Thoughts on Coach Weis' 'I Never Change' Policy

The criticism varies in form and acidity, coming from the mainstream sports press, the blogosphere, the opinion pages of the campus newspaper, and the halls of campus dorms and student center. Anyone who knows Notre Dame and its football program has an opinion -- generally a strong one -- about the coach.

It's not much different than Washington, D.C. insiders having opinions -- generally strong ones -- about the performance of elected leaders in the Capital.

In fact, the politics of a nationally known, highly lucrative and historically successful university athletic program are as ruthless as anything inside the D.C. beltway, I'd argue.

There aren't any protesters yet, but there are already numerous advocacy groups (ChuckWeis.com is a favorite) promoting the coach's ouster. There have been ad campaigns (most notably a prominent billboard near campus) bemoaning Weis's performance, and pundits continue to have a field day at the football program's expense. I have no doubt that Notre Dame's athletic director, Jack Swarbrick, has been inundated with calls, letters and e-mails about Coach Weis and the football program.

Following any national sports program and its ups-and-downs is entertaining. Watching the political drama unfold around an under-performing team (e.g. recent Dallas Cowboys letdowns under coach Wade Phillips) or the comings-and-goings of key staff or players (Exhibit A: Packers-turned-Jets-turned-Vikings quarterback Brett Favre) is always interesting at the least.

With a nationally known college program, though, that drama gets amplified. For one, a large number of fans are concentrated in one geographic area. Second, the passion demonstrated by these fans is arguably stronger than that of many pro teams. And third, for many top college programs, a team's success on the playing field translates into a substantial revenue stream, one that's especially lucrative when other sources of revenue are down during a recession.

All those pressures make the success (or failure) of a top college sports program a very politically charged issue.

When Notre Dame faces Pittsburgh this Saturday night, the pressure on Weis and his team will be palpable.

If Weis and the Irish can pull off a win against the No. 8-ranked team, the criticism will die down considerably. But unless the Irish can pull off not only a win on Saturday, but another two more to end the season 9-3, the head coach could find his job on the chopping block.

And that's something President Obama and other politicians can at least avoid. While there probably are moments when any politician would be interested in the kind of multi-million-dollar contract buy-out a Weis firing would mean, they're pretty much stuck with the job until the term is up -- regardless of their approval ratings.

But should their coaching or political careers come to an abrupt end, both types have a similar option down the road -- Lou Holtz and Mike Huckabee are prime examples. Cable will be happy to have them.