ESPN College Football

A great turnout today for the chat. Thanks for stopping by. As always, you can re-live the fun in its entirety here.

Some highlights ...

Joe (Raleigh, N.C.): With 2 solid 8-5 seasons, why does everyone seem to be so pessimistic regarding Coach Kelly? Yeah, there are things that needs to improve such as turnovers, but again why does everyone have to be so negative.

Matt Fortuna (2:11 PM): For one, fan bases take on a dark mood when their teams struggle for so long. (Trust me, I grew up a Knicks fan.) To be more specific: The general feeling was last year's team had BCS potential and probably should have gone 10-2 or 11-1. Couple that with some big recruiting losses, a key transfer and a daunting 2012 schedule -- not to mention no QB answer -- and it's tough for many to see a big breakthrough in the near future.

Jeremy (Bloomington, Ind.): It seems to me the ACC sees the Irish as a means of survival, while the Big XII is interested in increasing their bottomline with Notre Dame's television appeal. While the same thing could be said about the Big Ten, I feel it is clear that that conference appreciates Notre Dame's history. If the Irish decide to join a conference, which one do you feel is the best fit?

Matt Fortuna (2:39 PM): I agree with you about halfway there, Jeremy. Let's not forget that Jack Swarbrick and Texas AD DeLoss Dodds talk often. And the conversations Dodds mentioned to CBSSports.com were about ND's Olympic sports, so it's not like the Irish football team would be playing more than maybe three Big 12 games a year. It's tough to say right now. Obviously the Big 12 looks more stable, but it's hard to see a move there not severely hurting ND's other sports, especially basketball. Not to mention that ND would always lose being the biggest voice in the room to Texas. If the ACC could find some more stability I think that presents an overall better option for the Irish.

Ryan (Chicago): Simple question: Why not Everett Golson?

Matt Fortuna (2:40 PM): You know, Ryan, you phrased that question as well as anyone I have talked to regarding the QB race. Why not, right?

Peyton (Rochester, Mich.): So if I am reading into the Big12 talks correctly, ND has an option to stay independent and join the B12 in their Olympic sports. I know the talks are early, but I am assuming that if the deal were made, we would have the B12 vs SEC bowl game tie-in. What is really stopping ND from making that move? I know the BigEast is a stronger overall athletic conference, but it would make more sense as we have actual rivals in the B12, Texas and IU. Is it that we don't want to seem desperate or let the moves of other universities have an effect on what our athletic department does. Or is this strictly our way of saying thank you to the BigEast for the unique contract that ND was award, considering some people blame ND for the recent BigEast troubles, cough cough Geno.

Matt Fortuna (2:57 PM): Peyton, good question about the Champions Bowl tie-in. I haven't seen that brought up yet and don't know how it would factor in, though I'd imagine ND would still be left out of that since it probably wouldn't be playing more than three Big 12 games. (The bowl, after all, is intended for the conference's champion.) As for why ND wouldn't do it? Again, it would strain the Olympic sports greatly. The men's hoops program as we know it would be done, lacrosse (which is in the final four this weekend for the second time in three years) would have to find a new conference ... there are just so many factors that get overlooked in conference realignment, not to mention the ridiculous travel costs and schedules these student-athletes would be going through while trying to study at a strong institution. The Big East has been great to ND in its other sports, and as long as the future of that conference is secure I see no reason ND should leave it.

Braxston Cave is one of 50 players on the spring watch list for the Rimington Trophy, given to the nation's most outstanding center.

Entering his fifth year at Notre Dame, Cave's 2011 season was cut short because of a foot injury suffered in a Nov. 5 win at Wake Forest, forcing him to miss the team's final four games and limiting him this spring. Cave will start at center for a third straight season after compiling 22 total starts in 2010 and 2011.

The Rimington Trophy is determined by finding the consensus All-American pick from four different All-American teams: the American Football Coaches Association, the Walter Camp Foundation, the Sporting News and the Football Writers Association of America. The winner will be honored Jan. 12, 2013 in Lincoln, Neb.

Other notable names on the first Rimington watch list include Irish 2012 opponents Ben Habern (Oklahoma), Khaled Holmes (USC), Sam Schwartzstein (Stanford) and Ryan Turnley (Pitt).

The backyard grilling and holiday beach trips can wait. It is a three-day weekend, after all.

Get things started by joining the Notre Dame chat this afternoon. Same time. Same place.

We'll talk quarterbacks, offseason issues and whatever else is on your mind as the season approaches. (We're less than 100 days away now, in case you haven't noticed.)

See you there.

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.

A relatively quiet week on the recruiting front ...

• Elite 11 does a video profile of Notre Dame QB commit Malik Zaire (Kettering, Ohio/Archbishop Alter).
• Defensive end Ebenezer Ogundeko (Brooklyn, N.Y./Thomas Jefferson) plans to visit Notre Dame on June 29 , our Dave Hooker writes. The Irish are expected to be in his to-be-announced top 10.
• Inside linebacker Jordan Mastrogiovanni (Dallas/Dallas Jesuit), who has a Notre Dame offer, received an offer from Oklahoma this week , our Bob Przybylo writes.

Where's Messier when you need him?

• From Wednesday: AD Jack Swarbrick says Notre Dame's Olympic sports are committed to the Big East.
• Colleague Andrea Adelson recaps the Big East meetings from this week.
• Ethan Johnson is thankful for his chance with the Chiefs, Eric Hansen writes in the South Bend Tribune.
• You have to laugh -- even if it's just a little bit -- at Yahoo! Sports' Pat Forde's fictional history of realignment hysteria.
• BlueandGold.com's Dan Murphy recaps Stanford's spring.

A big thanks to colleague Andrea Adelson, who passed along Jack Swarbrick's Wednesday conversation with reporters. Swarbrick, as you probably read Wednesday, shot down the idea of Notre Dame moving its Olympic sports to the Big 12.

The Irish's athletic director reiterated that he talks frequently with Texas AD DeLoss Dodds, who had told CBSSports.com a day earlier that he had had conversations with Notre Dame about moving its Olympic sports to the Big 12. Swarbrick said that he talks to fellow ADs all of the time, calling it the nature of the business.

Asked Wednesday what kind of a salesman Dodds is, Swarbrick said: "DeLoss is good at everything DeLoss does."

Perhaps more pressing given the upcoming BCS meetings in less than a month, Swarbrick said that he was confident that every school -- not just Notre Dame -- would have access to the likely four-team playoff once details become finalized.

"I remain comfortable at this point. I haven't heard any conference champion proposals that wouldn't allow us if we finished in the top four to be one of those teams," Swarbrick said. "There have been all kinds of models for us -- some are three conference champions and an at-large. There are a lot of permutations of it. None of them that have been discussed would preclude us from earning our way in."

Swarbrick added that there hasn't been much discussion as it relates to potential tie-ins with other bowls, saying that the focus has been on the potential four-team playoff.

Notre Dame's football independence and its program's history make the school's status within the context of BCS changes and conference realignment unique, and Swarbrick stressed that a number of factors have dictated and will continue to dictate Notre Dame's and other schools' moves.

"There are a lot of uniquenesses," Swarbrick said. "I work for a pretty remarkable president [Rev. John Jenkins] who has the authority of a CEO, so I can seek his counsel and work through these issues, but it's a real luxury to have somebody that good to work with. There’s such a rush to think, for example, this is economic. Clearly there have been some economic decisions, but if you look at all the moves, there’s a certain percentage of them that don’t have an economic base to them. But it does other things for the school. For some it’s a cultural fit, for some it’s academic issues, for some it’s competitive issues, for some it’s branding issues. These decisions tend to be pretty multifaceted."

Dual-threat quarterback Malik Zaire will bring his athletic ability and speed to Notre Dame next year.

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."

Dexter Pittman has done the unthinkable: He has made himself less likable than Lance Stephenson.

• There are now 99 days between today and the 2012 college football season. Yesterday, we looked at the biggest stories, games and players leading into the campaign.
• Brian Kelly makes a cameo appearance in the Big East portion of coaches you love to hate.
• Colleague Andrea Adelson also has Kelly among the conference's biggest villains. (You can vote for the biggest).
• BlueandGold.com's Lou Somogyi looks at who could be Notre Dame's next college and pro football Hall of Famers.
• Andrew Owens wraps up the Irish's 2011 season from start to finish as part of The Observer's commencement issue.

No, the Big 12 isn't planning on expanding just yet. That doesn't necessarily mean it wouldn't welcome Notre Dame, though.

Texas athletic director DeLoss Dodds told CBSSports.com on Tuesday that conference representatives have spoken with the Irish as far back as August 2010 about moving the athletic department's Olympic sports to the Big 12.

"Notre Dame has options," Dodds said. "I think they love their position. I certainly think they can continue to do what they're doing and do it well and be a major player. But they have options.

"We've talked to Notre Dame about the Big 12 ... They could put some football here [by playing a few non-conference games against Big 12 opponents]."

They love their position. They have options.

It is nice to be wanted, and Notre Dame is certainly wanted. On Monday, Irish men's basketball coach Mike Brey told CBSSports.com's Brett Murphy: "I'll say this: if it doesn't work out [in the Big East], everybody's got a spot for us [in another league]. I hope we keep our spot here and keep moving forward and massaging that. But whatever happens, we're going to land on our feet. I guarantee that."

It is comforting for Notre Dame to know that the Big 12 offers a nice landing spot should the Big East ever fall apart, though Brey has said this past year that he'd like for his program to land somewhere East if AD Jack Swarbrick is left with no other choice.

What does this all mean? Well, barring anything unforeseen in the immediate future -- and I've come to grips during the past year with the fact that nothing can ever be really ruled out when it comes to conference realignment -- Notre Dame is just fine, for now. The ACC looks less attractive this week than it did last week should the Irish ever reverse course and surrender their football independence, but the athletic department as a whole would surely be welcomed with open arms if push eventually comes to shove. And its Olympic sports would appear to be have a secure, albeit out of the way, destination should the Irish need to find a new home for those.

"College Football Live" breaks down Notre Dame's schedule, its quarterback play, and its chances to play in a BCS game.

The Notre Dame head-coaching job has seen its share of villains, both successful and unsuccessful.

Which one bugs you the most? As part of our coaches we love to hate week, we invite you to vote in our poll on the right.

And, since we realize that most of you reading this space hold Notre Dame in high regard, we'll open the discussion up to opposing coaches.

Mark Dantonio? Lane Kiffin? Urban Meyer?

Drop me a note in the mailbag saying which college football coach you despise the most and why. Have fun with this, and as always, keep it clean. The best ones will run in the blog on Friday.

• In case you haven't noticed, it's coaches we love to hate week. Colleague Mark Schlabach kicks things off by explaining why we love to hate. (Neither Brian Kelly nor his predecessor are let off the hook here.)
• I'm guessing readers of this space won't agree with the sentiment, but Gene Wojciechowski says that USC coach Lane Kiffin is no longer hated the way he used to be.
• Ivan Maisel, meanwhile, takes a look back at Knute Rockne's rivalry with Michigan's Fielding Yost.
• Switching gears a bit here, FoxSportsSouth.com's Andrew Jones suggests that the ACC roll out the green carpet for Notre Dame.
• BlueandGold.com's Lou Somogyi takes a trip down memory lane with the Notre Dame recruiting class of 2008, which saw most of its players graduate this past weekend. (Lou also has a nice nugget in there on the correlation between Triple Crown winners and Notre Dame's success.)