Pick a number between 0 and 12: That's Weis' future with Irish

There is a magic number for Charlie Weis to keep his job. It's up to everyone else to figure out exactly what it is.

"I wouldn't answer that," Notre Dame's coach told me this week. "I can tell you we would be very disappointed if we weren't in the BCS discussion."

After seemingly coming close to being let go after last season, Weis knows he is on the shortest of leashes. His contract says 2015, as in the last year on his deal. Reality says he has the 2009 season to achieve a major turnaround.

Does somebody up there like Charlie Weis? That might depend on how many victories Notre Dame gets. (US Presswire)

So, define "BCS discussion." Eight wins? Nine? Ten? It really doesn't matter. Athletic director Jack Swarbrick has the definition of the term in his head, and he isn't talking. A soft schedule combined with Notre Dame's soft qualification standards make a BCS bowl doable.

Doing the doable is the issue. Weis hasn't for the most part in his four seasons in South Bend. ND got to the Hawaii Bowl with a 6-6 record last season despite finishing the regular season by blowing a fourth-quarter lead against dreadful Syracuse and getting drilled (again) by USC.

The '09 schedule includes no ranked teams in my spring top 25. A 9-3 season seems to be a reasonable expectation. That would get Notre Dame into that BCS discussion. So how hard can it be for there to be a return to excellence? That's what a lot of ND Nation is asking as the team heads toward a significant spring game Saturday. Usually, these sorts of things are hit-and-giggle exhibitions, an offseason treat for the alums.

Would it be too harsh to suggest that Notre Dame fans come away with something more than a killed Saturday afternoon? Something close to hope? Obviously, it would help everyone concerned if the Irish continue the modest momentum they achieved last season.

It's amazing what a four-touchdown bowl victory over a 7-6 WAC team will do.

"For these young guys, it was the first time they really felt good," Weis said.

The bigger issue is when and how Notre Dame gets back to being Notre Dame. Weis continues to recruit well, but his signature win continues to be that 2005 loss to USC. Jimmy Clausen, his signature recruit, continues to progress, but maybe not at the rate some would expect. His 22-of-26 performance (with four dropped balls) and five touchdowns against Hawaii left a good taste.

"Obviously that bowl game really helped because the popular opinion was that the players had thrown in the towel," Weis said. "There was nothing further from the truth."

Hawaii was paradise for Notre Dame. Weis snagged five-star linebacker out of the state, beating USC and BYU among others for what is believed to be the first Mormon in the program. A Mormon at a Catholic school is far less of a talking point than getting the defense shored up. Manti Teo could start from the jump.

"A top-line defensive player is something that has escaped us some," Weis said.

•  Weis asked family if he should quit

It's easy to attack the coach because of his attitude, which is confident bordering on cocky. Match that attitude with an underwhelming record, and you get the backlash. There are those in press boxes and at websites openly rooting for Weis to fail. Me? I like his swagger. I feel sorry for him for all the physical ailments he has had to endure. I also like his vulnerability, his admittance this week that maybe he wasn't fully prepared for what it meant to be Notre Dame's coach.

Sure, he's hard to work with. He has been criticized for both doing too many and too few appearances. When you're winning, it doesn't matter. Those criticisms are crutches for those who might not want to admit the obvious:

Maybe Notre Dame will never get back to being Notre Dame. Maybe it's impossible to compete consistently for a BCS bowl without being in a conference. That's speculation. We do know the coach has that vulnerable side. It genuinely bothered him that his job might be in danger. Don't forget that he is an alum with emotional investment in the school.

Poll How many victories will Notre Dame have in 2009? 6% Three or fewer   33% 4 to 6   48% 7 to 9   12% 10 or more   Total Votes: 8584

Weis and his wife, Maura, decided that Charlie Jr. should stay home from school for three days after the Syracuse loss. When the blowout loss to USC followed, Weis told his son, "You're going to school Monday."

"That was meant to be private," said Weis, who blamed himself for mentioning the situation to the Chicago Tribune. "I got [trouble] from both of them [Maura and Charlie Jr.]."

He bristles of talk that if he doesn't get the job done, the NFL will be there to catch him on the rebound.

"Why in the world would I be coming here to leave?" Weis said. "People said I was using this as a steppingstone to the NFL. I've already been to the NFL. It's nice to have contingency plans if things don't work out, but I want to be here for a long, long time."

Of course, there has been the weeklong mini-controversy about what the coach really meant when talked with his family about his future at Notre Dame.

"Like any other husband or father when there is a period of apparent uncertainty, you always address things," Weis said. "So did I talk about it with my wife and my kids? Of course I did, but never with the intent of going. ... I wasn't looking to leave. I was discussing it with my family, just in case."

When Weis' job became an issue, money apparently was not an issue with the administration. His buyout was reportedly at least $4 million.

The only magic number left, then, is the number of victories in Swarbrick's mind.

With more than 50 teams playing spring games this weekend, get the skinny in Dennis Dodd's blog, Dodds and Ends.