Week 2: San Diego State at Notre Dame

Nobody in college football can match the scrutiny that Notre Dame coach Charlie Weis is facing as he begins his fourth season under the Golden Dome, but plenty of heat is building on San Diego State's Chuck Long, after the way he third season has started.

For the second time under Long, the Aztecs lost by two points at home to Cal Poly of the Football Championship Subdivision. That certainly was not what Long needed, and now he has to take on a Notre Dame team eager to prove something after a 3-9 season.

If there was anything encouraging about the 29-27 loss to Cal Poly, it was the play of SDSU redshirt freshman quarterback Ryan Lindley. After a slow start that included two interceptions, he completed 27 of 45 passes for 352 yards and three touchdowns. Now, though, he will go against a Notre Dame secondary that features free safety David Bruton and allowed no more than 255 passing yards in any game last year.

The Aztecs' running game has to be a concern, after Brandon Sullivan totaled only 43 yards on 15 carries against Cal Poly. SDSU had a chance to keep the ball and run out of the clock at the end of the game, but punted and gave the Mustangs one last chance.

Of course, regardless of the opponent, there is much curiosity surrounding Notre Dame's program this season. How Weis and his team respond to last year's disaster in an effort to become relevant again is among the biggest stories in college football. The opener is significant in that SDSU represents Notre Dame's revised scheduling philosophy of not being quite so ambitious.

The Aztec defense that allowed 263 rushing yards and 220 passing yards on only 12 completions against Cal Poly should give Fighting Irish quarterback Jimmy Clausen and the offense a great opportunity to rack up some yards and gain some confidence.

Things to watch

Controlling the ball, or simply hanging onto it, will be critical if San Diego State expects to be competitive. The Aztecs had possession for only 22 minutes and lost five turnovers against Cal Poly.

With an extensive history against Air Force, which beat the Irish last season in South Bend, Notre Dame is 27-8 vs. schools now in the Mountain West. The Irish will play Utah in 2010.

It's not exactly a big milestone, coming 55 years later, but Notre Dame will stage a reunion of the 1953 team that featured Heisman Trophy winner John Lattner and went 9-0-1 with wins over five ranked teams.

Having fallen to Georgia Tech last year during an 0-5 start, Notre Dame is trying to avoid its first consecutive losses in season openers since 1985-86.

Key player (Fighting Irish) — Maurice Crum, LB

Crum made 100 tackles as a sophomore, then managed to make 84 stops last year amid injuries. He will be important in Notre Dame's effort to take away whatever running game SDSU tries to establish.

Key player (Aztecs) — Darren Mougey, WR

A former quarterback, Mougey is now one of SDSU's primary receivers, and he will have to have a big game against Notre Dame's experienced secondary.

Notre Dame by 21