Maybe now that they have been forced to take their rose-colored glasses off they will begin to see things clearly. Watching Notre Dame get drilled by "Thee Ohio State University" for their eighth-consecutive bowl loss has to make one wonder: If those glasses were able to see into the future, would the Irish’s head football coach, Charlie Weis, been given the hefty contract extension he earlier received just seven games into his inaugural season?

With the game’s highest-paid coach, which Weis’s reported 10-year, $40 million extension makes him, manning the sidelines armed with over a month to prepare at his disposal, it is probably safe to assume the Notre Dame faithful expected a better showing out of their beloved Irish.

After being billed as everything from a genius to a savior during the season, Weis looked severely overmatched standing opposite Buckeyes headman Jim Tressel. Disgruntled Golden Domers can look at all the stats they want or bring up the overturned fumble, which Weis called "THE play," but Weis and his bosses set this team up for failure long before Monday evening’s loss.

On October 29, the day Weis received his contract extension, the first brick leading to yet another bowl loss for Notre Dame was laid. At this point the Irish were 5-2 with only one of their victories coming against a team that would finish the season with a winning record, while one of those losses was at home against a Michigan State team that finished the season at 5-6. Still wondering why he was given that extension at this particular point in the season? Join the club.

Apparently Notre Dame’s expectations have gone way down in the past decade. For years the Irish could be counted on to be in the thick of college football’s national championship race, but now they’re content with coming close to winning big games? If you are not aware, that is where the root of this extension truly lies…in a close but no cigar defeat at the hands of the #1-ranked USC Trojans.

If there have ever been so many superlatives given to a man and a team for a LOSS, someone should let me know. I, for one, was shocked to hear so many Notre Dame fans "bragging" about losing a game. How ridiculous is that for any team, let alone one with such a distinguished history? You either win or you lose; there is nothing in between. Losses, regardless of who they are against or how close they are, should not be celebrated and definitely not rewarded.

Once Notre Dame asked Weis to re-up 14 days after that loss to USC, they sent a message to their players that losing is okay as long as you come close. While announcing Weis’ new deal, athletics director Kevin White said, "In a very short period of time, Charlie has clearly and impressively demonstrated the ability to take the Notre Dame program where we all want it to go."

Where exactly is that Mr. White? Weis, at that point, had not done anything spectacular. His predecessor, Tyrone Willingham, began his inaugural season 8-0, including three victories over ranked teams, so what was the $40 million difference?

Maybe it is the attitude and confidence Weis brought to the program that they liked so much, or perhaps they really are proud of losing because they gave it the old college try. If it is the former, that same "cockiness" that Weis’ possess is the reason the Irish have still yet to win a bowl game since 1993. When asked prior to the game if his preparation would be any different going into his first bowl game Weis replied, "This is my first time going to a bowl, huh?"

While he was undoubtedly referring to his four trips to the Super Bowl as the New England Patriots offensive coordinator, there was no need to be smug at that point. Yes, Mr. Weis, this is YOUR first bowl game. This time, YOU are the head coach, YOU make all of the big decisions, and YOU must take the blame when things do not go as planned. Being a head coach and being an offensive coordinator are two entirely different things, two totally different mindsets.

Had Weis taken that into account and realized he was responsible for the offense as well as the defense this time, Notre Dame might not have given up a robust 617 total yards to Ohio State. If he would have stopped reading his own press clippings about how good a job he was doing, he might have realized that being a head coach is about much more than just drawing up and calling plays as he did in New England.

Furthermore, he might have realized that the psyches of college kids are much more fragile than those of adults in the NFL. Therefore, going for and then not making it on fourth-and-two from the six-yard line instead of kicking a chip-shot field goal can kill YOUR team’s confidence. The field goal would have given Notre Dame a 10-7 advantage. Instead they never saw the red zone again in the first half and trailed 21-7 at intermission … game, set, match. Thanks, Charlie.

Judging by their apparent happiness with "almost," it is hard to tell what Notre Dame’s next move will be. You never got the feeling they were in that game. Ohio State looked bigger, faster, and better from the opening kickoff. On that fatal fourth-down attempt, the Irish were nowhere near close to anything that resembled positive yardage.

So if you’re rewarded for coming close, what happens when you do just the opposite? Will Notre Dame now ask Weis to tear that contract up or will they continue on the path they started October 29 and celebrate defeat?