Yes, this headline is probably the most obvious result of this college football season as it winds down. But how did it come to this? How did the one that many proclaimed the savior of Notre Dame football get to the point of… well… probably fired.

Like anything else, it wasn’t one game, one play or one player. The reasons for replacing Coach Weis have piled up over the last few years, higher than the Tower of Babel.

Here’s a quick insight into the fall of Coach Weis after the jump.

– At Michigan and against Michigan State at home, Notre Dame had the lead and the ball in the closing minutes and both times failed to make a critical first down. In both games, in fact, they ran the same third-and-long pass (throwing, inexplicably, to inexperienced wideouts Shaquelle Evans and John Goodman, respectively). The defense bailed out the team against the Spartans via Kyle McCarthy’s interception, but did not do so in Ann Arbor.

– The closing drive against USC was impressive, but the bottom line is that the Irish had first-and-goal against the Trojans and failed.

– Against Boston College the Irish got the ball with a four-point lead with 4:23 remaining and promptly went three-and-out, gaining a net of two yards and draining only 1:01 from the clock. Brian Smith’s interception saved that game for the Irish.

– Navy? A potential game-winning drive begins on the Irish with 1:48 to play on the Irish 13. Two incomplete passes and two sacks later, Jimmy Clausen has been sacked in the end zone for a safety.

– Pittsburgh. A 15-yard chop block penalty is followed by a game-clinching fumble by Clausen.

– Connecticut. Armando Allen fumbles and the Irish lose possession on the potential game-winning drive.

– Stanford. With the score tied 38-38 and just over six minutes remaining, Weis makes a conservative call for Robert Hughes on 3rd-and-2. The play goes nowhere and Notre Dame must punt from its own 35.

And that’s just this past season… Sorry, Coach.

[via Fanhouse]