Weis and Irish play out drama tonight on ABC

  No matter what happen's Weis most expect QB Jimmy Clausen to go pro. (AP-Photo)

Norte Dame at Stanford

ABC/ESPN 8pm

RADIO - SIRIUS/XM

NOTRE DAME NETWORK

Tonight could be the last game as head coach for Notre Dame's Charlie Weis but the cost of changing coaches or hiring them is more than sometime meets the eye.

As fans voice their views on sports talk radio about the hiring or firing of head coaches, they seldom take into account the all-important issue of money.

For instance, for Notre Dame to get rid of  Weis it will cost the university around $20 million when you consider the $17 million owed to the head coach and the $3 million to buy out his assistants.

Now, adding a new head coach -- like LSU's Les Miles or ESPN's Jon Gruden - if they were even interested -- and their staff will take another $25 million, bringing the grand total of dumping Weis and hiring a big name coach to right around $45 million.

Could Notre Dame swing that kind of cash? Could anyone?

Yes, but there will really have to be (no pun intended) a great deal of soul searching before they make a decision of that financial magnitude.

Many NFL teams have Mike Shanahan and Bill Cowher on their 2010 wish list but what will it take to bring them on board?

Shanahan, for the next two years, will be taking home a cool $7 million as part of his buyout in Denver.

So let's start the bidding at $10 million, plus at least another $5 million for staff and, oh yes, with all that money will come the demand for total control.

To land a Shanahan or Cowher, a team is looking at forking out $50 million.

The Redskins and other teams who could dump a head coach - like maybe Chicago and the New York Giants do have advantages over Buffalo, Cleveland, and  other teams looking for coaches, because there is a very strong perception (you may want to sit down for this one) that  teams like Washington are considered  prime franchises and  the owners will pay for the players needed to build a winner.

Either way getting rid of a coach or hiring one is never as easy as you might think.