Root, Root, Root, Against the Home Team?

I am conflicted. After seeing the terrific display of ineptitude last Saturday in South Bend, I don't know what to think about my beloved Fighting Irish. On the one hand, I always want to see Notre Dame succeed, and I am always going to be disappointed if they don't, but on the other hand, it was become quite clear to me that this team is not going anywhere under Charlie Weis, and I don't want a couple of meaningless (in the grand scheme of things) wins to muddle the situation. This brings up a larger question: Is it ever acceptable to root against your favorite team?

On the positive side, you can never be sure about what the future holds, and a true fan would never hope for his team to fail. You continue to root on your boys every game and trust that everything will work itself out in the end. On the opposite end, there is The Old Yeller Theory. You are still hoping for the best for you team, but you realize that wins in the present might hinder the change necessary for long-term success, which generally comes in the form of a coaching/administration change. So you take Old Yeller out behind the woodshed and put him out of his misery, which in this case means hoping for you team to lose. Both sides certainly pose strong arguments. This is a toughy...

As angry and disappointed as I am with Charlie Weis right now, I cannot bring myself to root against Notre Dame. I wish that Weis could just be fired now, but that simply isn't an option. All of the coaches that Notre Dame would consider are under contract at another school (Yes, I am aware that this rules out Jon Gruden), and promoting an interim coach from within would only complicate the situation further. ND Athletic Director Jack Swarbrick is a smart guy, and I have to trust that he saw exactly what I saw against Navy, a team that got outcoached and a coach that knew it. The most frightening thing is that instead of admitting his own failures, Weis preached "accountability" while throwing his team under the bus. Irony anyone? Charlie Weis has become so blinded by ego that he is no longer fit to run this team. So tonight when the Irish take the field against Pittsburgh, I will play Iago to Charlie Weis' Othello, hoping for success while ultimately plotting his demise...