to Miami, OU, USC, etc. than it is to go to ND. Putting the golden helmet used to be the biggest thing of any aspiring college athletes career, now it looks as if the prestige card has simply gone away.

2.) University upping their Academics? Here's a good one, who wants to take Calculus their 1st semester at ND just so you can play for a 4-8 team? anyone? Didn't think so. Notre Dame has upped their academic excellence enough to scare off a lot of their recruits. 2 of the top 200 HS players were committed to ND, that is incredibly low.

3.) Time to talk conspiracy theories but: color of skin? (Not my personal views, just a possible reason.) Is Willingham on the hot seat this year because the people who dictate ND football(alumni) do not want a black head coach?

Let me know what you guys think of this once big time school that has gone down the tubes, and what reasons Ty Willingham is now on the hot seat.

Long ago when I was being recruited out of HS, ND used religious pressure to recruit the best catholic players. A player who was regarded as the best in our state wanted to go to another school, but was told by his priest that it was his duty to god to go to ND. He went there and never materialized as a player. He was cut from the team during his sophmore year. He spent a year in a psycho ward. Shortly after his release, he committed suicide and left a note expressing his regrets for "failing god" because he failed as a football player at ND.

I don't think this type of thing is so blatant these days, but you know that most of the best HS players would now rebel against this type of pressure. I do beleive that ND has lost much of its recruiting network which was ingrained in the catholic culture. I have not researched it, but it seems to me that there are fewer private catholic high schools than in the past and many (Colorado is an exception) have been unable to recruit the best coaches who can get the best HS players.

Great post Denfan! Being a Michigan fan I am glad to see Norte Dame struggle yet dissapointed. I used to look forward to the Michigan vs Norte Dame game almost as much as the Ohio State vs Michigan game.

They used to be nearly as big for us and most of the time a great battle on the field. The day Lou Holtz left was the day Norte Dame began sliding down hill. I remember hearing a interview later on with Lou and he said that he would never return to coaching ND because of their strict academics. So I think you were right on with #2.

I don't think Tradition means as much to todays recruits. Now it's all about a stepping stone to the NFL. That and a couple bad choices at headcoach really destroyed what little Holtz left in the cubbard. The lack of talent is glaring if you watch a Notre Dame game. Rocket Ismail said it best this past weekend. "There may be one or two guys max that could play on the team when I played". Thats a bold but truthful statement.
As far as the Academics goes. Thats pretty obvious. Unless they lower their academic standards they will continue to decline. That will create a decrease in ticket revenues, and then ND will have to sell out and lower their standards. That is the dumbing down of America for you.
And as far as race. I'm not going to be naive and say that there isn't a booster that doesn't like Willingham because of his race. But at the same time, I've always thought Ty was overrated anyways. If he gets fired it will be because he failed and not about his race. They had a good season and a nice recruiting season a couple years ago. They should at worst, finish with an 8-4, 9-3 record. Willingham doesn't seem to make the changes that need to be made throughout a game. He sticks with one thing and does it until the final gun sounds. Thats not going to win you many games. That is all...Carry on

I'll add in another one: their schedule.

Even the best of teams would have a tough tie going 10-2 or 9-3 with ND' schedule:

AT BYU
Vs Michigan
AT Michigan State(Ok, they got a win here)
Vs. Washington
Vs. Purdue
Vs. Stanford
At Navy
Vs. Boston College
At Tennessee
Vs. Pittsburgh
At. USC

And if they lost to BYU, realistically Michigan State and Navy are the only 2 that looks like real wins for the Irish this year(BYU is projected to finish 6th in the MWC this year.)

Michigan is gonna drill them, Purdue will drill them, Washington and Stanford will probably drill them, Tennessee will drill them, and obviously USC will run them off the field as well.

Maybe ND needs to throw a few more gimmes on the schedule instead of playing a bad-ass schedule year in and year out.

You mean like all the Div. II schools that Nebraska and K-State like to pummel each year? :nono:

At least Notre Dame has the balls (like CU) to play a REAL schedule! I'm not an Irish fan, the Buffs are my team, but it pisses me off that the Huskers and K-State always pad their standings in the conference by playing Grandma U. and Catholic All-Girls High School, while the Buffs and Notre Dame man-up and play REAL competition. Should be a rule against that wuss-out crap. 4321~

They will lose to Michigan State. If you go to the game, I guarantee you will see signs telling them to "go for a tie" in reference to 1966.

Notre Dame did have a soft schedule until the last 3-4 years. They played Michigan, Michigan State, Purdue, USC and a bunch of nobodies. (Suspect Boston College would not like that, but in reality they are not a football powerhouse). Over the last 20 years Purdue and Michigan State have been average, USC has been up and down. Only Michigan has been consistently ranked. they have never had a schedule as hard as they have this year. BYU might have been the weakest team on the schedule.

You mean like KSU playing Fresno State, or Nebraska playing Southern Miss and Pitt? You're a moron.

No, YOU'RE a moron. I mean like Nebraska playing Div. II Western Illinois University last week, and K-State with Western Kentucky and UL-Lafayette. What don't you get? WEAK! Nice try.

Division II, eh? ROFL!

Dude...what do you NOT get? :hitself: Why are you even arguing? Go ahead, look at the NON conference schedule over the past years of both Nebraska and K-State, and then compare it to who Colorado played, okay? You'll see that Nebraska and K-State both play LOTS of... YES...Division II college opponents, and CU rarely does. This isn't a secret, even those schools admit that they do it and you'll see that they DO. What's the argument? I know you're trying to defend which ever one is your team, but the schedules of the past PROVE that they both like to "tune-up" with teams that give them no competition. The lesser teams agree to it for the money pay-out. I just think that it gives K-State and Nebraska an "artificial" over-all record because of this, okay?

For the record, it's I-AA, not Division II. Secondly, the strategy WORKS. Nebraska has been a national powerhouse for years and K-State is the Big XII Champion. Until college gets a preseason like the pros where they are able to iron out problems in game situations, I will back Bill Snyder's scheduling 100%.

Like Crush said...its Division I-AA, thats why I laughed. Division II is nothing compared to I-AA.

Second..how can a little Buffie be talkin smack? Hilarious!

Once again...you're missing the point. If you look back to the original context of this argument, it had to do with level of competition. 1 AA, Div. II, High School Prep, whatever the case, why the need to "tune up" on Little Sisters of the Poor, when other schools don't have to? I think it can actually hurt a team. I believe the BCS did away with this and it's no longer in the formula, but strength of schedule was a factor in BCS rankings, and you're actually rated higher for a close loss to a top-25 team, than you are for a blowout against a second-tier team. You're tougher, mentally and physically, by playing against fellow "big boys", too. For example, does Nebraska REALLY know how good they are by beating up on Western Illinois? What happens when they come up against teams like the upper eschelon of the Big 12? I guess we'll see soon enough, but why diss the teams like CU or Notre Dame who don't usually play hapless teams with no chance? They've both had success, too, and not needing a "pre-season"-like schedule to do it.

CU has been a National Champion. When was the last time K-State had even a share? ROFL!

KSU fans are just happy being in the top 10. They can't even fathom what a National Championship would feel like.

Ouch Saul I just remember you are a Chiefs and KSU fan. You are really itching to feel a championship!

LOL Chiefs haven't had a sniff of a SuperBowl for, what? Like 30+ years! Till they win one, no make that BACK-TO-BACK Superbowls, and K-State wins a National Championship, I don't think there should be ANY smack talk from a Queef \ Wild Kitty fan.

It's great to be a fan of Colorado football teams! :thumbs:

Here we go again..Broncos and Buffies livin in the past. Oh well, its amusing. I'm glad my team doesn't have an NCAA investigation going on.

LOL Jealous much? Ever even SEEN your teams win anything? No...didn't think so.

BTW, the investigation turned up nothing. Notice Barnett has his job, not that it would've been his doing anyway...no charges pressed against anyone...and alcohol and sex happens at every University. Now you're REALLY reaching to try to come up with something. YOU'RE living in the past! The investigation is over.

News travels slowly to the school ranked 117 for academics in the NCAA - ksu

LOL Must be the from the static making it hard to hear on the transistor radio duct-taped to the John Deere out in the field.

to be fair to Davis, it was his recruiting that helped Ty out his first year. since then Ty hasnt done anything useful with the program. i think the old school of thought about teams that run primarily is over. think Nebraska is starting to catch on? it didnt take them long to find a coach who has a pass mentality. Notre Dame is just not going to be able to keep up especially with the lack of talent going there these days.

You have a source for that, or just making up BS?

Yeah, I have. I have seen them beat the buffies numerous times. I've seen them win a Big XII title. I've seen them win win win.

The investigation isn't over. Their is still fallout from the scandal. Also, the past we are speaking of is THIS YEAR. You are bringing up crap from last century.

Okay...let me lay out the facts for you.....Colorado has a record of 41-17 all-time against K-State. Colorado is 2nd in the Big XII North to Nebraska with an all-time winning percentage of .588. Kansas State is dead-last in the Big XII North with an all-time percentage of .398. And they have NEVER WON THE NATIONAL TITLE. Before Bill Snyder they were the doormats of the conference, for decades. But, still NO CHAMPIONSHIP. And just winning the Big XII North is like KC only winning the AFC West. It's about being the Champions!

The investigation IS over. There may be fallout, but it's over.