A Tale of Two Seasons

by John Don

The 2009 season is going to be Charlie Weis' signature season with the Irish... regardless of the outcome.  Either the Irish will bounce back and he will prove that he just may be the man for the job after all, or he'll prove that the Irish (namely Kevin White) have made another poor hire and the rebuilding process starts all over again.  A vicious cycle.

But I truly do see this season going one of two directions: either Clausen will finally break-out and be the all-world quarterback we all expected, leading his team to 10+ victories; or we will stumble out of the gate and come to a limping finish in a lower-tier bowl game (or worse).  And the key to it all: the Nevada game.  Both Irish fans and haters can complain about Notre Dame's soft schedule this year, but don't kid yourself - the Wolf Pack are a legitimate opponent.  They averaged 38 points per game in 2008 and returning quarterback Colin Kaepernick threw for 2800 yards and 22 touchdowns while rushing for an additional 1100 yards and 17 touchdowns as just a sophomore.  I'm not looking forward to seeing his performance on September 5.

We should win this game; after all it's Nevada, right?  But looking at the schedule on paper, I believe Nevada may be the third or fourth best team on the schedule.  And although we know Weis and Co. are much improved, this is largely the same cast of characters that should have lost to San Diego State just a year ago.  It's the first game of the season, so you never know just how ready the team will be to come out and play (jitters, nerves, etc.) and we could very easily get stuck in an offensive shootout that we just can't match.  If we take care of business and beat Nevada I have little doubt that we will go on to have a successful season and start to get things turned around.  But if we find a way to lose...

Imagine the fire storm the media would produce.  Powerhouse Notre Dame losing to Nevada?? The negativity surrounding the program would be at an all time high.  Over the past few seasons we've all seen the effects that a crushing loss can have on this team; after close losses to North Carolina and Pittsburgh last year, that Irish never fully recovered to get the season back on track.  A loss to Nevada would cause a severe loss of confidence, in both the players and the coaches.  The team would not bounce back to play to their potential until they have a new head man in the spring of 2010.

With traditional rivals Michigan, Michigan State, and Purdue in the following weeks, it could be very easy for the Fighting Irish to look past this little ole team, Nevada.  But the Wolf Pack may be the best team out of that group!  Hopefully we will see the Clausen aerial attack on display on September 5, or we could be in for a long season.  A simple W against Nevada to open the season could be the difference between 10-2 and 6-6.