Notre Dame not going to play in a bowl.
http://sports.espn.go.com/ncf/news/story?id=4713316
SOUTH BEND, Ind. -- The Notre Dame football season is officially over.
Athletic
director Jack Swarbrick announced Friday that the school has decided
against going to a bowl game with a 6-6 record, citing "unique
circumstances." He didn't elaborate, but Swarbrick fired coach Charlie
Weis after five seasons earlier this week and the search for a
replacement is under way.
Swarbrick said he reached the decision after meetings with assistant coaches and team leaders.
"The
unique circumstances surrounding our program at the current time
prevent us from making the commitment required to compete in a bowl
game," Swarbrick said in a prepared statement.
Weis was the
team's offensive coordinator, so the team wouldn't have had an
experienced play caller for a bowl game. The school also likely would
have lost money because their only option would have been a minor bowl.
There
also have been questions about how motivated players and coaches would
have been for the game. Players actually met this week to discuss
whether to play in a bowl.
Notre Dame went to the Insight Bowl in
2004 when Tyrone Willingham was fired, but the school accepted the bid
before Willingham was fired. Players at least initially weren't sure
they wanted to play in the bowl, but later voted to play. Both the
offensive and defensive coordinators were still in place. The Irish
were beaten 38-21 by Oregon State.
The school decided against
going to a bowl game in 1996 after Lou Holtz resigned as coach. An
overtime loss to USC in the regular-season finale cost them a shot at a
major bowl that season.
For years, Notre Dame refused to play in
bowls. The Irish played in the Rose Bowl in 1925, then didn't appear in
another bowl until coach Ara Parseghian finally persuaded the
university to let the ninth-ranked Irish play top-ranked Texas in the
1970 Cotton Bowl.
But the decision to play in bowl games came
with the proviso: that Notre Dame play a higher-ranked team or one that
could help the Irish improve their own ranking. That condition no
longer exists.
The Irish went to the Hawaii Bowl last season with a 6-6 record and beat Hawaii 49-21.
"If
the landscape had been different, we would have been thrilled to take
part, and we certainly look forward to being part of the bowl system in
the years to come," Swarbrick said.
The Irish ended this season with four straight losses to finish at .500 for just the sixth time in 121 seasons
Aside from who the new coach will be, the two biggest questions facing the Irish are whether quarterback
Jimmy Clausen or receiver
Golden Tate will be back for their senior seasons.
