Charlie Weis Era: Year by Year

Five seasons. The Charlie Weis era began with the Notre Dame alum appearing before the media flashing his four Super Bowl rings and boldly stating that 6-5 "wasn't good enough". It ended with Weis taking a pass on his final post-game press conference after his team had finished the regular season, for a second consecutive year, with a 6-6 record.

The aerial attack was unlike anything seen before in South Bend and the recruiting, after a 10-year fallow period, returned to prominence. But whatever advantage Weis might have possessed schematically was undone by a lack of attention paid to toughness on the line of scrimmage and an inability to inspire his players.

A look back, year-by-year, on the Weis era.

2005 -- Return to Relevance

The Weis era opens even better than advertised. The Irish score 35 points in the first half alone at Pittsburgh in the debut of the Robot Genius and then silence No. 3 Michigan and 100,000-plus fans on the road in Ann Arbor as an encore. Notre Dame finishes 9-2 in the regular season, its lone losses coming in overtime to Michigan State and on the notorious Bush Push play to No. 1 USC.

Notre Dame ends the regular season ranked in the top five for the first time since 1993, finishes eighth in the nation in scoring as junior quarterback Brady Quinn and wide receiver classmate Jeff Samardzija rewrite the record books.

Most importantly, for the first time in a dozen seasons, Notre Dame football is truly relevant again. And fun.

Zenith: The 34-31 loss to No. 1 USC, the most memorable game at Notre Dame Stadium since the epic "Catholics vs. Convicts" clash with Miami in 1988.

Nadir: The 34-20 loss to Ohio State in the Fiesta Bowl in which the defense allows a school record-worst 617 yards of total offense to the Buckeyes.

Signature Moment: There are two. One, the Irish fall in overtime to Michigan State, 44-41, the first of four home overtime losses during the Weis era. Two, in that same game, Quinn completes a school-record 33 passes.

Wacky Moment: A Michigan State player plants a flag at midfield of Notre Dame Stadium after outlasting the Irish in overtime.

Quotable: "Right now you're a 6-5 football team and guess what? That's not good enough." -- Charlie Weis at his introductory press conference.

2006 -- Bittersweet Sugar

The most talented team of the Weis era compiles the team's only 10-win season of his tenure, but rarely seems to be enjoying itself while doing so. As will become the pattern from here on out, the Irish bully the teams they are supposed to, while falling to the ranked opponents who can match them talent for talent.

Brady Quinn and Jeff Samardzija set single-season and career standards for passing and receiving, but the exuberance of 2005 is nowhere to be found. No player better personifies this personality shift than Shark, who transforms from unknown entity to cocky senior in the briefest of time. To be fair, Samardzija, Quinn and safety Tom Zbikowski approached the kind of rock-star status not seen in South Bend since the days of Rocket Ismail.

Notre Dame again advances to a BCS bowl (the Sugar, versus LSU) and again is exposed as overrated and soft, in a less than competitive 41-14 defeat.

Zenith: The 40-37 come-from-behind win in a driving rainstorm, in prime time and on national television, in the ever-hostile confines in East Lansing. No win during the Irish era showcased more guts.

Nadir: Trojan linebacker Brian Cushing returns an onside kick for a touchdown in the late stages of Notre Dame's 44-24 loss at USC.

Signature Moment: Quinn to Samardzija for 45 yards with just 0:27 remaining to lift the Irish to a 20-17 defeat of UCLA. Shark was as great a yards-after-catch talent and clutch players as Irish fans had seen since Tim Brown (and until Golden Tate) and this play was his defining moment.

Wacky Moment: Tom Zbikowski wins his professional boxing debut at Madison Square Garden in June. Fighting in front of many of his teammates, Zibby dispatches Robert "Saved by the" Bell in just 49 seconds via TKO.

Quotable: "What are you going to do next year?" USC coach Pete Carroll to Weis, referring to the wholescale ravaging of his depth chart because of graduation, immediately after the regular-season finale at USC.

2007 -- Irish on the Rocks

The bottom. Only a 2-8 season in 1963 (the final game with Iowa was canceled due to the assassination of John F. Kennedy one day earlier) rescued this 3-9 campaign from being the worst, percentage-wise, in school history. In just about every other manner possible, however, this was the ebb of Notre Dame football.

The Irish did not score an offensive touchdown in their first three games. They opened the season 0-5 for the first time in history. Suffered their worst home-opening defeat ever (33-3 to Georgia Tech), as well as their worst home loss (38-0 to USC). Surrendered an NCAA-record 58 sacks. Had their opening-day starter at quarterback go AWOL just thirteen days later. And lost to Navy.

Zenith: When the clock at Stanford Stadium struck 0:00 in the season finale.

Nadir: Losing to Navy for the first time in 44 years. Or was it losing 38-0 to Michigan ... and USC?

Signature moment: The opening snap of the Michigan game sails over the head of 5-foot-10 Armando Allen, playing the wildcat quarterback spot in a play that was originally designed for 6-foot-4 Demetrius Jones. Play results in a 15-yard loss.

Wacky Moment: Former Heisman Trophy winner Paul Hornung's pants drop while he is speaking at a pep rally.

Quotable: "People better enjoy it now. Have their fun now. No one will want a piece of us in 2009." -- Weis

2008 -- Notre Dame, the Next Generation

The next generation of top-tier Notre Dame talent -- quarterback Jimmy Clausen, wide receivers Michael Floyd and Golden Tate and tight end Kyle Rudolph -- show promise, but the Irish fail magnificently in terms of wins and losses.

In what will be a recurring state of affairs the final two seasons, the Irish post dazzling passing numbers but engage in too many close contests and finish on the losing end. In three losses that nearly doom Weis to an early pink slip, Notre Dame blows double-digit leads in the final 35 minutes and loses to North Carolina, Pittsburgh and Syracuse, the latter two unranked.

Are the Irish simply too young to have learned how to win or is there an inherent failing in the coach who leads them?

Zenith: The after-season signing of linebacker Manti Te'o, the most coveted defensive player in the nation and exactly the type (linebacker of Polynesian descent) whom nemesis Pete Carroll had always been able to sign previously.

Nadir: James Aldridge rambles for Notre Dame's first first down of the game on the final play of the third quarter at USC, drawing a mock standing ovation from the Los Angeles Coliseum throng.

Signature Moment: Boston College defensive tackle B.J. Raji blows up left guard Eric Olsen on a run play, pile-driving him seven yards into the backfield and into the Irish ball carrier for the tackle.

Wacky Moment: Weis suffers the most catastrophic injury of anyone associated with Notre Dame during his tenure when defensive end John Ryan is blocked into his knees during a punt. Also, Stanford coach Jim Harbaugh has a two-word expletive for Jimmy Clausen when the Irish QB attempts to shake his hand after an Irish win.

2009 -- End of an Era

A season that begins with both tremendous promise and intense scrutiny ends with Weis' dismissal after a season-ending four-game slide. Ten of Notre Dame's 12 games are decided by seven points or fewer, but the Irish lose six of those 10 contests to finish the regular season 6-6 for the second consecutive season.

Jimmy Clausen more than delivers on the hype he had entering Notre Dame, the Irish snap long losing streaks to both Michigan State (at home) and Boston College (overall) and they come within four yards of at least taking USC into overtime.

In the end, however, a soft defense and a failure by the offense to make a play in crunch time seals Weis' fate.

Zenith: The Irish open the season with a 35-0 blanking of Nevada, the only shutout of the Weis era, and this against an offense that would go on to lead the nation in rushing.

Nadir: The Navy debacle. For the second time in as many visits, the Midshipmen embarrass and outplay the Irish in South Bend, sealing Weis' fate. Navy linebacker Ram Vela (one fumble recovery and one interception two years after his epic Superman play led to a sack of Evan Sharpley) earns spot on all-time villains list of Irish football.

Signature moment: On the final defensive play of the Weis era, at Stanford, the Irish defensive unit is instructed to allow Stanford tailback Toby Gerhart to score. While it may have tactically been the correct move, it underscored the inability of the Irish defense to stop a running back.

Wacky moment: Golden Tate leaps into the Michigan State band after scoring the game-winning touchdown versus the Spartans. Or, Jimmy Clausen wears tinted visor to practice after being punched in left eye in late-night altercation.

Quotable: "Do you think Michael Floyd is the best receiver ever to come through here?" asked a reporter to Weis after Floyd scores three touchdowns in the season-opener. Weis' rejoinder: "Golden would argue with you."

Or: "We were outschemed" – defensive tackle Ian Williams in the wake of the Navy defeat.