Rakes Report: A Notre Dame podcast: Recent Episodes
Chris Wilson
A conversation about Fighting Irish football and basketball. An audio supplement to the Rakes Report newsletter, available at https://rakesreport.substack.com/. Hosted by Chris Wilson.
Jessica Smetana joins to lay out tips and tricks on how to approach a Notre Dame football weekend. How to get there, where to stay, campus sites to see, bookstore strategy, restaurants, bars, restrooms, breakfast, caffeine and so much more.
If you have additional recommendations, email rakesreport@gmail.com or use www.speakpipe.com/rakesreport.
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Jessica Smetana and Sam Werner join to discuss which players on the 2026 Fighting Irish roster have the best chance of earning All-American status at the end of the season. Topics include: The greatness of Leonard Moore, depth at safety and linebacker, how hard it is to earn quarterback honors, who's catching passes, plenty of options at offensive linemen, potential high-impact freshman, and much more.
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Jessica Smetana and the Split Zone Duo podcast's Alex Kirshner join to discuss the preseason signs teams might live up to their expectations or fall flat when the games arrive. Also: How national title contenders are constructed, where Notre Dame fits in among them, the Fighting Irish wide receiver situation and the blamemeter on the USC game not being played.
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Lucy Rohden (CFBLucy on YouTube, Instagram and TikTok) joins to discuss why so many people running and covering college football seem to hate it. Also a look into how Wisconsin, Sparty and other programs fell off plus things to be excited for this coming season.
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Irish Sports Daily's Jamie Uyeyama joins to discuss his recent visit to campus for Irish Invasion and how recruiting has continued to improve under Marcus Freeman. Then a look at how the 2026 Notre Dame team looks to compare to previous playoff-era title winners as well as this season's other top contenders.
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Jessica Smetana joins to break down the latest arguments for and against expansion to a 24-team college football playoff, including some Mike Elko appreciation. Then (28:00) The Athletic's Sabreena Merchant joins to weigh in on the state of Niele Ivey's program, the greatness (and awards snubbing) of Hannah Hidalgo, checking in on some transfers, Irish in the WNBA and much more.
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Mega Memorial Day Weekend Episode. Jessica Smetana and the Spreadsheets & Tailgates newsletter's Michael Bryan join to take a look at what preseason win totals might mean for a long list of college football teams. Topics include but are not limited to: A new era in Happy Valley, Arizona State's international gauntlet, a potential nightmare November in Lincoln, SEC playoff teams adjusting to life with nine conference games, Dabo and Belichick, a fun team in the new Pac-12, old Notre Dame faces in new places and a whole lot more.
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Sam Werner joins to discuss/vent about/analyze the growing support for a 24-team college football playoff field, including — in a twist — from Notre Dame athletic director Pete Bevacqua.
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Jessica Smetana joins to discuss some lessons learned and questions still pending after Blue-Gold weekend and the draft. Then (34:45) the Report Medical Team joins to discusss the second season of "The Pitt."
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Alex Herrmann of Notre Dame, Our Blogger joins to discuss Notre Dame football's spring game and where the team stands after this set of practices plus news and notes from the NFL Draft (congrats to Love, Price and all the other draftees and signees).
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Blue and Gold's Eric Hansen joins to discuss what he saw at the Fighting Irish's jersey scrimmage over the weekend, including the new-look offensive line, depth and potential at wide receiver, freshmen impressing, Christian Gray's move to nickel, how the new coaches are fitting in and C.J. Carr taking things to another level. Then (44:30) we close talking about Notre Dame women's basketball's moves in the portal and how Hannah Hidalgo is driving the program going into her final year.
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A Very Brief Survey on Notre Dame Athletics: https://forms.gle/FE21DzPdV1dw4m5A9
Irish Sports Daily's Jamie Uyeyma joins to break down what we've learned from Marcus Freeman and the rest of the staff as the Blue-Gold Game approaches. Topics discussed include a new-look offensive line, Nolan James, Jr., Micah Gilbert, Mylan Graham, C.J. Carr, Rodney Dunham, Elijah Hughes and a whole lot more.
Then (1:07:30), the Three-Point Jesus podcast's Sam Werner swings by to talk about how things currently are not going so great for the men's basketball team.
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Jessica Smetana joins to discuss how a Hannah Hidalgo all-time masterclass performance powered Niele Ivey's Fighting Irish into the Elite Eight.
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Jessica Smetana and Paul Coletti of the Irish Alert newsletter join to break down the Fighting Irish going into Columbus and coming out with a ticket to the Sweet Sixteen. Niele Ivey's steady hand, the greatness of Hannah Hidalgo, a complete team effort and the challenges posed by Vanderbilt, plus a little bit of Conference Brain.
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Happy basketball! Paul Coletti of the Irish Alert newsletter joins to preview Notre Dame's first-round matchup against Fairfield, peek ahead to what a potential game against Ohio State would look like and give his general thoughts on the tournament.
Then (35:40) Sam Werner of the Three-Point Jesus podcast joins for a brief check-in on where the Micah Shrewsberry Era stands before previewing the men's bracket.
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Jessica Smetana joins to take an updated look at where Notre Dame players could go in next month's NFL Draft following the start of free agency and to do some light bracketology. Then (25:00) our friend Priya Desai joins for a draft of all ten Best Picture nominees.
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Irish Sports Daily's Jamie Uyeyama joins to discuss some questions that could be at least partially answered by the end of spring practice. Included: How does C.J. Carr perform when there's no competition and also no Jeremiyah Love? Who steps in at the skill position slots? What's the only position with potential depth concerns? Do any freshmen force their way onto the field? Then we close (46:45) by gathering in the Baratheon pavilion for a discussion about the delightful A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms.
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Jessica Smetana joins for a supersized episode. First, we run through the news on Aaron Henry and Brian Jean-Mary reportedly being added to the Fighting Irish staff, Notre Dame's relationship with the ACC and a College Football Playoff schedule that has somehow gotten worse.
Then (25:45) a pivot to discussing every single new head coaching hire in FBS, starting with the Big Ten and ending with UConn. Included: Questions for Sparty, strange goings-on at Utah, some fun moves by the Big XII, the SEC raiding the AAC, "The Americans," a few small morning beers, Stanford's curious hire, MAC scandals and high hopes for the new faces in the new Pac-12.
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The Athletic's Sabreena Merchant joins to discuss what is hopefully a blip season for the Fighting Irish women's team, including praise for Hannah Hidalgo, questions about roster construction, Niele Ivey's performance and whether women's basketball generally is in a bit of a rut.
Then (42:30) Sam Werner (Three-Point Jesus podcast) and Joe Schueller (18 Stripes) discuss what has gone awry in Micah Shrewsberry's third season and where the men's program goes from here.
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Jessica Smetana joins to lay out our list analyzing, projecting and recommending the trends for the new year now that the national championship game is officially behind us. Topics include: What to make of Indiana winning the title, Notre Dame's different approach the portal, the playoff snub, being a hater, Don Draper Days, algorithms, beans and much more.
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Jessica Smetana joins to break down all the topics Marcus Freeman hit at his Jan. 14 press conference, including the fradulent accusations against him, the NFL's interest in him, transfer portal additions, the USC rivalry and much more.
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Marcus Freeman and company hit a home run at defensive tackle, add another Ohio State wide receiver and pick their kicker.
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The Fighting Irish finally got some commits on Monday. A quick run through how those players fit into the 2026 roster, some departures and lingering issues that still need resolved.
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Jessica Smetana joins to kick off 2026 by looking at some of the best, worst and most confusing takes regarding the playoff and bowls from the past month-plus, including Notre Dame's conference affiliation, the G5 autobid, bye week curses, reorganizing the playoff calendar, whether the non-playoff bowls should exist and much more. Then (1:15:00) we are contractually obligated to talk about a Catholic whodunnit, so it's a deep dive on Wake Up Dead Man and a draft of our favorite characters from the Benoit Blanc trilogy. (We shout out when spoilers start if you haven't watched yet but you should watch.)
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The Spreadsheets & Tailgates newsletter's Michael Bryan joins to run through some news: Marcus Freeman is officially staying at Notre Dame despite NFL interest, Southern Cal is officially taking the coward's path, updates on the roster and transfer portal guesswork.
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We were going to do this Friday afternoon as a recap of Everything but decided to let things settle a bit first, so: Jessica Smetana joins to talk Jeremiyah Love awards circuit, All-American tracking, Remembering Some Guys via trivia, the USC series, strength of schedule debates, which reports from last week matter and which don't, basketball injury updates and much more.
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Closing the week with a few complaints to cleanse the soul, starting with an SEC TikToker's foray into Notre Dame country. Also: Merch availability, bowl discourse and much, much more.
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Grievance airers:
Paul Coletti
Jesse Dang
Alex Herrmann
Bridget Reynolds
Jessica Smetana
Andrew Smith
Nina Steigerwald
Sam Werner
Blue and Gold's Eric Hansen joins to talk about what steps Pete Bevacqua and Marcus Freeman should take next, the ACC and SEC relationships, how the decision to skip a bowl came about, key players the Irish will try to sway to return and much more.
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NBC Sports' Nicole Auerbach joins to talk about the committee being very bad at their job, being tasked with too many things by the sport as a whole, what changes might come, the Elphaba Chris Ash graphic, improving Heisman discourse and much more.
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Jamie Uyeyama of Irish Sports Daily joins to talk some more about Notre Dame being left out of the playoff before pivoting to discussing how good this 2025 team was and how the program is set to get even better in the aftermath of the snub.
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Jessica Smetana joins to kick off our annual fundraising for the Center for the Homeless in South Bend. Donate here: https://www.gofundme.com/f/rakes-report-christmas-giving-2025
An extended therapy session where we respect conspiracy theories being true and discuss Notre Dame's decision to eschew a bowl.
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Feel free to skip this and keep living your life but there are a lot of questions and confusion out there so the Spreadsheets & Tailgates newsletter's Michael Bryan stopped in for a concise look at the process, metrics, odds and conspiracy theories that could or could not affect the Fighting Irish's playoff fate on Sunday. Guns up.
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Jessica Smetana joins to discuss the Fighting Irish romping to a late-night win in their regular season finale. A dominant first 33 minutes, an incredible fake punt, the cursed vibes of Palo Alto, a bummer rivalry weekend, playoff discourse and much more.
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Jessica Smetana joins as the third chair for a draft of our favorite 18 games of the weekend, starting with Thursday night's American clash through a pivotal Saturday primetime slate.
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Jessica Smetana joins to recap a very lopsided Steve Angeli Bowl. Love for Heisman, elite safety play, NBC Universal synergy, much more. (Congrats to Utah on reverse jinxing them into an awesome comeback during the recording.)
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A late-night clash for the Islands Showdown trophy, a battle for both Silver Spade Trophy Mayor's Cup and plenty of danger for teams in the hunt for conference titles.
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Jessica Smetana joins to discuss the Fighting Irish's domination of the Panthers. Jeremiyah Love and Malachi Fields' excellence, Chris Ash's unit excelling, Pat Narduzzi being Pat Narduzzi, some annoying narratives and much more.
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A primetime C-USA clash, a check-in on our old friend Gerad Parker and a couple of Florida teams try to stay on the playoff path.
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The focus is still on football (please defeat Pitt) but both basketball teams also have big games this weekend so we're taking some time to project what that might look like on the hardwood.
First, Paul Coletti of The Irish Alert newsletter joins to break down the new and old faces who'll be surrounding Hannah Hidalgo for the women's team. Then (35:00), Sam Werner of the Three-Point Jesus podcast projects the rotation around Markus Burton on the men's side.
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Jessica Smetana and the Spreadsheets & Tailgates newsletter's Michael Bryan gather after the Fighting Irish's comfortable win over the Midshipmen to discuss highlights of the seventh straight victory, including more Jeremiyah Love absurdity, C.J. Carr bombing away and a great effort from Chris Ash's defense. Also: How the rest of the day affected Notre Dame's playoff chances and the big upcoming clash at Pitt.
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The races to clinch everything from bowl eligibility to conference title game berths heat up in the season's final month.
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Jessica Smetana joins to talk Notre Dame's sixth straight win, where Navy slots in among the remaining opponents, Brian Kelly's firing, the first set of playoff rankings and much more.
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The battle for the Old Oil Can, a key American clash and the Big 12 race stays hot.
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Sam Werner of the Three-Point Jesus podcast joins to spend some more time discussing Notre Dame's 34-24 victory over USC and where the team stands after seven games. Then the discussion turns to the future of the Fighting Irish-Trojans rivalry, some conventional wisdom about the series that isn't so wise, stress-testing our playoff beliefs and a lot more.
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Jessica Smetana joins to discuss the Fighting Irish's soggy and satisfying victory over the Trojans to retain the Jeweled Shillelagh.
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A big Saturday in the Sun Belt, a monster Friday night and SEC title elimination games.
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Our USC Insider Nick Tresnowski joins to break down Saturday night's monster clash as we reach Round Four of Lincoln Riley vs. Marcus Freeman with playoff and contractual drama swirling.
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Jessica Smetana joins to discuss the Fighting Irish notching their fourth straight win via another great performance from the defense. Then we had to discuss James Franklin being let go by Penn State following the Nittany Lions' third straight loss.
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Big games on Thursday and Friday night, the Big 12 race stays tight and a rare but needed Rutgers appreciation.
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Jessica Smetana and Lucy Rohden join to discuss Lucy's first visit to Notre Dame, what the campus and game day experience were like around Boise State's visit and how that compares to other schools. Also discussed: The Big Ten, James Franklin and when preseason projections go wrong.
Off Rohding report from Notre Dame
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Michael Bryan (Spreadsheets & Tailgates newsletter) and Andrew Smith (Notre Dame, Our Blogger) join to break down the Irish taking care of business in a flag-filled game against the Broncos.
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Some sad #goacc, some promising young quarterbacks and a whole lot more highlight the weekend.
The SI story on the 1982 Aloha Bowl.
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Jessica Smetana joins to discuss the Fighting Irish rolling into Fayetteville for the blowout win, including another nearly perfect day from the offense. We also hit on a fun weekend of college football and then just as we were wrapping up 🚨Sam Pittman got fired🚨.
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A monster weekend awaits, with ranked teams in danger, American teams trying to keep rolling and a whole lot more.
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Jessica Smetana joins to break down the Fighting Irish getting their first win of the season against the Boilermakers, including an incredible offense and still so many questions about the defense. Then (50:50) a look at the Paige Bueckers-Sonia Citron WNBA Rookie of the Year and some light schadenfreude.
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A stacked noon slate kicks off what looks to be another fun Saturday that ends in Boulder and with some more potential Golden Bear magic.
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Sam Werner of the Three-Point Jesus podcast joins to file a report from the Irish's second loss of the 2025 season. Chris Ash, C.J. Carr, what the next ten games might look like and much more.
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Start your Saturday in the City of Brotherly Love and end it at the Golden Bowl in Berkeley.
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The Spreadsheet and Tailgate newsletter's Michael Bryan joins to judge the severity of concerns about the Fighting Irish after their opening loss with another big game ahead of them on Saturday night. We also take a look at lessons learned from the first two weeks of the college football season.
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GigEm247's Carter Karels returns to preview the Aggies' upcoming trip to South Bend. Topics include the improvement of Texas A&M's passing attack, optimism about a run game that started slowly and a whole lot of questions about Mike Elko's defense.
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There isn't a lot of sizzle this weekend but if you dig there's plenty of steak.
Dave Campbell's Texas Football on Scott Abell
Lawrence Journal-World on Bert Coan
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Jessica Smetana joins to discuss the Fighting Irish losing their season opener to the Hurricanes. A real loopy one trying to work through this so apologies for that.
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Jessica Smetana joins to close out the offseason with our annual discussion of things to be excited about for the upcoming Fighting Irish campaign.
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Recommending some of the most interesting games of the opening weekend, from an important G6 clash to Top Ten tilts.
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Alex Herrmann and Andrew Smith of Notre Dame, Our Blogger join to preview all 12 opponents on this fall's Fighting Irish schedule. A spicy start, the murky middle and some sad scenes.
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Irish Sports Daily's Jamie Uyeyama joins to run through every scholarship freshman on the Fighting Irish offense. A tight end and running back who could make an instant impact, a crop of promising linemen, three receivers trying to work their way into the mix and a quarterback who needs to be ready for action as soon as next season.
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Irish Sports Daily's Jamie Uyeyama joins to run through every scholarship freshman on the Fighting Irish defense. Corners set to carry on the Mike Mickens tradition, an elite lineman and options alongside him, promising safeties and a trio of intriguing linebackers.
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The Spreadsheet and Tailgate newsletter's Michael Bryan and Irish Sports Daily's Greg Flammang join to rank the top units on this year's Fighting Irish roster. Why it's nice to have the best players in the country, a debate about which line is better, safety life post-Xavier Watts, can wide receiver finally deliver and the continuing quarterback race.
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Blue and Gold's Eric Hansen joins to run through the transfer additions that could have a major impact for the Irish this fall, from Malachi Fields and Will Pauling juicing the passing attack to DeVonta Smith stepping in at nickel and Jared Dawson helping to hold things down along the line. Also included general camp thoughts, including a starting quarterback prediction, Eli Raridon hype and much more.
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Irish Sports Daily's Jamie Uyeyama joins to talk about a big weekend of news, both good (recruiting successes) and bad (Charles Jagusah's injury), as well as a look at how Notre Dame is using NIL and how to best go about handling the wide receiver position. Then Jamie explains his schedule tiers for this fall's dozen Irish opponents.
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Jessica Smetana joins to file a report on her visit to campus over the weekend. Then: Recruiting successes, how new jersey numbers could affect the season, a long look at the House settlement/what the future of NIL might look like and best movies of the 21st century.
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Jessica Smetana joins to rank the best coaches in college football, including where we place Marcus Freeman among his peers. (The Top 25 coaches newsletter referenced during the discussion.) Then (42:20) The Athletic's Sabreena Merchant joins to discuss the state of the Notre Dame women's basketball program, how there's a star void to be filled for the 2025-26 season and how Irish alumnae are thriving in the WNBA this season.
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Jessica Smetana and the Spreadsheets & Tailgates newsletter's Michael Bryan join to take a look at what preseason win totals might mean for a long list of college football teams. Topics include but are not limited to: Freedom from the Big Ten West, Cignetti Year Two in Bloomington, Clemson hype vs. reality, the cowardice of the USC Trojans, a big year for LSU, sad times in Palo Alto and Stillwater, interesting times in Miami, expectations for Deion, Narduzzi purgatory, the circus in Chapel Hill and potentially tough years for both Clark Lea and Steve Angeli.
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We're dusting off a few of our old conversations with Irish Sports Daily's Jamie Uyeyama to remember what we thought about C.J. Carr and Kenny Minchey before their freshman seasons at Notre Dame began. Also including a bonus Steve Angeli Frosh O report out of respect.
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Irish Sports Daily's Greg Flammang and the Spreadsheets & Tailgates newsletter's Michael Bryan join to review our depth chart power rankings from last season and to look ahead to who might stand out on this fall's roster. Plus, a review of Reacher Season 3 (56:45).
MB's wildly specific prediction newsletter.
The August 2024 depth chart power rankings.
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Jessica Smetana joins to talk about big news for the Notre Dame quarterback room and to appreciate Steve Angeli, plus the WNBA and NFL Drafts. Then (32:40) the Report Medical Team joins for a lengthy discussion of the excellent television series "The Pitt," focusing on our favorite characters from the deep ensemble.
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Jessica Smetana joins to talk about where Notre Dame football stands as spring practice winds down. Updates on the quarterback race and a how the projected 2025 depth chart compares to last year's team as well as a look at The Shirt and what a couple major transfers mean for for college sports.
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Jessica Smetana and Irish Sports Daily's Jamie Uyeyama join to discuss what Jamie learned on his visit to campus over the weekend. A quarterback race with no obvious leader, reflecting on Riley Leonard, new faces at wide receiver, the defensive tackle situation and a vibe check on the new front office and coaching staff members. Then (53:30) a spoiler-filled discussion of the most recent season of The White Lotus.
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Inside ND Sports' Eric Hansen joins to talk about the battle between Steve Angeli, C.J. Carr and Kenny Minchey as well as new additions to the coaching staff and front office. Then (32:00) a look at how Niele Ivey pulled her team out of the late-season slump, an appreciation of Sonia Citron and what it will take for the Fighting Irish to get to the Final Four.
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Jessica Smetana and Notre Dame, Our Blogger's Andrew Smith join to discuss Niele Ivey's squad dominating the Wolverines to advance to their fourth straight Sweet Sixteen.
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Strap in for a deep dive on the upcoming NCAA Tournaments.
Segment 1: Jessica Smetana, Paul Coletti (The Irish Alert newsletter) and Alex Carson (The Green Nails Newsletter) discuss potential causes of Notre Dame’s late-season struggles and potential fixes that could lead to a deep tournament run.
Segment 2 (47:00): The Athletic’s Sabreena Merchant talks about the Fighting Irish’s corner of the bracket, why she picked them to make the Final Four, why UConn is her title pick and other assorted tournament thoughts.
Segment 3 (1:21:00): Sam Werner of the Three-Point Jesus podcast on Micah Shrewsberry’s second season at the helm and what to watch for in the men’s bracket.
Segment 4 (1:51:00): Jess returns to talk about her experience at the Unrivaled final and give a brief hater’s guide to the women’s tournament.
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Celebrating Mike Brey, Jerian Grant and Pat Connaughton’s run to the ACC championship via the Duke and North Carolina games in Greensboro. Topics include Zach Auguste and Bonzie Colson vs Jahlil Okafor, ACC regional broadcasts, the excellence of Demetrius Jackson, sad Coach K, crafty Steve Vasturia, the 2015 NBA Draft, the Tar Heel crowd, patiently waiting for the 26-3 run to start, hugs, perfect basketball and what this team means.
Guests: Mike Laskey (AMDG Podcast), Joe Schueller (18 Stripes), Sam Werner (Three-Point Jesus Podcast)
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Jessica Smetana joins to talk about the Notre Dame women's basketball team's troubling two-game losing streak, the state of the football offseason, the war on spring games and some of this fall's opponents. Then (25:00) a discussion of Sunday's Oscar ceremony with Priya Desai, starting with a Best Picture draft. (FYI: The explicit tag is earned on this one.)
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Jessica Smetana joins for a potpourri edition discussing Chris Ash, Chad Bowden, Top 100 games, transfer portal entries, an Atlanta field report, Excitement Draft recap, "The Americans" and much more.
Then (53:00) The Athletic's Sabreena Merchant joins to talk about how Niele Ivey has built a team that is one of the nation's top title contenders. The best backcourt, how new faces are fitting in, threats in the ACC and beyond plus some Paige Bueckers Narrative Watch and potential WNBA CBA repercussions. Sign up for the newsletter and/or browse the merch here: https://linktr.ee/rakesreport
Jessica Smetana joins for initial thoughts on the College Football Playoff final, this past Fighting Irish season and what the future may hold.
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Jessica Smetana joins to rank all 14 of Notre Dame's wins that have taken them to the cusp of a national championship, from the opener in College Station to the thriller in Miami Gardens. Remembering some games, some touchdowns, some announcers and a whole lot more from a special season.
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Jessica Smetana joins to talk about being in the building for an epic College Football Playoff semifinal. Walking through everything from the tailgate scene to Mitch Jeter's kick and the aftermath, plus what this season has meant and a whole lot more.
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Sam Werner of the Three-Point Jesus podcast and Michael Bryan of 18 Stripes join to talk about the epic Orange Bowl victory as the Irish advance to the national title game. (This is the loopiest and least edited podcast in existence.)
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Diving in on the Fighting Irish/Nittany Lions College Football Playoff semifinal and also Remembering Some Games.
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Jessica Smetana joins to discuss the Fighting Irish's win in the Sugar Bowl to advance to the semifinals of the College Football Playoff. Topics include but are not limited to: The tragedy in New Orleans and feelings going into the game, big plays in all three phases, Riley Leonard, the defense, Marcus Freeman and general postseason thoughts.
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Jessica Smetana joins to discuss the Fighting Irish dominating the Hoosiers to open up the first-ever 12-team playoff.
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To close out Christmas Giving, we're revisiting an episode many of you probably (and understandably) deleted right away. Jessica Smetana joins for the post-NIU discussion, in which we talked about Marcus Freeman, transfer quarterbacks, stadium atmosphere, coaching searches and a lot more.
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Inside ND Sports' Eric Hansen joins to talk about the hype around the Indiana/Notre Dame game, the evolution of Riley Leonard and Marcus Freeman, the greatness of Xavier Watts, Hoosier history and much more.
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NBC Sports College Football Insider Nicole Auerbach joins to review what the expanded playoff meant for the regular season, what changes we might see to the bracket going forward, Notre Dame's independence and much more.
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Irish Sports Daily's Jamie Uyeyama joins to talk about how Marcus Freeman performed in his third season, the improving Irish offense, a big question about the Irish defense, how Notre Dame matches up with Indiana and how to define a successful season.
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Jessica Smetana joins to kick off our annual fundraising for the Center for the Homeless in South Bend. Donate here: https://www.gofundme.com/f/754gdw-rakes-report-christmas-giving-2024
Topics include assessing the playoff committee's work, SEC gaslighting, early look at the Hoosiers and much more.
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Jessica Smetana joins to discuss the Fighting Irish's very exciting and in no way nerve-racking win in Los Angeles to clinch a home playoff game.
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Jessica Smetana and our USC Insider Nick Tresnowski join to talk the win over Army at Yankee Stadium, Lincoln Riley's status among Trojan fans, how Southern Cal might be able to attack the Notre Dame defense, whether they'll be able to hold up against the Irish rushing attack, playoff positioning, the monster win for Niele Ivey in Los Angeles and the future of the Irish/Trojans rivalry.
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Jessica Smetana joins to discuss the Senior Day victory over the Cavaliers, Notre Dame's eighth consecutive win. Topics include special teams injustice, defensive dominance, sloppy offense, long drives with no points, some silly ACC results elsewhere and feelings going into the final two games.
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Michael Bryan of 18 Stripes joins to take a look at Notre Dame's stat profile with three games left, as well as playoff rankings, future schedules and stadium atmospheres. Then (44:45) Paul Coletti of The Irish Alert newsletter discusses the hot start for the Olivia Miles/Hannah Hidalgo backourt and Notre Dame basketball.
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Jessica Smetana joins to discuss the Fighting Irish dominating Florida State to get to 8-1 on the season. Topics include: A stellar defensive effort against a horrific offense, splash plays from Riley Leonard and company, questions on special teams, how this weekend affects the playoff race and much more.
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Happy Halloween! As a bye week trick and treat, we're taking a look at the 1982 film Halloween III: Season of the Witch, which swaps out Michael Myers as the villain and replaces him with an Irish witch/business tycoon. Topics include how this film views the Irish, the greatness of Tom Atkins' Dr. Dan Challis, an evil scheme that has a few holes in it, robot specifics, why John Carpenter remains the king of kings and much more.
Guests: Niamh Cavanagh, Jessica Smetana, Joseph Sposato
Jessica Smetana and Sam Werner join to discuss the Fighting Irish's dominant win over the Midshipmen to get to 7-1.
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Notre Dame point guard Olivia Miles joins to talk about building chemistry with teammates, her excitement about the newcomers to the Irish roster, growing her game, the legacy of the program's success in the WNBA, hearing transfer rumors about yourself and much more.
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Jessica Smetana joins to discuss the Fighting Irish improving to a 63% chance at making the playoff after a win in Atlanta. An up-and-down day from the offense, young stars on defense, Brent Key making his way onto the Enemies List, Dog In Him rankings, the psychic damage of that atrocious broadcast and another fun day of college football.
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Jessica Smetana joins to walk through the Fighting Irish's dominant win over the Cardinal and a fun weekend of college football overall.
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Jamie Uyeyama of Irish Sports Daily joins to talk about what the Fighting Irish might look like over the second half of the season. Topics include how the offense could improve, underrating the line's effect, Mitchell Evans, third-down running back usage, how to survive injuries along the defensive line, linebacker snap counts, elite secondary play and lessons learned from the Deuce Knight decommitment.
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Jessica Smetana joins to talk about the carnage that descended on college football while Notre Dame rested and what it means for the rest of this season. Then (32:30) Priya Desai gives her review of the Fighting Irish game day experience for last week's Louisville visit.
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Jessica Smetana joins to discuss the Fighting Irish pull out the win in a Top 20 battle. Topics include a sloppy first quarter, the depth of the defense stepping up, big plays from the offense, questionable late-game decisions from both coaches and color (green and otherwise) from inside the stadium.
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Sam Werner of the Three-Point Jesus podcast joins to talk about the victory over the RedHawks. Topics include The Riley Leonard Discourse, a dominant defense (except for second and long), an assessment of special teams and how playing a big game against Louisville changes the tenor of the week/gameday experience.
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Jessica Smetana joins to discuss the Fighting Irish's demolition of the Boilermakers in West Lafayette. Topics include a dominant run game, dominant defense, concerning injuries, if there's a quarterback controversy and some (well, maybe more than some) lingering thoughts from last weekend.
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Jessica Smetana joins to examine the wide world of takes — including fair critiques, honest questions, sizzlers and some creative fan-fiction — that resulted from Notre Dame's loss to Northern Illinois. Understand if you auto-delete this but it's not overly gloomy or whiny.
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Michael Bryan of 18 Stripes joins to recap his Saturday at Texas A&M. Also included: Marcus Freeman's fourth down decisions, what one game affirmed/undercut as far as preseason expectations and what we're looking for in Week 2.
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Jessica Smetana joins to discuss the monster win in College Station. Sorry this is very loopy and rambly and not edited, we'll be more coherent next time. Buy Golden-Denbrock 2024 merch here.
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Jessica Smetana joins to select the things we're most excited to see this Fighting Irish football season. Also: Big-picture thoughts, predictions, advice for Notre Dame fans traveling to College Station and the debut of campus' newest statue, Hot Dog Jesus.
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Alex Herrmann and Andrew Smith of Notre Dame, Our Blogger join to preview all 12 opponents on this fall's Fighting Irish schedule.
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Jamie Uyeyama of Irish Sports Daily returns for Part Two of this year's Frosh O series to talk about every scholarship freshman on the Notre Dame defense. Included:
- Can Kyngstonn Viliamu-Asa really be Manti 2.0?
- Tae Johnston has upside at safety, but Kennedy Urlacher could be in the mix on special teams from the jump.
- Leonard Moore's stock continues to rise as he appears to in the cornerback rotation.
- Bryce Young is a monster at defensive end.
- Jamie's overall thoughts on a big 2024 season for Marcus Freeman and the Fighting Irish, including a thin margin for error.
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Jamie Uyeyama of Irish Sports Daily joins for Part 1 of this year's Frosh O series to talk about every scholarship freshman on the Notre Dame offense. Included:
- The present and future of the line arrives in Anthonie Knapp and Guerby Lambert.
- Which tailback has the best chance to contribute this season between Kedren Young and Aneyas Williams.
- An exciting trio at wide receiver, including Cam Williams and Micah Gilbert.
- How Jack Larsen fits into the legacy of Irish tight ends.
- C.J. Carr's tremendous upside potential.
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Irish Sports Daily's Greg Flammang and 18 Stripes' Michael Bryan joins to dive into the nitty gritty of nine position groups. There's unanimity about who's first and who's last (with some breaking news on the latter) along with a promising amount of gray area between them.
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A run through of where things stand as we enter a month where the Fighting Irish will play a real (and real important) football game.
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Our USC Insider Nick Tresnowski joins to discuss the Trojans. Topics include life after Caleb Williams, ditching Alex Grinch, pressure on Lincoln Riley and adjusting to the Big Ten.
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Carter Karels of Gigem247 joins to talk about Texas A&M. The Aggies have a new coach, an elite defensive line, promise at quarterback and some questions yet to be answered in camp.
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Jessica Smetana joins to talk offseason campus visits, the expectations game, home field advantages, interesting preseason win totals, possible/probable playoff arguments, prophetic EMTs of cinema and much more.
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Inside ND Sports' Eric Hansen joins to talk about how the Fighting Irish football team is handling the high expectations for this season, Pete Bevacqua's first weeks on the job, roster questions and more. Then (49:00) Paul Coletti of The Irish Alert Substack walks through the state of the Notre Dame women's basketball roster after exciting additions from the transfer portal, freshman class and injury list. (Apologies for contrast in CW audio quality between the two segments.)
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Irish Sports Daily's Jamie Uyeyama joins to take a deep dive on where Notre Dame football stands at the conclusion of spring practice. What do we feel better about and what questions still remain to be sorted out before the season begins? Topics include QB depth/upside, a potentially dominant front seven, wide receiver improvement, running back reps, questions at corner, offensive tackles and much more.
Then a discussion of the series Shogun (1:13:30). (No spoilers to start then they're clearly flagged.)
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Hoops hoops hoops. Supersized episode to get you ready for the tournament and review the first season of Micah Shrewsberry's tenure.
Segment 1: Sabreena Merchant (The Athletic) on Notre Dame's chances and what she's most excited for this March.
Segment 2 (33:11): Jessica Smetana on storylines to follow, pre-tournament nerves and how the coverage of the women's bracket has evolved.
Segment 3 (57:14): Sam Werner (Three-Point Jesus podcast) and Joe Schueller (18 Stripes) on whether expectations were met for Shrewsberry's inaugural season and what the team might look like next season.
The Athletic's Pete Sampson joins to talk about many things including but not limited to Max Bullough, Mike Denbrock, where support for Marcus Freeman stands among both the administration and fans, NIL and transfer portal, a change in approach to strength and conditioning, bowl selection chicanery and the large expectations for 2024.
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Greg Flammang (Irish Sports Daily) and Michael Bryan (18 Stripes) join to talk about early offseason thoughts, 2023 numbers that stand out, what the offense might look like in 2024 and Depth Chart Power Ranking accountability. Then (48:00) a discussion of the Amazon Prime series Reacher.
Jessica Smetana joins to talk about the dominant 40-8 win in El Paso and how to feel about the Fighting Irish program going into the offseason.
Donate to the Center for the Homeless in South Bend here.
Donate to the Center for the Homeless in South Bend here.
Irish Sports Daily's Jamie Uyeyama stops in to talk about what Duke quarterback Riley Leonard coming to Notre Dame means for the 2024 offense. Other topics include Kris Mitchell, Beaux Collins, Jordan Clark and what we're hoping to see in the bowl game.
The Christmas shirt designs are available here, with all proceeds going to the CFH.
Donate to the Center for the Homeless in South Bend here.
Inside ND Sports' Eric Hansen joins for a conversation on the confusing Sun Bowl selection process, Marcus Freeman's handling of his coaching staff, signs of transfer portal progress and much much more.
The Christmas shirt designs are available here, with all proceeds going to the CFH.
Donate to the Center for the Homeless in South Bend here.
The Athletic's Sabreena Merchant joins to talk Hannah Hidalgo, early thoughts on this Notre Dame, where they fit into the ACC hierarchy, Jackie Young being awesome and where the sport of women's hoops sits after a big year.
The Christmas shirt designs are available here, with all proceeds going to the CFH.
Donate to the Center for the Homeless in South Bend here.
Jessica Smetana and Mike Golic, Jr. join to talk about processing 9-3, Sun Bowl memories, transfer portal frenzy, the potential of Riley Leonard, Sam Hartman's legacy and much more.
The Christmas shirt designs are available here, with all proceeds going to the CFH.
Donate to the Center for the Homeless in South Bend here.
Jessica Smetana joins to talk about the committee finally being put into a tough spot, the ACC's normal bowl selection process, how to approach the early craziness of the Notre Dame offseason and a whole lot more.
The Christmas shirt designs are available here, with all proceeds going to the CFH.
Jessica Smetana joins to discuss Notre Dame's 56-23 win over Stanford and early takes on the season as a whole.
Jessica Smetana and 18 Stripes' Michael Bryan join to talk through the state of things after Notre Dame fell to 7-3. What should we want from the final two regular season games, offseason checklist, potential bowls, all of that and much more in an extended therapy session.
Jessica Smetana joins to discuss Notre Dame's massive 48-20 win over the Trojans.
(There's a weird vibration in the audio in the first 15 seconds but then it goes away don't worry, truly have no idea what it is. Happy Bye Week.)
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Our USC Insider Nick Tresnowski joins to talk Caleb Williams, Alex Grinch, how Trojan fans feel about Lincoln Riley midway through his second year, players to know for Saturday night's primetime clash and much more.
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Jessica Smetana joins to discuss Notre Dame's second defeat of the season, as well as offensive coordinator hypotheticals, a brief schadenfreude tour and a consideration of how the fortunes of head coaches are always rising and falling in America.
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Jessica Smetana joins to talk about Notre Dame's very normal victory against the Blue Devils.
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You're probably going to delete this immediately and that's totally okay but if your misery would like company Jessica Smetana is here to try and talk through things a bit. Note: Jess forgot to mention cell service was very bad on Saturday so if you're going for games maybe plan ahead a little bit for coordinating purposes.
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Breaking down the Fighting Irish victory at NC State and the first quarter of the season.
Jessica Smetana joins to discuss the trip to Ireland, a fun Notre Dame victory and what we're looking forward to in Week 1. (This is a loopy one, sorry.)
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Jessica Smetana joins for our annual offseason closing tradition: Drafting things we're excited to see this Fighting Irish football season. Topics include jinxing, the potential of the offense, Marcus Freeman Year Two, how many times can you play "Shipping Up To Boston" in a row, tough choices on big wins, Week 0 NIMBYism and much more.
Note: At one point run game success rate is mentioned a second time when it should be explosive play rate, read about it here.
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Alex Herrmann and Andrew Smith of Notre Dame, Our Blogger join to preview all 12 opponents on this fall's Fighting Irish schedule. You know the three Big Ones, but what are the toughest challenges outside of that?
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Jamie Uyeyama of Irish Sports Daily joins for Part 2 of Frosh O, our run through every scholarship freshman on the Notre Dame offense. Included:
- Wide receivers you need to know right now
- Sorting through a lot of options on the line
- What if a running back was really fast?
- The potential for a freshman tight end to be in the mix
- Pat Narduzzi finds sowing more enjoyable than reaping
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Jamie Uyeyama of Irish Sports Daily joins for Part 1 of Frosh O, our run through every scholarship freshman (and one walk-on) on the Notre Dame defense. Included:
- Christian Gray is the best corner prospect since...*?
- Wyoming tourism tips
- Boubacar Traore's breakout camp
- Canadian power at tackle
- Knockout linebacker duo
- The overall talent of this freshman and sophomore class
* The answer to this is pretty easy but it doesn't mean you can't ask the question.
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Michael Bryan (18 Stripes) and Greg Flammang (Irish Sports Daily) join to break down the Fighting Irish in order of our confidence in each position group. Who ya got: Hartman or Morrison/Hart? Estime or Alt/Fisher? The linebackers or the DL? Those and many more difficult questions.
Eric Hansen of Inside ND Sports stops by to talk about Sam Hartman, the depth at running back, how the offensive line is shaping up, finding playmakers on offense, also finding some playmakers on defense and a little women's basketball.
In a supersized episode, Jamie Uyeyama of Irish Sports Daily drops by to get into the nitty gritty of football positions. This is a nerdy deep dive into the skills and traits you're looking for to fill in different spots on the roster during which the host embarrasses himself with a litany of dumb questions. Topics include the intricacies of defensive line play, what you need in modern linebackers and safeties, different types of corners and how they match up to different types of receivers and a whole lot more.
Michael Bryan of 18 Stripes joins to walk through the depth chart and discuss whether we feel better, worse or the same about the various position groups versus the start of spring practice.
An unofficial Part Two with our previous episode, this is a How Did This Get Made? for the New York Times op-ed written by Father Jenkins and Jack Swarbrick on the future of college sports. Jessica Smetana joins to talk with Notre Dame professor Katherine Walden about the history of sports labor, amateurism, potential Congressional action, gender equality with NIL and much more.
Links of note
The New York Times op-ed
Dianne Williams' op-ed on the AIAW
WBUR story on Walter Byers and the origin of student-athletes
Q&A with Nat Marshall
Jessica Smetana joins for a conversation with Yahoo Sports' Dan Wetzel about his interview with Jack Swarbrick, the doomsaying about NIL's effect on college sports, Notre Dame's chances at staying independent and Marcus Freeman's second season.
Patrick Engel of Blue and Gold and the On3 network joins to talk about early impressions from spring practice and the hiring of Micah Shrewsberry as Notre Dame's new men's basketball coach. Topics include Sam Hartman, development at wide receiver, the ceiling for the offense under Gerad Parker, potential breakout players on defense and how long a hoops turnaround might take.
Getting you prepared for the start of the tournament and beyond with an all-star lineup:
- Sabreena Merchant of The Athletic breaks down Notre Dame's corner of the bracket and their chances at making it to a second straight Sweet Sixteen.
- Then, Chantel Jennings of The Athletic stops by to talk about her great profile of Niele Ivey and what she learned about the Irish program while writing it. (30:22) (Read it here.)
- Finally, our friend Sam Werner joins for an update on the end of Mike Brey's tenure and the top contenders to be hired as his replacement. (49:49)
Jessica Smetana and Jamie Uyeyama join to discuss Tommy Rees heading to Alabama and what Marcus Freeman should ideally look for in a replacement offensive coordinator.
Jamie's list of potential candidates at Irish Sports Daily.
The Athletic's Pete Sampson joins to talk about the finalized 2023 Notre Dame football schedule and how this fall's roster compares to last year's team.
Let's chat about a good basketball team and also a bad basketball team. First, Sabreena Merchant of The Athletic (2:07) joins for a fun talk about Niele Ivey's top ten women's squad and Irish alumnae in the WNBA. Then our friend Sam Werner hops on (38:45) to discuss the rough situation on the men's side and the likely end of Mike Brey's tenure.
Jessica Smetana joins to talk about Notre Dame's thrilling win over South Carolina, enjoying the Fiesta and Cotton results, a Mini Movie Club on Glass Onion and much more.
Notre Dame basketball head coach Niele Ivey joins to talk about the big win over UConn, her relationship with Muffet McGraw, coaching Olivia Miles, the joy of fast breaks, the Mabrey sisters and her experience at the NBA Draft.
Donate to the Center for the Homeless in South Bend here or go to www.rakesreportchristmasgiving.com. Purchase the Christmas Giving design shirts (with all proceeds going to the CFH) here.
Donate to the Center for the Homeless in South Bend here or go to www.rakesreportchristmasgiving.com.
Eric Hansen of Inside ND Sports joins to talk about Marcus Freeman's first season, his outlook on Freeman's potential for the future, how the Irish are approaching the transfer portal, NIL opportunities for Notre Dame athletes, a bunch of Charlie Weis stories and much more.
Purchase the Christmas Giving design shirts (with all proceeds going to the CFH) here.
Donate to the Center for the Homeless in South Bend here or go to www.rakesreportchristmasgiving.com.
It's a full house to start the week as Jessica Smetana and Jamie Uyeyama join to run through all the news including but not limited to the playoff field, Drew Pyne's transfer, bowl opponent South Carolina, transfer portal crashing into recruiting, bowls we're excited to watch, who Jamie considers to be "low-rent Ian Book," spicy bowl sponsors, the war for Toledo, Northwestern completing its 0-for-the-United-States quest and Jamba Juice tips.
Our Trojan insider Nick Tresnowski joins to preview this weekend's Top 15 matchup between Notre Dame and USC. A tremendous offense and sketchy defense await the Irish in Los Angeles for their season finale.
On the tenth anniversary of a wild fourth quarter comeback and perfectly officiated overtime session, Jessica Smetana and Paul Rigney join to talk about 8-0 Notre Dame trying to stave off an upset by Paul Chryst, Aaron Donald, Tino Sunseri and the Pitt Panthers.
Jessica Smetana joins to partake in Michael Bryan of 18 Stripes' new game show: LepreCard Sharks (sorry) where the categories are all Fighting Irish stat rankings. Also, field reports are filed from the UNLV and Stanford games plus big picture thoughts seven games into Marcus Freeman's first season.
Jamie Uyeyama of Irish Sports Daily joins to review the offense through four games. Discussed: What from the UNC game might work going forward, slow starts under Tommy Rees, how a roster is built, Marcus Freeman's overall philosophy, Tobias Merriweather snaps and much more.
Jessica Smetana joins to discuss Notre Dame's 45-32 victory in Chapel Hill, a fun day of college football (go Blue Raiders) and how we're feeling going into the bye week.
Jessica Smetana joins to discuss the Fighting Irish's 24-17 victory over the Golden Bears.
Our old friend Carter Karels, now covering the Seminoles for the Tallahassee Democrat, stops by to talk about the wild Florida State/LSU opener, how things are going for Brian Kelly in the bayou, his thoughts on Marcus Freeman and the potential of Tyler Buchner.
Jessica Smetana joins to pick the things we're most excited for about this Fighting Irish season, plus bonus fun we're looking forward to from around college football.
Alex Herrmann and Andrew Smith of Notre Dame, Our Blogger join to preview all 12 opponents on this fall's Fighting Irish schedule.
Jamie Uyeyama of Irish Sports Daily joins to discuss every true freshman on the Notre Dame defense before wrapping with overall thoughts on the 2022 class and where recruiting stands in the first year of Marcus Freeman's tenure.
Jamie Uyeyama of Irish Sports Daily joins to run through every true freshman on the Notre Dame offense. Topics include what to expect from Tobias Merriweather, the continued excellence of the Irish tight end room and the future of the quarterback depth chart.
Jessica Smetana and Bridget Reynolds join to discuss the new Netflix documentary about Manti Te'o.
(We were going to arbitrarily break this into two parts like the documentary but instead are just releasing the supersized version and including a bunch of punctuation in the title. Pause in the middle for that two-part experience!)
Michael Bryan (18 Stripes) and Greg Flammang (Irish Sports Daily and UHND) join to discuss our collective confidence levels in the different Fighting Irish position groups for the upcoming season.
Michael Bryan (18 Stripes) and Greg Flammang (Irish Sports Daily and UHND) join to discuss our collective confidence levels in the different Fighting Irish position groups for the upcoming season.
Ashton Pollard of Blue and Gold stops by to discuss the opening weekend of Notre Dame's August camp. A lot of excitement and question marks surrounding the offense, and mostly just excitement about the defense.
As we approach a new season with a new Notre Dame head coach amid an uncertain future for college football, it's worth considering some big questions: What does it mean to be a fan? What should we want out of sports? Can being a fan make you a better person? Jessica Smetana joins to wrestle these questions with Notre Dame professors Meghan Sullivan (author of "The Good Life Method") and Christine Becker.
(This ended up being just about the length of a twice-a-week class, which is fitting. Trying something different with this one, hope you enjoy.)
Jessica Smetana joins to discuss the latest in conference realignment and what it means for the Fighting Irish.
Mike Laskey and Sam Werner join to discuss Blake Wesley becoming the first Notre Dame men's basketball player to be selected in the first round since 2015.
Other topics and digressions: Jaden Ivey, Arike, the Sacramento Kings draft history, J.J. Starling, Pat Connaughton, Chris Quinn, Roosevelt Jones, Thomas Walkup.
Using the occasion of C.J. Carr's commitment to the Fighting Irish to talk with Ashton Pollard of Blue and Gold about quarterbacks, recruiting, quarterback recruiting and much more.
Our USC Insider Nick Tresnowski joins to talk about the Trojans new coach and new roster, plus some general Pac-12 and Notre Dame chatter.
Jessica Smetana joins to discuss how Kyle Hamilton and Kyren Williams fared in the draft before turning to the latest conversations around Name, Image and Likeness.
After spending the Blue-Gold Game reporting on the sideline for NBC Sports, Caroline Pineda joins to talk about what she saw and heard as Marcus Freeman’s first spring as Notre Dame’s head coach came to a close.
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Long one today, probably should have just broken this into two but here we are. First, Jamie Uyeyama of Irish Sports Daily talks spring practice and how Notre Dame is working to replace some of its biggest contributors from last season.
Then (55:20) Mike Laskey joins to talk about Blake Wesley's NBA decision.
Yahoo Sports' Dan Wetzel joins to discuss Marcus Freeman's first three months on the job, Notre Dame recruiting, playoff expansion, NIL, Mel Tucker's extension, Rose Bowl sunsets and much more.
The Athletic's Pete Sampson joins to walk through the new faces on the Fighting Irish coaching staff, plus some discussion of the roster and Winning Is Hard.
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Sam Werner joins to talk about the Notre Dame men's basketball team as they prepare for their biggest week of the season. After that (30:44), Paul Rigney talks about hanging out on campus with Jerome Bettis as The Bus returns to finish his ND degree. Watch the Today Show story on Bettis here.
Notre Dame professors Christine Becker (Film, Television and Theatre) and Katherine Walden (American Studies) join to discuss the public relations rollout and documentary footage around the Marcus Freeman hire, mythmaking in the age of social media, John Goldfarb, Please Come Home! and more.
Jessica Smetana joins to discuss if there are any long-term ramifications from Notre Dame's loss to Oklahoma State before moving onto some big picture issues (narrative shift on playoff losses, Kirk Herbstreit's comments, NIL + transfer portal) as well as how Jess reignited the Muffet/Geno feud over Christmas. (Considering it follows a loss, this one isn't a bummer.)
The South Bend Tribune's Eric Hansen joins to discuss his reporting on Brian Kelly's departure and Marcus Freeman's ascension.
Read Eric's column on Freeman here.
Donate to the Center for the Homeless in South Bend here.
Buy the Christmas Giving shirts here.
It's way too early to make any final judgments on how Brian Kelly's time in South Bend will be viewed but it's always a good time to talk to Michael Bryan of 18 Stripes about his look back at the last dozen years of Notre Dame football.
Donate to the Center for the Homeless in South Bend here.
Buy the Christmas Giving shirts here.
After covering the past Notre Dame season for NBC Sports, the AP and NDFIM, senior Caroline Pineda stops by to discuss the Kelly-to-Freeman transition, her thoughts on the new head coach, what it's like to have Muffet McGraw as a professor and much more.
Donate to the Center for the Homeless in South Bend here.
Buy the Christmas Giving shirts here.
Now that the dust of the coaching search has settled, let's remember some plays.
Donate to the Center for the Homeless in South Bend here.
Buy the Christmas Giving shirts here.
Jessica Smetana helps kick off this year's Christmas Giving with a discussion of championship weekend, Notre Dame vs. Oklahoma State and other bowls we're excited to watch.
Donate to the Center for the Homeless in South Bend here.
Buy the Christmas Giving shirts here.
There's a new head coach for the Notre Dame Fighting Irish and Jessica Smetana is here to talk about it.
Tis The Season merch.
w/ Jessica Smetana. and another thing: im not mad. please dont put in the newspaper that i got mad.
(this was slapped together on the road, audio quality not the best but times are what they are.)
Jessica Smetana joins to talk about Notre Dame's 45-14 win against the Cardinal, mourn the end of what turned into an incredibly fun Irish season and discuss the postseason.
Jessica Smetana joins to break down Notre Dame's dominant 55-0 Senior Day victory and talk about postseason positioning.
Ashton Pollard of On3.com joins to discuss Notre Dame's 28-3 win against the Cavaliers in Charlottesville.
Jamie Uyeyama of Irish Sports Daily stops in to break down what Tommy Rees and Marcus Freeman have been up to this season, as well as a discussion on how the 2021 Fighting Irish season fits into the grand arc of the program.
Jessica Smetana joins to review the last two Irish victories and prepare for the final third of the season. Tommy Rees, Kyren Williams, the light show, preseason rankings and much more.
Our USC Insider Nick Tresnowski joins to talk Jaxson Dart, Drake London, the Trojan headspace heading into this game and the latest on the search to replace Clay Helton.
Jessica Smetana joins to discuss the happenings around the country during Notre Dame's bye week (including the win against Purdue looking a little better after the result in Iowa City) and take a look at the second half of the season for the Irish.
Greg Flammang from UHND.com joins in a futile but fun attempt to break down Notre Dame's 32-29 win in Blacksburg.
Jessica Smetana and The Athletic's Nicole Auerbach join to discuss Notre Dame's loss to Cincinnati, why so many teams are disappointing this season, when chanting goes wrong, the future of Fighting Irish independence, battling ESPN's monopoly, NIL and much more.
Michael Bryan of 18 Stripes and Sam Werner join to assess where the Irish are as the first trimester of the season concludes. What should we expect going forward, and who should the quarterback be?
Jessica Smetana joins to recount her experience at Soldier Field for Notre Dame's 41-13 win over the Badgers.
A look at Saturday's upcoming clash between the Badgers and Irish with our Wisconsin Insider Andrew Bahl.
Jessica Smetana joins to talk about Notre Dame's 27-13 win over the Boilermakers and scenes from a fun, weird day in college football. Also a field report from Senior Drum Correspondent Paul Rigney.
The Irish are 2-0 and Clay Helton has already been fired so our USC Insider Nick Tresnowski stops by to talk what he expects from the Trojans the rest of the season and potential options for their next head coach.
Jessica Smetana joins for a recap of Notre Dame's 41-38 overtime victory in Tallahassee, including how new faces Jack Coan and Marcus Freeman performed.
(This was recorded prior to Brian Kelly's Monday afternoon press conference.)
Jessica Smetana joins to rank things we're excited to see during the upcoming Fighting Irish campaign, plus a final discussion of lingering fears and concerns.
Andrew Smith and Alex Herrmann of Notre Dame Our Blogger join to take a look at all twelve of the Fighting Irish's fall opponents, pitting sky-high August optimism against analysis of a midseason gauntlet.
Jamie Uyeyama of Irish Sports Daily joins to to break down every freshman offensive player on the Irish roster. The Ballad of Blake Fisher, Rocco Spindler and Lorenzo Styles Jr. having perfect names to go along with their talents, a new potential Thunder/Lightning combo, off-platform throws and much more.
Jamie Uyeyama of Irish Sports Daily joins to walk through every freshman on the 2021 defense. With a star linebacker and potential hidden gem out of Hawaii, it feels like home.
Patrick Engel of Blueandgold.com and the Rivals network joins to talk about the strides the wide receiving group has made in August camp. Plus some Michael Mayer, tight end depth and tailbacks in the passing game.
The South Bend Tribune's Tyler James joins to talk about the Irish's new-look offensive line. Also some running back, Jack Coan and season expectations discussion.
Jamie Uyeyama of Irish Sports Daily drops in to talk about all the fun options the Irish have at linebacker and defensive line.
Greg Flammang of UHND.com and the Single High Podcast stops by to try and sort out the non-Kyle Hamilton options in the Irish secondary. What's the depth look like at corner? Who will step up next to Hamilton? Plus some general thoughts on the season to come.
Following the pause in Irish-Trojans battles last year, our USC insider Nick Tresnowski reports on the state of affairs in Los Angeles as we look ahead to the October 23 meeting in South Bend. Clay Helton, Drake London, NIL and more.
(Nick's audio is a little choppy at the top but then it smooths out.)
Jamie Uyeyama of Irish Sports Daily joins to break down a rollercoaster of a day. How would the new 12-team playoff plan — which includes no possibility of bye for Notre Dame — affect the Fighting Irish and their independence?
Eric Hansen of the South Bend Tribune joins to talk about lingering questions regarding the 2021 team, a big recruiting month, All-BK-at-ND adjustments and some BVG reminiscing at the very end.
~~~ Homefield Apparel is launching their Notre Dame line on Saturday, June 5. Use the code RAKES for 15 percent off your order at Homefieldapparel.com. ~~~
Andrew Smith from Notre Dame Our Blogger joins to break down the conclusion of the Fighting Irish's spring practices.
Jessica Smetana joins to help break down Michael Bryan of 18 Stripes' list of offseason myths that might need busted. Then America's favorite pastime: Ranking college football coaches.
Michael's mythbusting article.
A discussion of the new Netflix documentary feature "Operation Varsity Blues: The College Admissions Scandal" with Jessica Smetana, Paul Rigney and Tina Wilson.
The Athletic's Pete Sampson joins to talk Marcus Freeman, Chris O'Leary, Jack Coan, Name Image Likeness and much more.
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Carter Karels of the South Bend Tribune and Jamie Uyeyama of Irish Sports Daily join to talk all things recruiting. What is Notre Dame's ceiling? What makes a coach a good recruiter, and what are prospects looking for? What do analysts do? And much, much more.
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A speed-run through every Notre Dame victory since the start of the 2017 season and yes I'm aware of this episode's length. Let's remember some games.
Jessica Smetana of Sports Illustrated joins to discuss Notre Dame's season ending defeat in the Rose Bowl.
You're probably going to delete this as soon as you see it but if you don't here's a brief attempt at a therapy session with Jessica Smetana discussing Notre Dame's 34-10 loss to Clemson.
Christmas Giving 2020: https://www.gofundme.com/f/rakes-report-christmas-giving-2020
Jessica Smetana of Sports Illustrated joins to discuss how two big results from Saturday, December 12 affect Notre Dame's potential playoff fortunes. Plus coach firings, fun weather and the Clemson rematch.
Donate to the Center for the Homeless in South Bend.
Jamie Uyeyama of Irish Sports Daily joins to recap the perfect regular season.
Donate to the Center for the Homeless in South Bend here.
Rakes merchandise (all December proceeds go to the CFH).
Jessica Smetana joins to discuss Notre Dame's senior day victory over the Orange and the last four years of Irish football as a whole.
Rakes merch (all December proceeds to go the Center for the Homeless in South Bend)
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Jessica Smetana joins to review Notre Dame's 31-17 Black Friday victory over the North Carolina Tar Heels. 9-0, baby.
A discussion of some of our favorite stuff from Saturday's victory over the No. 1 team in the nation.
A tired and wired and exhausted and thrilled attempt to piece together 47-40 in double overtime over the No. 1 team in the f'n country with minimal time for reflection with Jessica Smetana*, with a bonus atonement at the conclusion.
* We reserve the right to retract any opinions stated after sleep.
Jessica Smetana joins to review Notre Dame's 31-13 victory over the Yellow Jackets before turning attention to the coming clash with the Clemson Tigers.
Jessica Smetana joins for a Sunday morning breakdown of Notre Dame's 45-3 win over the Pitt Panthers.
Former Pittsburgh Panther beat writer Sam Werner and Michael Bryan of 18 Stripes join to discuss Notre Dame's 4-0 start, ways the Irish can improve, Pat Narduzzi's tenure and Pitt/ND memories.
Jessica Smetana of Sports Illustrated joins to break down Notre Dame's thrilling 12-7 win over the Louisville Cardinals.
Jessica Smetana, Andrew Smith and Alex Herrmann join to answer your questions about what the team needs to improve on before Clemson, national respect, the most Ian Book stat line, coaches in waiting, watching college football during all of this and much more.
The ND Our Blogger Patreon.
Jess's story on Crystal Dunn.
Jessica Smetana joins to discuss Notre Dame prevailing 52-0 against the Bulls despite a number of players missing the game. Much to applaud, with a little nitpicking.
Jessica Smetana joins to discuss Notre Dame's 27-13 victory over the Blue Devils. The slow start, the exciting flashes and Tony Dungy's debut in the booth.
It is one of the more random drafts in Report history as Jessica Smetana joins Chris and Matt to select things they're excited to see during this Notre Dame season.
Michael Bryan from 18 Stripes and Greg Flammang from UHND.com join to discuss one of the great mysteries of our time: What will Tommy Rees' first Irish offense look like?
Tyler James of the South Bend Tribune walks through what we might be able to expect from Clark Lea's side of the ball. Where will the pass rush come from? Who gets time at linebacker next to JOK and Drew White? What's up with the secondary shuffling? All that, and more.
Jamie Uyeyama of Irish Sports Daily joins for Part Two of our look at the newest players on Notre Dame's roster, hitting on the defensive freshmen and incoming grad transfers before closing with a general look at roster health and how the pandemic will affect future recruiting.
Listen to Part One on the offense.
Jamie Uyeyama of Irish Sports Daily joins to discuss the very exciting newcomers to Notre Dame's offense. Can Chris Tyree, Michael Mayer and Jordan Johnson take the Irish attack to another level?
List to Part Two on defense and transfers.
Nicole Auerbach of The Athletic joins to discuss how the latest virus news out of Notre Dame fits into the grand scheme of college and college football. Then Jessica Smetana walks through various emotions, almost all bad, about the situation on campus and the potential for a season.
Read Nicole's Tuesday mailbag.
Carter Karels stops by to talk Notre Dame players returning to campus, the rapid rise of player empowerment in college football, Jordan Johnson, Mike Mickens and breakout candidates on defense.
Former Fighting Irish basketball player Brianna Turner joins to discuss the George Floyd protests, activism during her time at Notre Dame and what she's looking for in statements from college coaches.
Jessica Smetana and Paul Rigney join for a look at whether or not unidentified aerial phenomena might have been involved with the 2011 season opener and how that sighting fits into the United States' history with UFOs.
Footage.
HuffPost story.
NYTimes on Pentagon videos.
Chicago Tribune on O'Hare sighting.
Washington Post on Roswell investigation.
Wired on the Times reporting.
Republic of Lies by Anna Merlan.
Gerald Ford UFO papers.
Area 51 by Annie Jacobsen.
A look back at a key turning point in Brian Kelly's tenure and a very special occasion: Tommy Rees' first career start.
Box score.
Merch sale.
All-BK-at-ND newsletter.
Our USC insider Nick Tresnowski joins along with two partisan guests to break down the points-laden evening featuring Will Fuller, Adoree Jackson, C.J. Prosise and JuJu Smith-Schuster.
Full game.
Box score.
Newsletter.
Jessica Smetana of Sports Illustrated drops by to review how Notre Dame fared in the 2020 NFL Draft.
Sign up for the Rakes Report newsletter.
An emergency podcast with ESPN reporter Holly Rowe to discuss the surprise news: Two-time champion and Hall of Famer Muffet McGraw announcing her retirement from coaching after 33 years at the University of Notre Dame. Rowe also gives her thoughts on Muffet's replacement, two-time champ and Notre Dame alumna Niele Ivey.
A look back at perhaps the best Notre Dame win of the 21st century, including appreciating Manti Teo and Louis Nix, discussing a masterful night for Everett Golson, giving some love to the big-game stylings of Brent Musburger and a full travelogue of a weekend spent among the friendly and supremely overconfident denizens of central Oklahoma.
Full replay.
Box score.
Jessica Smetana and Mark Pesavento join to look back at the 2014 Michigan/Notre Dame game. Topics include: Shutouts, Everett Golson, Jaylon Smith, Dave Brandon, Brady Hoke, triangulating BVG's essence, the rivalry's roots and unnecessary unnecessary roughness penalties.
The full game replay.
Box score.
Rate and review on Apple Podcasts.
Subscribe to the Rakes Report newsletter.
Michael Bryan of 18 Stripes and Sam Werner discuss the Free From Ty Willingham Bowl, where first-year head coach Steve Sarkisian brought the Huskies to South Bend for a battle between Jimmy Clausen and Jake Locker. Featuring overtime, 275 yards of offense from Golden Tate and a whole bunch of goal line stands.
Full game (minus final play) on YouTube.
Box score.
Rate and review on Apple Podcasts.
We take a trip back to Notre Dame's first win of the 2007 season, prevailing in the Rose Bowl as 21-point underdogs thanks to an epic night from Mo Crum, Trevor Laws and the defense. Also some discussion of the Shark Attack that downed UCLA the prior year as we complete a tribute to Karl Dorrell.
Follow Nina on Twitter.
Full game link.
Boxscore.
Alan Sepinwall's 2007 review of Carpoolers.
Andrew Smith and Alex Herrmann of Notre Dame Our Blogger join for a rewatch of the 2005 regular season finale, where Brady Quinn, Jeff Samardzija and Darius Walker attempted to avoid an upset and clinch a BCS bid in Charlie Weis's first season.
Note: When discussing his tough second half, we neglect to mention that D.J. Fitzpatrick was banged up after a roughing the punter the prior week. Important context!
Full game on YouTube.
Box score.
We're going to try something new with a shorter episode, this time covering a hypothetical question about your wishes for the 2020 season. Guests: Michael Bryan of 18 Stripes and Sam Werner.
Jamie Uyeyama of Irish Sports Daily joins to talk about the new coaching hires, roster churn, Notre Dame's recruiting ceiling and what to pay attention to during spring practice.
Sam Werner joins us to discuss adjustments to the All-BK-at-ND team following the 2019 campaign and then we tier up the best players of the last decade of Irish football.
Jessica Smetana of Sports Illustrated stops by to talk Tommy Rees's promotion, Phil Jurkovec's transfer, the Camping World victory and our favorite bowls of the 2019-20 postseason.
Pete Sampson's article on the Rees promotion we quote from in this episode.
This is last year's Christmas Song Draft, which has been described as everything between "a holiday classic" and "rage-inducing." If you've got some holiday travel this weekend, this is some clean seasonal listening.
Here's the link to the Spotify playlist of our selections.
Original release date: December 20, 2018.
Jessica Smetana of Sports Illustrated and Andrew Smith & Alex Herrmann of Notre Dame Our Blogger join to discuss bowl games, the college football playoff, White Claw vs. Truly, Christmas music and much more.
Please consider donating to the Center for the Homeless in South Bend here.
NOTE: We unfortunately recorded this prior to the news of Chip Long's departure from Notre Dame's offensive coordinator position. We're sad about that, too.
Brian Fremeau (Football Outsiders, creator of FEI) and Michael Bryan (18 Stripes) join to break down what the numbers show about Notre Dame's 2019 season, how the Irish currently fit into the college football world and what you should expect from Iowa State in the bowl game.
Please consider donating to the Center for the Homeless in South Bend here.
Thanks so much to everyone who has contributed to Christmas Giving so far but the fundraising drives rolls on. Our USC Insider Nick Tresnowski stops by to donate his Clay Helton Retention Misery to the cause. Along with a special guest, we also discuss USC's future, Notre Dame's place in the college football world and much more.
Donate to the Center for the Homeless in South Bend here.
To launch the fourth annual Rakes Report Christmas Giving, we hand out a bunch of awards for the 2019 Notre Dame football season, from MVP to favorite play. There's also a special PSA from NotreDameOurBlogger.com.
Donate to the Center for the Homeless here.
Christmas Giving merch is available here.
Jessica Smetana of Sports Illustrated stops by to try and make sense of this weird Notre Dame season. Tune in this Saturday to the NBC Sports Network to see Jess as part of the alternate broadcast of the Boston College/Notre Dame game.
Jess Smetana (Sports Illustrated) and Andrew & Alex (Notre Dame Our Blogger) help empty out a listener mailbag. What Big Ten team would make the best annual opponent? How many more playoff appearances for Brian Kelly at Notre Dame and also why is everyone so obsessed about the playoff? Dream uniforms, best and worst games, Michigan scenarios and more.
A NOTE ON NY6 BOWLS: We did a poor job of explaining this but due to tie-ins Notre Dame only has three possible destinations should they qualify for a NY6 bowl: a) The playoff b) The Orange Bowl vs. an ACC team c) The Cotton Bowl vs. a Group of 5 team.
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Nicole Auerbach (The Athletic, Big Ten Network) stops by to talk about the current state of affairs in Ann Arbor and what should worry Notre Dame fans Saturday night before the conversation turns to a breakdown of the potential playoff field. Then (33:23) the Report's Senior Penn State correspondent breaks down Michigan's performance in Happy Valley and what Irish fans should expect.
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Jamie Uyeyama of Irish Sports Daily joins to quickly break down the USC game before handing out some grades for the first six games. Is any position group on the Irish getting a straight-A? Are any groups in danger of flunking? What's going to happen in the second half of the season?
Our USC insider Nick Tresnowski makes his annual visit to break down Saturday night's big game. Topics include USC's quarterback duo and wide receiver trio, how they might game plan against Ian Book, who might replace Clay Helton if not Urban Meyer and a welfare check on Trojan message boards.
Jess Smetana of Sports Illustrated stops by to talk about the Daelin Hayes and Shaun Crawford injuries, her trip to South Bend for the Irish's victory over the Cavaliers, very cool defense stuff, Ian Book's performance, and what concerns and excites us for the final eight games of the regular season.
Read Jess's piece on the leprechauns here.
Subscribe to the Rakes Report newsletter here.
Sam Werner drops by to discuss the trip to Athens, what we learned about the team between the hedges and the upcoming brawl with the Virginia Cavaliers.
Michael Bryan of 18Stripes.com stops by to talk about what the advanced stats tell us about the Louisville game, whether we can extrapolate any of that for the rest of the season, what we can learn from the New Mexico game, Notre Dame's future opponents, big picture college football thoughts, and tips for those who want to add a few more advanced metrics into their lives.
Read all of Michael's stuff here.
Jamie Uyeyama of Irish Sports Daily walks us through every freshman in Notre Dame's 2019 offensive class. What kind of impact can Kyren Williams have on the offense this season? What's the future of the offensive line look like? Where does Brendan Clark fit into the quarterback hierarchy? All that, plus wide receivers and special teams content.
Jamie Uyeyama of Irish Sports Daily walks us through every freshman in Notre Dame's 2019 defensive class. KYLE HAMILTON. Can the corners help next year? Some fun linebackers, huh? Whoa, that defensive line class. This is the most fun, really.
Jessica Smetana of Sports Illustrated joins to close the book on 2018 with a draft of the best moments from last season. Then (32:30) it's a rundown of hopes and fears for the 2019 season, ranging from dark psychic forces to #LeadershipWatch. Also there's a discussion of "Once Upon A Time In Hollywood" at the very end and bonus credits audio.
Andrew Smith and Alex Herrmann from Notre Dame Our Blogger dot com stop by to look at all twelve games on the Fighting Irish's 2019 schedule. Which ACC team is scariest? Will Stanford or USC be a tougher out? Is Michigan overrated? Boy, Georgia is pretty good, huh? Can you imagine a team hiring Brian VanGorder?! All that, and more.
Nicole Auerbach of The Athletic drops in to talk about covering football in a Clemson/Bama world, how blue blood programs are working hard to sell tickets and her sit-down with Michigan defensive coordinator Don Brown. (Plus a cameo from Nicole's dog, Red.) Then (34:00) Matt joins to go over news (injuries, captains, transfers, camp reports) and a quick HOBBS & SHAW review.
Read Nicole's piece on the push to get people to attend college football games here.
Sign up for the Rakes Report newsletter here.
Carter Karels of the South Bend Tribune runs down what he's seen so far in Irish camp, including the Cole Kmet injury, Kyle Hamilton and Julian Okwara being scary good, the continuing shuffle at linebacker, Phil Jurkovec's progress, the potential of the wide receivers and concerns/pleasant surprises.
Purchase the ND Insider preview magazine here.
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