The Chicago Tribune, Sun-Times, and New York Times all pondered the future of struggling Notre Dame coach Charlie Weis Monday. We went through this drill two weeks ago after the Irish were blanked by Boston College, and it seems to be more of the same: heavy on the speculation and opinion, and devoid of quotes, probably since nobody in the ND athletic department is talking, and nor at the boosters.

Short of a 70-0 drubbing at the hands of USC – and even then, we still think it’d be a longshot – we don’t envision the Irish cutting Weis loose. The reasons are three-fold:

1) The money. They gave him too much money and too many years – who negotiated that mess, Isiah Thomas? – and though nobody’s speculated on what the buyout would cost, the NYT said it “probably be the largest paid by a college to a coach.”

2) Recruiting. Have you seen what has happened in Tennessee since Phil Fulmer stepped down? Recruits are fleeing at a dizzying pace, and those losses alone figure to set the program back at least until 2011 – and that’s assuming the 2010 class is a strong one. The Irish have a Top 10 class coming in next year, and how many of those kids are going to quickly get in touch with their 2nd or 3rd choice if Weis were fired?

3) Youth. Yes, the late-game ineptitude against Navy and Syracuse was embarrassing, and a lot of that can be attributed to the coach. But some of it has to fall on players – many of whom are freshman and sophomores. One can only assume QB Jimmy Clausen, once he’s surrounded by players who have been in the program longer than a minute, will improve during his junior season.

The biggest reason Weis should be kissing major ass to ensure that he gets another chance: The 2009 schedule is built for success. The Irish play the two worst teams in the Pac-10 (Washington and Washington State), Nevada, Navy, rebuilding Purdue, a Michigan State team that loses a lot, a Michigan team that is in the gutter, and good-but-certainly-not-great teams like BC, Stanford, Connecticut and Pittsburgh. The last two teams might lost their best player (Brown and McCoy, respectively) to the NFL. Other than losing to USC, what scares you? The trip to Michigan? The trip to Pittsburgh? You can start the discussion at 9-3.

The greatest piece of psychoanalysis is courtesy or the Sun-Times: “The most damning thing that can be said about Weis’ performance this season is that his team — most notably his offense — hasn’t appeared emotionally ready to play the last three weeks, which should not only raise red flags but sound trumpets. There’s no fire, no emotion, no passion, not even on Senior Day with a possible Gator Bowl berth on the line.”