How to define success in 2000
Brian Burke
Fourth and fifteen
xAs the final week wanes before Notre Dame's season opener against Texas A&M, it seems that the campus can do little but wait. After all, there's no game from the previous week to talk about, and since our head coach has adopted a bunker mentality where he closes practices to the media, we really don't have any idea what the heck is going on in there.
I suppose it's just as well Notre Dame football fans keep indulging in that wonderful spring and summer pastime: speculating about the job status of Bob Davie.
When discussing this topic, every supporter of the Irish seems to have a standard that Davie must meet to keep his job. There are generally two schools of thought.
First, there is option A: "5-7? Are you kidding me? If he doesn't go to a BCS Bowl he should be canned!"
And then there is the slightly less demanding option B: "5-7? Are you kidding me? If he doesn't go at least 8-3 he should be canned!"
One Notre Dame football analyst who seems to be of the latter opinion is Tim Prister, the Editor of Blue & Gold Illustrated, a popular publication covering Notre Dame football. In his preseason issue, Prister writes "…there should be enough experience, talent, and pride on this team to finish at least 8-3. Anything less than that is a crime…if (the coaches) don't lead this team to a New Year's Day bowl, the school has an obligation to find the right coaching combination."
A crime? I can't say I disagree. But will Athletic Director Kevin White see it that way? All these opinions on what Davie needs to stay could differ from what he actually needs to do in the eyes of White. Is there any way 7-4 could be enough? Consider these scenarios:
Notre Dame loses to Nebraska, Purdue, West Virginia, and USC. All are close losses. Nebraska looks primed for a national title. Purdue has a Heisman trophy candidate at quarterback. Morgantown, West Virginia is a very difficult place to play (just ask Virginia Tech) and some think the Mountaineers will turn it around this season. A very talented USC team sure looked improved while they were trouncing Penn St. on Sunday.
That would also mean quality wins over Texas A&M, Michigan St., and we might be able to stretch Boston College into a "quality win" if they continue to improve this year. Add no ridiculous losses as some of last year's seven were. To make the decision tougher, let's say the Irish beat a team like Tennessee in a mid-tier bowl to go 8-4. Would that make a four-loss season look good enough?
What if Notre Dame starts 4-1, then Arnaz Battle goes down (knock on wood) and we limp to a 7-4 finish? It sounds far-fetched but we need only look back to 1998 to see what happens when this team is firing on all cylinders one second and the next the quarterback is out and the offense is sputtering. Would an excellent start overshadow the fact that Notre Dame still has not groomed a quarterback that can step in for the starter?
These are all interesting questoins. What it adds up to is if it's an 8-3 season, Davie probably stays, and if it's 7-4, maybe he still stays. If USC turns out to be a Top 10 team and other teams on the schedule end up being good, 7-4 might be deemed acceptable.
At 7-4 it could also come down to how the Fighting Irish look on the field. Will we see another non-existent pass rush or cornerbacks getting beat with their backs to the ball? Will we see something resembling pass protection? How about a quarterback running left and two running backs running right on the last play of the game? Most importantly, will we see a team play together and inspired?
Let's make something clear, though. 8-3 should be the absolute minimum to prevent a change from being made. More like 9-2. Call me old fashioned, but I like my popcorn with real butter, my pants without cargo pockets, and my Notre Dame football teams winning. A four year span of 7-6, 9-3, 5-7, and 7-4 (or 7-5 perhaps) is not winning.
It would show that seven win seasons are becoming more the rule than the exception. 8-3 was a down season for Lou Holtz, and the fact that some now are hoping for 8-3 goes to show how low expectations have sunk. When was the last time so many Notre Dame lovers and haters alike just penciled in an "L" for a game the way they have for Nebraska? At home no less! Somehow I think there's a bunch of alumni out there who agree.
In any event, isn't speculating fun? All good things must come to an end though, and in just three short days we will be able to base our theories on something solid when the Irish play an actual game.
An actual game…finally. No more 8-3 talk. No more Tom Coughlin talk. No more Barry Alvarez talk.
Just the Irish on one side, and the Aggies on the other.
All Sports Stories for Wednesday, August 30, 2000
