Trojans again dominate Irish

LOS ANGELES – The outcome of Saturday night’s Notre Dame-Southern California game was never in doubt. What remains in question is Charlie Weis’ job security with the Fighting Irish.

Mark Sanchez passed for 267 yards and two touchdowns, USC’s hard-hitting defense thoroughly dominated Notre Dame, and the fifth-ranked Trojans rolled to a 38-3 victory over the Irish and their beleaguered coach.

“This was a terrific way to send the seniors out,” USC coach Pete Carroll said following the Trojans’ final home game. “We’re not done yet. We just keep playing. We’re going to the Rose Bowl, one way or another.”

By winning their eighth straight game, the Trojans kept their slim national championship hopes alive and, at the very least, are in position to play in their fourth straight Rose Bowl game.

With No. 17 Oregon State’s 65-38 loss to No. 19 Oregon earlier Saturday, USC (10-1, 7-1 Pac-10) needs only to beat crosstown rival UCLA (4-7, 3-5) next weekend at the Rose Bowl to win its seventh straight conference title and set up a New Year’s date in Pasadena with No. 6 Penn State, the Big Ten champion.

“Our only concern is going up to Pasadena next week and taking care of the Pac-10,” USC linebacker Brian Cushing said.

USC finished with 22 first downs and 449 yards of total offense while Notre Dame had four first downs and 91 yards. The Irish didn’t get a first down until the last play of the third quarter on a 15-yard run by James Aldridge. They had run 30 plays for 23 yards before Aldridge broke loose, drawing a derisive cheer from the partisan crowd of 90,689 at the Los Angeles Coliseum.

After it was over, Weis patiently answered questions about his future.

“I’m the head coach at Notre Dame,” he said. “When the time comes sometime in my career, either by my choice or their choice, they’re going to tell me I’m not the head coach at Notre Dame. But right now, my intent is to finish this press conference, be cordial, worry about my players, get them off to the airport and go on this recruiting trip tomorrow.”

Weis said he plans to recruit on the West Coast until Thursday before returning home.

Notre Dame athletic director Jack Swarbrick said nothing will be decided soon.

“There’s no guarantee for my women’s soccer coach, which is on its way to the Women’s Final Four next weekend,” Swarbrick said. “We sit down and evaluate every program the same way at the end of the season. … I’m saying nothing will happen until we complete the entire review process. It doesn’t assume something will happen.”

The A.D. said he and Weis will next meet a week from Monday.

The Trojans, 27-0 in November games under Carroll, extended their winning streak over Notre Dame to seven – their longest in the 80-game intersectional series between two of college football’s storied programs. They’ve won those seven games by an average of 27 points.

Notre Dame (6-6) is bowl eligible, but the Irish’s 15 losses the past two seasons are the most in any two-year span in school history. Weis’ record has dropped from 19-6 after two years on the job to 28-21.