The day after | by Pat

I'm sure it hasn't been an easy day for Irish fans, especially if you live in the Buckeye State. The offense sputtered and the defense floundered. It wasn't a pretty game to watch.

We'll get to a more in-depth take on the game later. For now though I thought this was one of the better post-game articles that sums up how I feel about this season in that the Irish finally show signs of life under Coach Weis, but the road back to the top isn't going to be as short as we all had hoped.

In the locker room Monday night, the Irish already were talking about being back in Arizona for the national championship game next season.

"We're going to regroup come offseason, bust our butt, keep training with one thing in mind -- ending up back here," safety Tom Zbikowski said.

For the Irish to do that, they need to develop a defense to complement their offense. If they can do that, maybe then the Notre Dame will be able to prove it's back.