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STANFORD, Calif -- Sunny and perfect here in the Bay Area this morning. Never before in Notre Dame history have the Fighting Irish enjoyed better weather and worse fortune for their November slate of contests.The Irish will have faced Navy and Connecticut in South Bend and Pittsburgh and Stanford on the road with each day's climate more sublime than the last. Contrast any of the four games, for example, with last year's sub-freezing snowball skirmish with Syracuse.
And yet, Notre Dame is seriously flirting with an 0-for-November record for the first time in 10 years. That 1999 November wane included, strangely enough, road losses at Pitt and Stanford. Those Irish lost the season finale in Palo Alto on a field goal as time expired, 40-37.
Nothing but blue sky overhead as I type this, but nothing but clouds of uncertainty hang over the Notre Dame program. Whither Charlie Weis? And Jimmy Clausen? Golden Tate? It is probable that tonight will be the last you'll see of them representing Notre Dame.
Consider Tate's choice for just a moment. In his junior year he has already broken the school single-season records for catches and reception yardage with one game remaining. And the person whose record he broke, Jeff Samardzija, set his marks in thirteen games back in 2006. Tate will likely have only twelve.
Should he remain in school to play for a new coach? To catch passes from an inexperienced quarterback throwing behind a relatively inexperienced offensive line? His toughest draft day competition this year is likely to be Dez Bryant (Oklahoma State) and Jordan Shipley (Texas), although who knows if Shipley will apply to the NCAA for a 7th year of eligibility.
Next year, though, A.J. Green (Georgia), Julio Jones (Alabama) and teammate Michael Floyd could all declare themselves eligible for the NFL draft. Normally, I am completely in favor of a player remaining four years in school and never subscribe to the "He's gotta go now" theory. For Golden, though, when you weigh the pros and cons of his decision, it makes sense for him to go pro.
My favorite moment from earlier today: I am sharing a hotel with the Stanford football team. When I walked through the lounge area an hour ago, Cardinal punter David Green was playing the piano. If he punts as well as he plays, the Irish punt return team is in trouble.
I'll be back later today with the tweets. Thanks for reading.
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