Lackluster

I used to be big into sports message boards. There could have been an article with the most insignificant subject matter, and chances are, I had something to say about it. But after awhile, I got sick of the whole scene. From clueless sports fans to close-minded homers, reading and replying to message boards became tiring.

On a summer day a few years ago, with nothing better to do than debate preseason college football topics, my career as a message board scribe ended abruptly. After an explicit disagreement with a Notre Dame football fan, Sportsline.com permanently snatched away my message board privileges. I don't blame them.

Whether you're a message board visitor or not, they can be pretty entertaining to read. I've encountered all types of fans on these things. There are the guys that actually know what they're talking about, the ones that don't, the ones with dirty mouths (me), and everything in between. One type of fan that you find quite often is The Typical Notre Dame Fan.

I don't mean to disrespect any well-informed ND rooters out there (and I'm aware that idiotic fans can be found all over), but these guys are almost funny with their ridiculous expectations, ultra-confident optimism, and poor excuses when things don't go their way. My biggest problem is their inability to view things with clarity. Notre Dame football stinks. Actually, it has for years and I don't think those guys got the memo. The Irish are overrated every season, yet their fans demand the respect of a perennial title contender. What gives?

From 1988 to 1993, Notre Dame was the class of college football. Over those six years, the Irish won at least nine games each year, including five 10-win campaigns. Since those Lou Holtz-led golden years, the Irish have been anything but. In fact, inconsistent would be the best word to describe Notre Dame's recent football history. Since the early-to-mid 90's, most ND teams have increased their win total one season, only to see it decrease the next. They have appeared in a good number of bowl games over the last fifteen years, but winning them is another story. The Irish are winless in their last nine bowl games, dating back to 1995, with an average margin of 17 points per loss. And while Notre Dame has played in some high-profile bowls since the inception of the BCS, whether they deserved to make such appearances can be argued.

I have a few theories as to why Notre Dame football has been so mediocre. The first has to do with the overall parity in college football today. Twenty years ago, how often were "mid-majors" going undefeated? As of today, Ball State, Boise State, and Utah are all undefeated. Generations ago, this would have seemed more foreign than an exchange student. In 2004 the regular season ended with five undefeated teams. If the '08 regular season ended today, the same could be said for the current season. Last year, the winner of the BCS National Championship finished the season with two losses. And without getting too deep into the BCS talk, how many times has the regular season ended with drama over which one-loss team is most deserving of the #2 ranking? Although that question was of the rhetorical variety, I'll take any and every shot I get at the BCS by telling you: virtually every year! Then, there's the most glaring evidence of the parity in college football today: the upsets. Nowadays, huge upsets go down multiple times a week. Twenty years ago, was little Appalachian State upsetting big, bad Michigan in the Big House? Of course not. For that matter, was Notre Dame losing at home to Navy then? I'll let you answer that one.

Still, parity isn't the only reason for Notre Dame's struggles. You've heard me say it before, and I'll say it again... High school athletes are finding more and more opportunities to play college football all over the country. From the undefeated mid-majors I mentioned before, to all the unexpected success stories of the recent past (Northwestern in '95, Oregon State in '00, Wake Forest in '06), kids can attend the traditional BCS cellar-dwellers and still get a great football/academic education. Can you blame them? Why go to Notre Dame and sit for two or three years, when you can start for Texas Tech, LSU, or Cal right away?

In addition to all the opportunities outside of South Bend, and while considering the balance of power in the FBS today, one key factor to winning games that goes hand-in-hand with these is recruiting. College football recruiting in not an exact science. While many recruiting agencies and scouts are dead-on with their evaluations, you never really know what you're getting. And if you've ever followed this process closely, you know that certain schools tend to get a little extra hype each year. It seems as though, sometimes, when certain schools are interested in a player, that player's stock rises. It should work the other way. When was the last time the Tennessee Volunteers were a force in the SEC, or a serious national title contender? Years ago. Yet, if you only followed recruiting sites such as Rivals or Scouts, you would think the Vols were in the BCS hunt every year. The same can be said of Notre Dame. The last four Irish recruiting classes have been considered top-10, at the very least. The actual football team? Not so much.

We all know that players win championships. Guys like Joe Paterno and Bobby Bowden haven't changed the way they do things for over 40 years. Yet, their teams have had their ups and downs (although it's been mostly ups for these two). My point is that, generally speaking, coaches don't gain or lose much from year to year. Given that fact, I discard any notion that Charlie Weis or his coaching has anything to do with the continued mediocrity. Maybe kids just aren't marveled, or mystified, by Notre Dame and its great traditions. It's fairly common for young people to neglect old-school traditions today. Maybe religion has something to do with it. Many young people have no religious preference and/or beliefs, and even if they do, very few actually practice. A lot of guys thank God or praise The Lord after a touchdown, big game, or great season. But besides Tim Tebow, how many attend church on Sunday?

Notre Dame and its average performances over the last 10+ years can be attributed to any of these things. My guess is that it's a little of each. There's no denying that a few of my theories affect one another. If there are opportunities elsewhere, recruits will go elsewhere. And if recruits go elsewhere, we will see parity. It makes sense to me. What doesn't make sense to me is the attention that the Irish receive each year. Here is a basic year for Notre Dame football: They hand pick their schedule, lose to the good teams, beat the bad ones, sneak into a bowl they don't deserve because they're independent, lose in the bowl game, get over-hyped during the offseason, and repeat. So why all the attention? Why are there such high expectations? If a team has a bad year or two, it's an accident. If it happens for fifteen straight years, it's a trend. Barack is calling for the abolishment of the BCS. Ditto that, Prez. I just wish that, once and for all, someone would call for an abolishment of Notre Dame football mania.