SOURCE: Las Vegas Review-Journal

Overweight and worried about it, Charlie Weis underwent gastric bypass surgery five years ago. He wanted to improve his image in hopes of landing a head coaching job, and who knows if his slimmer physique played a role in his hiring at Notre Dame?

But it's a good bet that fans don't care if a coach is fat as long as he is winning games. The irony is Weis seems to be putting on pounds again while losing a lot more games.

Two years ago, and after only seven games as the Fighting Irish coach, Weis was handed a new 10-year contract worth more than $30 million. It's payback time, and Notre Dame's opponents are getting it.

Weis, only slightly less arrogant than Donald Trump in recent years, is getting humbled and taking a cream pie in the face every week.

The fall of the Irish has happened fast. They are 0-4 -- outscored by a combined 133-27 -- and will be lucky to be 1-7 after eight games.

When he was hired, Weis reportedly boasted at a pep rally that Notre Dame was done losing to teams like Purdue. This week, he has been complimentary of the unbeaten Boilermakers.

The Irish are 22-point underdogs at Purdue on Saturday. One month ago, the Las Vegas Hilton's futures line on this game had the Boilermakers favored by 41/2.

The spread is too inflated to play the favorite, and Notre Dame's offense is too weak to recommend the underdog unless the line hits 24.

The Irish rank 119th and last in Division I in total offense at 137 yards per game, 62 yards per game behind No. 118 Florida International.

Purdue quarterback Curtis Painter has 16 touchdown passes in four games. Notre Dame freshman Jimmy Clausen, who rode a limousine to a press conference to announce his college decision, has not thrown one TD pass.

In July, Weis lost his lawsuit against two surgeons who he said were negligent in treating him when he had gastric bypass surgery. Weis failed even with the help of New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady, who testified in the case.

Weis, a former Patriots offensive coordinator, is a smart coach who is recruiting well and will win again. But this fall of the Irish is comical, inexcusable and unthinkable.