Bob Stoops and Notre Dame make sense on just above every level. We’ve covered this several times in the past few weeks; search the archives if you’re a newbie. It is anticipated that the announcement of Charlie Weis being let go has been made. will be made shortly; if not today, certainly this week. By all accounts, Oklahoma coach Bob Stoops will be Notre Dame’s first target. Oklahoma fans have gone from overconfident to nervous very quickly. The Chicago papers are finally getting swept up in Stoops mania. At this point, it’ll be a massive letdown if the Irish don’t land Stoops, who has taken the Sooners to four BCS title games in 10 years. The other name that we hear that Notre Dame athletic director Jack Swarbrick really loves? Tony Dungy.

Dungy’s name has been tossed around for three obvious reasons – his religious views, his deity status in Indiana, and his coaching success that led him to be a pretty well-liked guy nationwide. It seems highly unlikely that the 54-year-old Dungy would take the Notre Dame job – recruiting around the country, endless functions, etc – having been out of the college game since 1980. However, a source who has recently talked to members of the Notre Dame endowment said that while Swarbrick really likes Stoops, he’s very, very intrigued by the thought of Tony Dungy. Swarbrick’s first major coaching hire is the kind that could build his legacy at Notre Dame, and if he was somehow able to wrangle Dungy into the job should Stoops decide to stay in Norman …

Rumors swirl about possible successor for Weis (Sun-Times)
Notre Dame needs to get defensive when picking next coach (Tribune)