Christmas decorations begin in late August, and now the ClayNation Hypesman Watch (CHW) is here in the first week of May. It's part of a new term, I just coined: Heisman Creep. (And it has nothing to do with Maurice Clarett). We're going to try something radical here, every other week or so we'll drop in and give you a top 10 list for Heisman candidates. Even though most of them are finishing their spring finals right about now. The goal is to ridicule the Heisman obsession, keep us entertained, and write about the Heisman in a way no one else is.
And, plainly, it's never too early to start debating the most over-hyped award this side of a kindergarten valedictorian.
And it ain't pretty. Perhaps sensing an opening to take shots at the Notre Dame coach after the new athletic director had to issue something resembling a vote of confidence this week and Jason Whitlock took to calling him college football's "Pear Bryant", the Tribune fired off several more volleys at the ego of the Irish coach.
When [Jeannette PA football coach Ray] Reitz told Weis that [recruit Terrelle] Pryor might attend a USC quarterbacks camp, he remembers Weis replying: "Why send him there? If he's with me for one day he'll be good, two days he'll be great and three days he'll be incredible."
Later, unprompted, Weis asked the Jeannette coaches if they wanted to take a picture of his Super Bowl ring.
What, no request to kiss the ring as well? Ask Pitt what it thinks about Jimmy Clausen after two years with Weis.
Leading up to the game with North Carolina, Notre Dame fans were voicing their displeasure that their team was 4-1 and unranked. This was the first time the Irish have been4-1 and unranked. Well, North Carolina made that point moot today with a 29-24 victory. And they had a lot of help from Notre Dame not being able to hold on to the ball. Notre Dame turned the ball over five times, while the Tar Heels had zero turnovers.
Irish quarterback, Jimmy Clausen had a strong day passing the ball for 384 yards and two touchdowns. But one of his two interceptions was taken back for a touchdown. That play, at the start of the third quarter tuned the momentum of the game. From then on out, North Carolina looked and played like the better team, outscoring Notre Dame 20-7 in the second half.
On the next to last play of the game, Clausen hit Michael Floyd for 24 yards at the North Carolina 19. Floyd fumbled the ball on the play and North Carolina recovered. With the crowd going wild and both teams walking on to the field to shake hands, the play was reviewed for what seemed like 10 minutes before a ruling that the play on the field stood. It was a weird scene waiting for the results, and kept the final outcome in question with Notre Dame so close. But the luck of the Irish ran out today, and Notre Dame fans can go back to worrying about things other than their team being ranked.
North Carolina, on the other hand is right in the mix for a shot at the ACC title game. With Virginia, NC State, Duke, and Maryland still on the schedule, things are certainly looking up. Also, with backup turned starter Cameron Sexton coming on strong at quarterback and not making mistakes while moving the team, questions about the offense might be put to rest.
There are plenty of reasons to be optimistic in South Bend right now. After all, at this time last year the Fighting Irish were 0-5 and well on there way to the worst season in school history. This season they've already surpassed 2007's win total, and are 4-1 while seeming to get better every week. Jimmy Clausen improves with each game, having two consecutive career games, and wide receivers Michael Floyd and Golden Tate give the Golden Domers the ability to score from anywhere on the field.
If there has been a weakness for this Irish team, though, it's been the kicker. Through five games Irish kicker Brandon Walker has made only one of his seven field goal attempts, and he's seven for twenty dating back to last season. After two more misses on Saturday in Notre Dame's 28-21 win over Stanford, Charlie Weis has seen just about enough of Mr. Walker.
"We definitely have to explore Ryan [Burkhart] kicking field goals,'' Weis said Sunday. ''Because in Brandon's case, it's not obviously a case of being able to kick it high enough or far enough. When you're 1 out of 7 kicking field goals, it just doesn't cut it.
''I've heard worse suggestions than that,'' Weis said when asked if sitting Walker for a game or two was an option. ''I don't know the answer to that at this point. We're going to get after this Monday and Tuesday, and we're going to make a decision on what we're going to do.
God bless you, Week 3. Finally, it's time for football with outcomes less predictable than Al Davis' wardrobe or what happens when you leave PJ Hill alone with a Twinkie. Here's 10 games to watch other than Ohio State-USC.
Kansas vs. South Florida, Friday 8PM Why We're Watching: Velour. Please, Mark Mangino, bring back the velour. We'll plant a velour tree, write velour ballads and pray to a velour god who wears gold chains and sleeps on a circular bed (Which is probably James Caan).
Then there's the football, as two previously not-ready-for-primetime teams meet on national television in a game that's as much about this season as a dipstick on the state of two climbing programs. Quarterbacks Matt Grothe andTodd Reesing are the constants from last year's teams, but both the Bulls and Jayhawks have to prove that they've successfully rebuilt key areas of their teams. South Florida lost two four-year starters at cornerback to the NFL draft and replaced them with Jerome Murphy and Tyller Roberts, two players with two career starts entering the season. Kansas lost its leading rusher and its leading receiver, but seems to have no problem filling the holes with Brandon Anderson-styled powerback Angus Quigley and an array of receivers (Reesing has completed passes to 11 different players).
But the matchup of the game will be South Florida's George Selvie against red-shirt freshman lineman Jeff Spikes. Selvie led the nation in sacks last year, but hasn't had the chance to so much as touch a quarterback inappropriately this season. He's due, which should alone send a shiver down Bulls' fans like they just hired Isiah Thomas to run the team. And if that doesn't strike enough fear, consider this: When he was a kid, George Selvie had a Buick fall on his head. If you think that doesn't make you an unstoppable badass, ponder it some more with the entire Wisconsin offensive line sitting on your head to add to the realism.
If South Florida wins, they likely won't play another ranked team this season until they meet West Virginia in December. [ Ed. Note -- The Bulls edged out Kansas on a dramatic last-second field goal. ]
Yesterday, The Big Lead posted pictures of Jimmy Clausen in the general vicinity of what looked to be alcohol. BL also noted that the Clausen and friends were allegedly participating in a thing called "Beer Olympics." Since then, Notre Dame news sources have lit up with stories, and Notre Dame has promised a full investigation. As the article notes, this isn't the first alcohol related trouble Clausen has faced.
It could be the second alcohol-related run-in for Clausen, who was cited in June 2007 for transporting alcohol as a minor.
"I used bad judgment in being in the wrong place at the wrong time, and I've learned from my mistake," Clausen said during his first media appearance after the citation in August 2007.
All evidence to the contrary, Jimmy. If there's one thing you don't want to be, it's a resident of the wrong place at the wrong time. But that's exactly where you are. And you're starting to rival Brady Quinn as the most photogenic quarterback in Notre Dame history. It's not exactly an honor, and it's not an indication that you have learned from your bad judgment.
It will be a surprise if anything comes of this. Despite what those pictures seem to show, there's no evidence that alcohol passed his lips or any of the other Irish players with him. What it is, though, is a distraction to a team that went 3-9 last year. As much as Clausen and his teammates don't want to go through another season like that, you have to believe that Charlie Weis much prefers the "Genius" label to the unflattering labels that have followed him around since last year. Weis has to at least question Clausen's judgment if not his fashion sense. This won't be the one to put Clausen on the bench, or worse, off the team. But it probably will be the one people will look back on if Clausen has any serious off the field issues.
It's not fair that he lives in a world where he can't lead the life of a normal college kid. If it was you or me, those pictures would melt in with the millions of other faceless party pictures on the internet. But being the quarterback at Notre Dame makes you a target. When you show up to announce your choice of colleges in a limo and tux...well...that's on you.
The 2007 season may have been the worst season in the history of Notre Dame football, but if there's a silver lining in the dark clouds that hovered over South Bend all season, it's that sometimes having a bad year helps your recruiting class.
Top high school players from around the country see your team as a location where they'll have a better chance of getting themselves some playing time, and also as a chance to rebuild a program. This has been the case for Notre Dame so far this offseason, as an already strong incoming class of freshman got stronger this afternoon.
Prized high school recruit Deion Walker has committed to playing his college football with the Notre Dame Fighting Irish, adding to a remarkable class of freshman expected to arrive on the South BendIn campus in the fall and turn around the struggling program.
Walker had narrowed his choices of schools down to Penn State, NC State, Texas Tech, USC and Notre Dame but in the end went with the long standing tradition of the Irish despite an awful 2007 campaign. In making his decision Walker noted, "They have a great tradition of winning, that's all that matters. I did not think too much about their disappointing season. We will turn it around."
Walker is ranked as the 35th best player in the country, according to Rivals.com, and is ranked as the 5th best wide receiver in the country. At 6'4 he'll provide Jimmy Clausen with a big target, and he has 4.4 speed which is always nice.
He joins an incoming class at Notre Dame that already features eight other recruits ranked in the top 100 at Rivals.com. So, and I'm crossing my fingers here, maybe Notre Dame will get back to respectability next season.
Charlie Weis thinks that the time Jimmy Clausen spent on the sidelines after being benched for Evan Sharpley has had a very positive effect on his young quarterback. I'm more of the opinion that Clausen's improvement is just 20 minutes of garbage time against Air Force and a full game against Duke, but whatever, improvement is improvement right?
Still there is something Weis would like to see Clausen do this offseason, and that's hit the weight room so his frail frame can take the punishment that comes with playing behind the Irish offensive line.
"That's critical," Weis said. "Not just to take the hit, it's to be able to shrug off guys. The really good quarterbacks, you'll see they are getting touched a lot but they don't go down a lot."
Weis said he has talked to Clausen at length about the need for him to get stronger.
Clausen is listed at 207 pounds as currently constructed, but Weis admits he's really in the 195 pound range, which for a 6'3 quarterback is extremely light. Jimmy doesn't have to get to Brady Quinn status or anything, but adding about 10-15 pounds of muscle sure couldn't hurt in the long run.
Today is Thanksgiving, so now is just as good a time to start as any.
I was stricken with depression this weekend. You see, after Notre Dame beat Duke on Saturday for their second win of the season, and first at home, there was a great inner conflict inside my soul.
On one hand I was happy that the Irish actually won a game, but at the same time I was depressed by the fact a victory over Duke caused so much happiness.
It's just been an absolutely gut-wrenching season to be a Notre Dame fan in 2007. I keep searching for possible answers to all the problems the team has, but I can't find any. Jimmy Clausen has performed well lately, but it all came in garbage time against Air Force and against Duke. That's not exactly a sign of greatness to come.
Charlie Weis will do some serious self-evaluation after this season. Then the Notre Dame coach will let his old coaching buddies on the New England Patriots put their two cents in.
"I think that those guys would have no problem telling me what things I did right and what things I did wrong," Weis said Sunday. "I think those resources, those people, because we're close enough and have a very close relationship won't be afraid of saying to me, 'What the heck are you doing?' And that's what I want. I want somebody to be able to tell me, to say it like that. And I know that those guys would do that."
I'm not sure what the Patriots could tell Charlie though. I mean, other than start taping your opponent's practices and find another Tom Brady.
On Tuesday of this week I told you that Charlie Weis was trying to figure out who was going to be his starting quarterback this weekend against Air Force. I also said that it would be Jimmy Clausen because the Irish have nothing left to play for, so they might as well see let Clausen get some time in before next season.
Turns out I was right-I'm as shocked as you are, probably more so-because the Irish named Clausen the starter again.
Freshman Jimmy Clausen will start at quarterback for the Irish against Air Force on Saturday, Notre Dame announced Wednesday.
Irish coach Charlie Weis did not make himself available for comment but a team spokesman said Weis would address the choice Thursday evening. Clausen was not available for comment Wednesday.
Of course, like I also said on Tuesday, the change won't make any difference.
Notre Dame's problems this season aren't just relegated to the quarterback position. The entire team is a weak spot. The defense played well to start the season( though the final scores would lead you to believe otherwise), but all the time they've had to spend on the field this year is starting to catch up to them. They gave up 46 points to Navy for Touchdown Jesus' sake!
Teams like Michigan and USC ought to feel ashamed of themselves for only putting up 38 points against this team.
And it ain't pretty. Perhaps sensing an opening to take shots at the Notre Dame coach after the new athletic director had to issue something resembling a vote of confidence this week and Jason Whitlock took to calling him 
Leading up to the game with North Carolina, Notre Dame fans were voicing their displeasure that their team was 4-1 and unranked. This was the first time the Irish have been4-1 and unranked. Well, North Carolina made that point moot today with a 29-24 victory. And they had a lot of help from Notre Dame not being able to hold on to the ball. Notre Dame turned the ball over five times, while the Tar Heels had zero turnovers. 
There are plenty of reasons to be optimistic in South Bend right now. After all, at this time last year the Fighting Irish were 0-5 and well on there way to the worst season in school history. This season they've already surpassed 2007's win total, and are 4-1 while seeming to get better every week. 
Yesterday, 
The 2007 season may have been the worst season in the history of Notre Dame football, but if there's a silver lining in the dark clouds that hovered over South Bend all season, it's that sometimes having a bad year helps your recruiting class.
Charlie Weis
I was stricken with depression this weekend. You see, after Notre Dame beat Duke on Saturday for their second win of the season, and first at home, there was a great inner conflict inside my soul.
On Tuesday of this week I told you that 
