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Today wraps up Coaches We Love to Hate week, a theme that brought the readers out in full force the past few days.

On Tuesday, we asked you who the most hated Notre Dame coach was, in addition to fielding your feelings toward opposing coaches.

Unsurprisingly given his performance in South Bend, Charlie Weis has run away in the most-hated poll, with Dan Devine coming a distant second. Why? One reader, Aaron Short, suggested that could have more to do with his portrayal in "Rudy" than anything else.

Ah, the power of Hollywood.

As for opposing coaches you guys hate, the usual suspects filled my mailbag: Lane Kiffin, Urban Meyer, Pete Carroll and Mark Dantonio.

Here's why ...

Joe from Danville, Pa.: Two words: Little Giants. Mark Dantonio by a margin so wide science has yet to determine a system of measure that can determine it.

Brian from Raleigh, N.C.: Currently, I dislike Kiffin the most. If you really listen to nearly any interview he gives, he's still the snotty little brat we always thought he was. I don't know how the media can listen to him and not get that impression. I actually respect Dantonio a lot. I hate MSU, and fortunately that particular school is unable to have more than one really good sports team in a season so committed to mediocrity they are. So as long as [basketball coach Tom] Izzo is there, we won't have to worry about them being too good too often. The ND coach I disliked the most? Gotta be Weis in my lifetime. They all have driven me nuts from time to time ( was born under Devine, grew up under [Gerry] Faust and [Lou] Holtz) but those ND teams simply were not what Notre Dame football is about.

Rose from Los Alamitos, Calif.: No longer a college coach, but Pete Carroll was the worst. The hair at my nape stood on end when I would hear him speak. Just a bad feeling that the guy was not to be trusted.

Jim from Notre Dame, Ind.: Pete Carroll is far and away my least favorite (former) coach. The man never stopped badgering the officials about any call against his team (even blatant cheap shots ... which, with the players he recruited were frequent), was constantly on the playing field and outside of the coaches box (AT LEAST ISSUE HIM A WARNING!), and honestly, I've never hated an opposing coach more. That said, his replacement is making a run at Carroll's title. His comments about Notre Dame make me irate, and his general demeanor and pouting face are loathsome. I hate them, I hate USC (University of Spoiled Children/University of Sanctioned Cheating), I REALLY HATE USC, and I would love nothing more than for them to be undefeated when the Irish roll into town and beat them. P.S.: When USC was sanctioned (I thought they deserve the death penalty... REGGIE BUSH GOT A HOUSE!!!! A HOUSE!!!) and Pete Carroll got out of dodge, it showed just how slimy he really is.

Brett from Denver: Im younger so I couldnt tell you about coaches predating the mid to late 90's, but since then, to me it has to be Lane Kiffin. Its not even about the ND USC rivalry either, its what he did to Tennessee. Then pile on his arrogance and I despise no one more.

Aaron Short from Bloomington, Ill.: Do you think Devine is coming in second on the Notre Dame coach list because of how he was portrayed in "Rudy"? And in response to the opposing coaches. Lane Kiffin has to take this one. The guy jumps to the NFL, fails ... miserably, which I'm not putting the guy down for taking a chance but then Tennessee gives him a great opportunity. So he takes it and talks it up, saying and I quote "We'll be singing Rocky Top all night long after we beat Florida"... Urban Meyer's Florida, that is. Once again FAILS, miserably ... Pete Carroll darts out of LA before his crap hits the fan leaving Lane Kiffin a back door out of Knoxville. And even though he wants to try to beat Florida again because he reaallllyy wants to sing rocky top all night long, he leaves the Vols in the gutter and jumps back into the loving arms of USC, knowing that a 2 year post season ban would still be better than getting wiped up and down in the SEC. Him and Todd Graham need to set a lunch date together, if the two could commit to a place.

Mullin from Hamilton, N.J.: Without a doubt it's Urban Meyer. Now we know why he wouldn't come to his dream job at Notre Dame. He already has secondary violations at OSU and complaints about his recruiting tactics ... and how come nobody ever brings up the 30 guys that got arrested in his tenure at FLA? That doesn't work at ND. Throw in the fact that he's stolen several top recruits from ND at those 2 schools puts him as public enemy #1.

And we have a voice from the other side, too, as reader Tom Jeffries from Gas City, Ind., defends Charlie Weis' work ...

Tom: Matt I love reading your stuff every week. You do a great job. That being said, this poll was way off. Charlie got the most votes, but it was totally undeserved. First and foremost lets not forget that the last 2 BCS bowls ND was in, was under Charlie. Also I think we can all agree that he was a great person off the field. He did tons of charity work and donated more money than I will ever make in my lifetime. [He] is a good mind, who had trouble adjusting to the college game and getting the right staff together. [He] belonged in the press box, calling the plays. That why he went to Kansas City and dominated, had a good run at Florida, and is now back coaching at the BCS level at Kansas. Lets at least state the facts and give credit where credit is due.

As always, thanks a bunch for sharing your feelings. And for keeping things civil in a post like this. I can't say I'm too surprised by the amount of hatred toward USC's former and current coaches, and the expectations surrounding the Trojans this season should only add to the intrigue and animosity.

Joe Schad, Jesse Palmer and Ed Cunningham discuss conference expansion and if Notre Dame should remain independent.

PONTE VEDRA BEACH, Fla. -- The Big East spring meetings wrapped up Wednesday with little fanfare. Here are some final notes from the meetings.

Notre Dame athletic director Jack Swarbrick said he was committed to keeping his Olympic sports in the Big East, after Texas athletic director DeLoss Dodds told CBSSports.com that Big 12 conference reps have had discussions with the Irish as far back as 2010. Interim commissioner Joe Bailey was asked if he had a response. I think this is the best quote of the week.

"They've been doing it since 2010? It hasn't worked," Bailey said.

Swarbrick also added he was confident that the details of a future four-team playoff would be worked out June 20 in Chicago. But just how Swarbrick and all 11 conference commissioners arrive at the ultimate answer will provide plenty of drama.

Bailey said search firms will be interviewed next week to help assist in finding the next commissioner of the league. The Big East is looking to fast-track the process to get somebody in place as quickly as possible. The three-to-four month timetable remains unchanged, though the sooner the better.

He added that the collective group did not really discuss what they are looking for in the next Big East commissioner.

"I'd say to you that there's always the definition of an effective leader -- on balance, that's what you're looking for," Bailey said. "Someone that can take the conference and continue to move it forward over an extended period of time. You're not looking for an individual that would be some sort of caretaker but somebody who would be able to grow with the conference itself. You're going to find an enormous number of capable people interested in a position like this."

Notre Dame placed 20 players on Phil Steele's preseason all-independent team, including 13 on the first team.

BYU was a close second with 18. Army and Navy each had seven.

The usual suspects (Cierre Wood, Manti Te'o, Tyler Eifert) make the first team, as does Notre Dame's entire starting defensive line, even without transfer Aaron Lynch. There are some leaps of faith here, but that's to be expected when picking 52 total players from a pool of just four schools, as many players are unproven. Bennett Jackson and Christian Lombard will likely be first-year starters, and who knows if Davonte Neal will even get the chance to return punts during his first year with the Irish.

Here are all of the Notre Dame players on Steele's preseason all-independent team:

FIRST TEAM

• RB Cierre Wood
• WR Theo Riddick
• TE Tyler Eifert
• C Braxston Cave
• OG Chris Watt
• OT Zack Martin
• DL Stephon Tuitt
• DL Louis Nix
• DL Kapron Lewis-Moore
• LB Manti Te'o
• CB Bennett Jackson
• S Jamoris Slaughter
• KR George Atkinson

SECOND TEAM

• WR TJ Jones
• OT Christian Lombard
• LB Prince Shembo
• S Zeke Motta
• K Kyle Brindza
• P Ben Turk
• PR Davonte Neal

PONTE VEDRA BEACH, Fla. -- Notre Dame athletic director Jack Swarbrick said Wednesday that the school remains committed to the Big East for its Olympic sports, despite a recent report indicating that Texas AD DeLoss Dodds has reached out to gauge the program's interest in joining the Big 12.

Swarbrick dismissed the report, saying, "It's a mistake to treat this as some sort of pitch by DeLoss. We're two people who talk frequently and talk about where we think this business is headed and who's doing what. We've talked about playing each other more, scheduling each other in other sports. It's a conversation that's had all of those elements to it.

"No one should have an impression where there was a point in time where DeLoss was making a pitch to Notre Dame. It's been a more collaborative, collegial discussion about the 2 schools and how we can do more together."

It took less than one game into his second year at Notre Dame for Brian Kelly to draw the inevitable bull's-eye that comes with coaching the nation's most polarizing program.

Yes, a season-opening loss to South Florida, which was beginning its 11th season as an FBS program, was seen as unforgivable. But what really brought attention to South Bend, Ind., after one week was what happened on the sideline, as Kelly lost his temper on several occasions, turning purple in the face with anger and becoming fodder for national analysts and opposing fan bases after the Irish's five-turnover showing.

The National Catholic Register had strong words for Kelly's actions. During ESPN's "College GameDay" broadcast the following week, a fan in the Michigan crowd held up a picture of Kelly at his worst from a week before, with the admittedly funny caption: "UMad Bro?"

Kelly, for his part, admitted afterward that he needed to do a better job of knowing that the camera is on him at all times. Then came a fourth-quarter collapse at the Big House -- a game that featured five more turnovers -- and, well, who with a rooting interest in Notre Dame wasn't turning all sorts of different colors in the face after two early unthinkable losses doomed preseason expectations?

As the Sporting News' Matt Hayes wrote after the game:

If I’m Brian Kelly, you know what I say?

@#$! you.

You want to coach this schizophrenic Notre Dame team? See how far you get without uttering a four-letter bomb.

The day Kelly becomes Ward Cleaver is the day Notre Dame looks for another coach. Until then, he’ll keep doing everything he can to win games – while on the sideline watching the unfathomable follow the unreal.

All of it against his Irish.

Kelly isn't the first football coach to get mad on the sideline and he won't be the last. He ended up going the rest of the season without any sideline dust-ups like the ones in the opener -- even if his team's performances in losses to USC and Florida State gave him every reason to -- and he is generally as media savvy as any college football coach around. When I asked readers for their opinions on Kelly's demeanor earlier this year, the response was overwhelmingly one-sided: We don't care, so long as he wins games.

The pressures of any college head-coaching job is a stress none of us can imagine. Throw in the circumstances at Notre Dame -- with alumni and fans spread all over the nation, huge expectations despite a mediocre recent history and many more restrictions than other power schools -- and it's easy to see why one can lose his cool every now and then.

At Notre Dame, everything is bigger. You'll probably get too much blame for losing and, as we've seen in the past year, you'll get too much criticism for the way you handle yourself on game day. But, as we learned in the early years of Charlie Weis, that works the other way, too. Win games, and the narrative changes: Notre Dame's coach becomes the villain for an entirely different reason.

As part of the "College Football Live" 100 Days 'Til Kickoff countdown, here's a look at Notre Dame's top 10 players.

1. Manti Te'o: The senior passed up NFL millions and returns as perhaps the top inside linebacker in the nation. He will look to build off consecutive 120-plus-tackle campaigns and anchor a front seven primed to take the next step under third-year coordinator Bob Diaco.

2. Tyler Eifert: Like Te'o, Eifert deferred NFL dollars and dreams to return for one more year. And, like Te'o, Eifert may just be the nation's best player at his position. But the tight end will resemble more of a receiver this season, moving all over the field and serving as the No. 1 target for whoever ends up throwing the ball for Notre Dame.

3. Cierre Wood: Coming off a 1,000-yard season in which he lost snaps to Jonas Gray late in the campaign, Wood returns as the Irish's No. 1 running back. Depth in the backfield may keep carries down again, but Wood figures to have another strong season with a proven line blocking for him.

4. Jamoris Slaughter: He probably won't be a first-round draft pick the way Harrison Smith was, but the fifth-year senior is a versatile playmaker who can move up and play linebacker while serving as the voice for a young secondary.

5. Stephon Tuitt: He didn't put up the big numbers of fellow class member Aaron Lynch, but he may be even better. Tuitt has shown the versatility to play end and nose guard, and he will only get better after bursting onto the scene as a freshman.

6. Zack Martin: Want to know what helps with the quarterback transition the most? A proven offensive line. At left tackle, Martin keys that group as he enters his senior year with 26 straight starts under his belt (two at right tackle).

7. Theo Riddick: You'd be hard-pressed to find someone who stood out more this spring. The running back/slot receiver is a playmaker when he gets the ball in his hands. If he can stay healthy and succeed as a punt returner, he will find his name much higher on this list a few months from now.

8. Braxston Cave: Another veteran piece on this line, Cave stars in the middle and is an important locker room voice. Limited this spring after a foot injury sidelined him late last season, Cave is back for a fifth year, his third in a row as the starting center.

9. Louis Nix: A subpar spring forced Nix behind Kona Schwenke on the depth chart, but the nose guard is an invaluable cog in the middle for the Irish's young line. A strong preseason camp -- and a capable replacement in Schwenke -- should only make Nix better in his second year of game action. (He redshirted his freshman year.)

10. George Atkinson III: Atkinson returned a pair of kickoffs for touchdowns as a freshman. Now, he's hoping that playmaking ability translates on the offensive side of the ball. He netted 178 yards of offense in the spring game but coughed it up twice, and he'll have to ease the staff's concerns since Wood and Riddick are ahead of him.

So goes the start of another round of conference realignment chatter, the Big 12 and SEC starting their own bowl game and creating a bigger divide between the haves and have-nots in college football.

And, as this exercise goes, here come the questions about the status of Notre Dame's football independence.

Irish athletic director Jack Swarbrick quickly shut those down to The New York Times' Pete Thamel, saying: "We don't think it has significant near-term consequences for Notre Dame."

And, at the moment, I think he's right.

Yes, there looks to be a dividing line in college football more and more now. And, yes, it's not exactly clear which side Notre Dame falls on. But assuming the game's four-team playoff future keeps the door ajar for schools that haven't won their conferences, it's not like Notre Dame's path to playing for a national title becomes much harder with the creation of the Champions Bowl. And, as SI.com's Stewart Mandel notes, there will only be fewer obstacles for Notre Dame -- still a huge brand name -- to sign its own deal with another marquee bowl.

The only thing I can say with any real comfort is that should the day come when Notre Dame does need to relinquish its football independence, the ACC probably won't be first on speed dial anymore. (Colleague Mark Schlabach suggests that ACC commish John Swofford should now call Swarbrick immediately.)

The Big East doesn't look better today than it did last week, and the Irish-to-Big 12 possibility will gain some steam. But it's hard to envision Friday's news forcing the school's brass to say that jumping aboard a conference based 1,000 miles away is in the best interest of its 21-sport athletic department. And as Swarbrick told Thamel, this wasn't exactly out of nowhere.

The landscape of college sports has and will continue to change. How Notre Dame fits in is part of the narrative, but the end is probably still several chapters away.

Notre Dame receiver DaVaris Daniels was one of 29 people cited for consumption of alcohol by a minor early Sunday morning, according to a report from the Vernon Hills (Ill.) Police Department.

Police responded to a call for an ambulance at a residence with the same address as Daniels', where "all subjects were found to be participating in an underage party and had consumed alcohol while under the age of 21."

Daniels, 19, and the other 28 people are due in a local court June 14.

A rising sophomore, Daniels redshirted last fall but figures to be in the mix for a starting spot in 2012.

Former Notre Dame coach Charlie Weis has received close to $8.7 million to not coach his alma mater, and the number will only grow.

Weis was paid $2,054,744 of buyout money from Notre Dame from July 2010 to June 2011, according to the Chicago Tribune, which obtained the figures from Notre Dame's Form 990 it must submit to the IRS.

Fired after the 2009 season, Weis received an initial buyout payment of $6,638,403, bringing the total to $8,693,147. He is slated to receive additional payments through December 2015.

The original $6.6 million payout was to be followed by "much smaller payments," according to previous documents. Weis also received $469,727 from Play by Play sports — now known as Notre Dame Sports Properties — and an additional $1,095 of unspecified "other reportable compensation."

The first glimpse at what current head coach Brian Kelly makes shows that Kelly took in $2,424,301, though $1,762,334 of "other reportable compensation" indicates all or part of that payment is a "one-time payment to Coach Kelly," the Tribune reported. As reporter Brian Hamilton notes, that money might have helped with any buyout Kelly owed Cincinnati after leaving the Bearcats in December 2009.

Kelly's base compensation is $617,846. The form did not include payments from "external sources."

Athletic director Jack Swarbrick made $1,026,942.

The College Football Hall of Fame enshrinement festival will be getting some local flavor.

Former Notre Dame tight end Dave Casper will have the chance to return to South Bend, Ind., as part of the 2012 College Football Hall of Fame class, his second Hall of Fame induction in the past decade.

Casper, who was selected Tuesday to the College Hall, was also a member of the 2002 Pro Football Hall of Fame class after his 11-year NFL career with the Raiders, Oilers and Vikings.

Prior to those stops, Casper spent two years as an offensive tackle with the Irish before switching to tight end for the second half of his college career (1972-73). He also saw some time on the defensive line at Notre Dame, prompting coach Ara Parseghian to later call him the best athlete he ever had.

Casper was a consensus All-American, a team captain and Notre Dame's offensive MVP in 1973, helping lead the Irish to the national title that season. The 1973 campaign also included National Football Foundation National Scholar-Athlete honors, CoSIDA Academic All-American honors and an NCAA Postgraduate Scholarship.

The Chilton, Wis., native caught 21 career passes for 335 yards and four touchdowns before being picked by the Raiders in the second round of the 1974 NFL draft. Casper made five Pro Bowls in his NFL career and helped the Raiders win Super Bowl XI. He was selected to the CoSIDA Academic All-America Hall of Fame in 1993 before receiving the NCAA Silver Anniversary Award six years later.

Casper was the only one of the three former Notre Dame players on the College Football Hall of Fame ballot this year to be selected. Raghib Ismail and Jim Seymour were also on the ballot.

Following consecutive 8-5 campaigns, Notre Dame entered this spring with a re-shuffled staff, a wide-open quarterback competition and arguably one of the nation's best defensive lines.

So, uh, about those three new assistants ...

"I love the energy out there, I love what I'm hearing in terms of teaching," head coach Brian Kelly said April 4, roughly halfway through the spring. "Guys are teaching and I can hear it. So for me it's exactly what I need to hear from our coaches. There's a lot of teaching going on, there's a lot of energy. So for me I feel really good about going out to practice, and what I hear I really like."

Nine days after that comment, defensive end Aaron Lynch announced his decision to transfer, eventually ending up with Notre Dame alum Skip Holtz at South Florida. A series of cryptic Twitter posts by nose guard Louis Nix in the days after Lynch's departure unsettled an already-uneasy fan base, and Nix's admittedly honest public comments afterward about having missed his Florida home did little to quell Irish fans' worst fears.

Then came the spring game, Everett Golson's coming-out party. The rising sophomore quarterback completed 11 of 15 passes for 120 yards and two touchdowns, adding 25 yards on six rushes. Most importantly, he was the only of the four quarterbacks to not turn the ball over.

If that wasn't enough for Golson to improve his chances of starting in 2012 -- Kelly said afterward that he had trouble getting plays in on time -- the events of May 3 certainly did.

Tommy Rees, the only of the four signal-callers with starting experience, was charged with four misdemeanors as a result of his arrest at an off-campus house party. Police said that they had to use pepper spray to subdue Rees, who faces two counts of resisting law enforcement, in addition to minor consumption and battery.

So begins an offseason whose storyline, like last year's with Michael Floyd, will be dominated by an off-field run-in by a big-name player. Rees is due in court May 17, but his status with the Irish remains up in the air. Discipline of any kind -- even an offseason suspension -- would strongly diminish his hopes of taking the first snap Sept. 1 in Dublin, Ireland.

Kelly said after the spring game that the guy to emerge as the starter will be the one who commits to all the details in the summer. Golson and Andrew Hendrix — in addition to early enrollee Gunner Kiel — would be in much better positions to do that should Rees be dealt a ban. Regardless, leadership issue becomes an obvious question in light of the arrest.

Whoever does start should have plenty to work with in proven playmakers like Cierre Wood, Theo Riddick and Tyler Eifert. He will also be protected by an experienced offensive line, which returns four players with starting experience.

Linebacker Manti Te'o, who passed up NFL millions this offseason, returns to lead a defense that should still be strong enough up front, though a depleted cornerback corp could have benefited from playing behind an elite pass-rusher like Lynch.

A season that begins overseas is still four months away, but the drama attached to the hip of the nation's most polarizing program has only increased with spring ball in the rearview mirror.

The odds of Notre Dame appearing in the BCS title game have fallen from 22-1 to 25-1 following the spring season. Whether the Tommy Rees situation will affect that line again remains to be seen. For now, our Travis Haney takes a look at how the Irish's title odds may have taken a hit , along with five other teams that have changed Vegas' (or the bettors') minds lately. (Odds courtesy of Bovado.)

A better starting point for the Irish might be the odds to get into a BCS game for the first time since 2007 (and that bludgeoning at the hands of LSU). What's fair there? 10-1? 12-1? Somewhere in there?

This BCS title number could have shifted in the past few days, in the wake of Tommy Rees' arrest. Then again, the Rees issue could help Notre Dame's odds, seeing as how redshirt freshman Everett Golson was the standout in the spring scrimmage. But until Golson gets some real game action, it's impossible to know whether he's the real deal -- at least enough to start factoring it into the Irish's season expectations. The same goes for George Atkinson, who wowed fans with 124 yards in the spring game. But he rushed for just 27 in 2011.

Among other factors, such as pesky things like enough talent and depth, it's unlikely that the Irish could skate through their schedule -- one that includes Oklahoma, in addition to mainstays such as Michigan and USC -- without a setback or three.

The Irish's 2012 opponents haven't done much this spring to affect their standing one way or another: Oklahoma has jumped from 18-1 to 10-1, but Michigan has fallen from 18-1 to 25-1.

SOUTH BEND, Ind. -- Notre Dame quarterback Tommy Rees has been arrested and jailed on a preliminary felony charge following a confrontation with officers early Thursday, police said.

Rees, 19, was arrested on charges of resisting law enforcement, battery to law enforcement, minor consumption and public intoxication, St. Joseph County Police Sgt. Bill Redman said.

Redman said South Bend police officers arrested Rees and Notre Dame linebacker Carlo Calabrese and that he didn't know details of the incident or which charge against Rees was a felony.

To read the full story, click here.

Michael Floyd looked up to Larry Fitzgerald as far back as high school. The two shared a trainer and would often text each other, as the former Notre Dame standout sought advice from the all-pro receiver who happened to hail from his home state of Minnesota.

So when the 602 area code popped up on Floyd's cellphone shortly after 9 p.m. Thursday, the Irish's all-time leading receiver had to resist jumping for joy at the thought of playing in Arizona alongside one of his mentors.

Floyd and Fitzgerald will look to form one of the NFL's top pass-catching tandems in Arizona, which drafted Floyd 13th overall and made him the highest Notre Dame selection in 18 years.

"It's exciting just knowing that he's on the opposite side of me, one of the best receivers in the game," Floyd said. "It's a good learning experience for me to know that when I get down there I'll be able to learn from one of the best."

The Cardinals liked Floyd's 6-foot-2, 220-pound frame, as he figures to give the team the true No. 2 option it has lacked since Anquan Boldin, who in 2008 helped the franchise reach its first Super Bowl. Having Fitzgerald in touch with a fellow receiver in the leadup to this year's draft only made things easier for coach Ken Whisenhunt.

"I think it says a lot about Larry, that one of your best players is engaged, that he cares about what the team is doing, and that a receiver who wants the ball thrown to him every down is willing to bring in another guy that is obviously going to spread the receptions out," Whisenhunt said. "That says a lot. Larry is not as involved in the process as a lot of people like to think that he is, but certainly I think that Larry likes him, that Larry is going to take him under his wing, that is going to be important to Larry that this young man does well. I think that says a lot."

General manager Rod Graves said Floyd was simply too good to pass up at the No. 13 spot, and Whisenhunt was pleased with the way the record-breaking wideout handled the often-intense pre-draft vetting process about his string of alcohol-related run-ins with the law.

Pointing to Floyd's maturation, Irish coach Brian Kelly cited Floyd rallying the team in the wake of its midseason loss to USC, as the once-beleaguered star didn't let personal gains trump team ones despite BCS-bowl dreams all but gone.

"The things that Larry Fitzgerald already has, those are the things that Mike is going to aspire (to) and that is the technical aspect of the game," Kelly said. "I think you could consider Mike still a raw receiver in a sense that he can get better in the technical elements of route running and things of that nature. But he is certainly a guy that attacks the football and attacks defenders. And blocking, he is an outstanding blocker."