1 00:00:07,520 --> 00:00:10,720 You're listening to the Back Home Network presented by Home 2 00:00:10,720 --> 00:00:21,320 Field Apparel. All right folks, welcome back to 3 00:00:21,360 --> 00:00:23,680 Crimson Cast Scott here with you. 4 00:00:23,680 --> 00:00:25,920 Excited to do a preview for a Notre Dame game. 5 00:00:25,920 --> 00:00:28,480 Dude, we're like 72 hours away from the College Football 6 00:00:28,480 --> 00:00:29,400 Playoff. It's awesome. 7 00:00:29,400 --> 00:00:32,159 Before we get to Tyler, just a quick shout out to two of our 8 00:00:32,159 --> 00:00:34,200 friends and sponsors. We have home field apparel. 9 00:00:34,480 --> 00:00:36,280 Check them out. They have all they have college 10 00:00:36,280 --> 00:00:38,000 football apparel gear for Indiana. 11 00:00:38,000 --> 00:00:40,600 They they have Notre Dame gear, but why would you buy that when 12 00:00:40,600 --> 00:00:43,480 you could buy Indiana gear? 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So we are joined today as I 24 00:01:13,040 --> 00:01:15,560 unmute him and I have all my mics working this time. 25 00:01:15,560 --> 00:01:18,680 We are joined today by Tyler James of Inside Notre Dame 26 00:01:18,680 --> 00:01:20,440 Sports. Tyler man, thanks for joining. 27 00:01:20,440 --> 00:01:22,480 Good to talk to you. Of course, thanks for having. 28 00:01:23,000 --> 00:01:26,160 Me, we are we're very excited. I'm just going to start here, 29 00:01:26,160 --> 00:01:29,000 like obviously this is a place Indiana has never been. 30 00:01:29,480 --> 00:01:32,280 I I'm curious how, how are Notre Dame fans? 31 00:01:32,280 --> 00:01:34,200 To me, it's obviously exciting to be in the College Football 32 00:01:34,200 --> 00:01:37,720 Playoff, but what is the feeling for Notre Dame fans a little 33 00:01:37,720 --> 00:01:41,880 more like been there, done that or as as fired up as, as maybe, 34 00:01:41,880 --> 00:01:46,280 you know, Indiana fans are? I would say more the latter and 35 00:01:46,280 --> 00:01:48,680 I think this in part because Notre Dame's hosting a playoff 36 00:01:48,680 --> 00:01:50,080 game, like Notre Dame's never done that before. 37 00:01:50,080 --> 00:01:51,160 I mean, no one's never done that. 38 00:01:51,160 --> 00:01:54,120 Notre Dame will be the first one to do that in this 12 team 39 00:01:54,120 --> 00:01:57,560 playoff just based on the way that this the game schedule 40 00:01:57,560 --> 00:02:00,160 worked out. So Notre Dame fans are excited 41 00:02:00,160 --> 00:02:02,760 about the way the season has gone since that loss to Northern 42 00:02:02,760 --> 00:02:05,760 Illinois. Many people didn't think it the 43 00:02:05,760 --> 00:02:10,000 season would end up where it is now at at that moment, but that 44 00:02:10,000 --> 00:02:12,880 this team has really galvanized and the fan base is sort of 45 00:02:13,720 --> 00:02:15,880 embrace them. And I think they're really fired 46 00:02:15,880 --> 00:02:17,920 up about the game. I think the fact that it is 47 00:02:17,920 --> 00:02:22,440 Indiana and that there's plenty of Indiana basketball fans and 48 00:02:22,440 --> 00:02:25,120 Notre Dame football fans and everyone knows Indiana fans and 49 00:02:25,760 --> 00:02:27,200 Indiana fans trying to get in the stadium. 50 00:02:27,200 --> 00:02:31,320 So I think that's even I my expectation is that it's making 51 00:02:31,520 --> 00:02:35,400 Notre Dame fans even more excited for this game and 52 00:02:35,400 --> 00:02:38,480 wanting to make sure that Notre Dame puts its best foot forward. 53 00:02:38,920 --> 00:02:42,200 Yeah, how is, you know, you, you heard the, we've heard the 54 00:02:42,200 --> 00:02:44,640 stories of, you know, Georgia, I don't want to say taking over, 55 00:02:44,640 --> 00:02:46,920 but Georgia having a big presence, Notre Dame Stadium, 56 00:02:47,200 --> 00:02:48,880 Ohio State having a president's presence. 57 00:02:48,880 --> 00:02:51,880 You know, from from my perspective, all the people I 58 00:02:51,880 --> 00:02:54,280 know are going to the game, like a lot of Indiana fans are going 59 00:02:54,280 --> 00:02:56,120 to the game. It sounds like everyone I know 60 00:02:56,120 --> 00:02:57,920 is going. I know we're not going to take 61 00:02:57,920 --> 00:03:00,920 over the stadium, but how how is the feeling been within the 62 00:03:00,920 --> 00:03:04,240 Notre Dame fan base? Are you seeing a lot of, you 63 00:03:04,240 --> 00:03:05,800 know, interest from Indiana fans? 64 00:03:05,800 --> 00:03:08,680 Like it is it's unique because it's not that far away from 65 00:03:08,680 --> 00:03:11,520 Bloomington and we don't have a lot of experience playing there. 66 00:03:11,520 --> 00:03:14,200 But I'm, I'm curious if you're seeing, you know, a feeling at 67 00:03:14,200 --> 00:03:17,800 this point, Are Notre Dame fans worried about Indiana fans 68 00:03:17,800 --> 00:03:19,760 coming in to and too high a number? 69 00:03:20,160 --> 00:03:21,600 Yeah. I mean, I think there's a a 70 00:03:21,600 --> 00:03:24,640 natural worry that's somewhat deserves based on past 71 00:03:24,640 --> 00:03:28,920 experiences, although I think I think as of late, particularly 72 00:03:28,920 --> 00:03:31,480 when you think about like the Ohio State game last season, 73 00:03:32,000 --> 00:03:37,480 that wasn't as lopsided as maybe some of the other fan bases have 74 00:03:37,480 --> 00:03:39,480 it, that have been able to get into the stadium. 75 00:03:40,320 --> 00:03:41,640 So, yeah, it'll be interesting to see. 76 00:03:41,640 --> 00:03:44,880 There's the the the tickets, the Notre Dame tickets, which 77 00:03:45,280 --> 00:03:48,960 accounts for the vast majority of tickets never made public 78 00:03:48,960 --> 00:03:50,680 sale. They were, they were all given 79 00:03:50,680 --> 00:03:54,240 out and, and obviously purchased through the season ticket 80 00:03:54,240 --> 00:03:57,560 holders and a lottery system that Notre Dame has for donors 81 00:03:58,240 --> 00:04:02,960 to its university. And so I it's up to those people 82 00:04:02,960 --> 00:04:05,760 who got those tickets and, and whether they're willing to sell 83 00:04:05,760 --> 00:04:09,680 them or they have Indiana fan friends that they want to allow 84 00:04:09,680 --> 00:04:11,480 to come to the game. So it'll be interesting to see 85 00:04:11,480 --> 00:04:14,560 what what that looks like. I think what we've learned in 86 00:04:14,560 --> 00:04:17,560 the past is like red stands out. Like, yes, there looks like a 87 00:04:17,560 --> 00:04:19,560 lot of red in the crowd and Notre Dame fans don't 88 00:04:19,560 --> 00:04:22,079 necessarily always wear the same color. 89 00:04:22,079 --> 00:04:23,320 And so that doesn't necessarily help. 90 00:04:23,320 --> 00:04:27,200 But I imagine especially on Friday with it being so cold, a 91 00:04:27,200 --> 00:04:28,400 lot of people are going to be bundled up. 92 00:04:28,400 --> 00:04:31,000 So I don't know if you're going to know who's who's a fan of 93 00:04:31,000 --> 00:04:34,240 who, unless you can tell by the flag or the the towel they're 94 00:04:34,240 --> 00:04:37,640 waving because both teams are are bringing towels to the game, 95 00:04:37,640 --> 00:04:39,120 it sounds like. So that'll be interesting to see 96 00:04:39,120 --> 00:04:40,520 what it what it looks like in the stadium. 97 00:04:41,120 --> 00:04:42,600 Yeah, I love, I love the dueling towel. 98 00:04:42,600 --> 00:04:46,640 That's fantastic. I'll ask you this, you know, 99 00:04:46,640 --> 00:04:50,680 from an Indiana perspective, when we saw the draw, and I've 100 00:04:50,680 --> 00:04:52,800 been saying this, you know, to a lot of people have been saying 101 00:04:52,800 --> 00:04:56,040 on this podcast, you know, it's no knock on the team because all 102 00:04:56,040 --> 00:04:59,680 teams are good at this point. But I, I was, you know, of all 103 00:04:59,680 --> 00:05:02,280 the options there and all the places we could play and the 104 00:05:02,280 --> 00:05:04,240 teams we could play. I, I thought this was a pretty 105 00:05:04,240 --> 00:05:07,280 favorable draw for Indiana as opposed to when, you know, the 106 00:05:07,280 --> 00:05:09,840 week before we're playing Georgia, but not to compare. 107 00:05:09,840 --> 00:05:12,520 But like that playing Georgia in Georgia didn't feel like it's 108 00:05:12,520 --> 00:05:14,200 going to be an awesome time for Indiana. 109 00:05:14,520 --> 00:05:17,520 This feels like a pretty good draw from Notre Dame's 110 00:05:17,520 --> 00:05:19,880 perspective. You've also been in the College 111 00:05:19,880 --> 00:05:23,280 Football Playoff discussion this entire time as well, seeing your 112 00:05:23,280 --> 00:05:26,000 spots here and there. What was the what was your 113 00:05:26,000 --> 00:05:29,080 perspective and the fans perspective from Notre Dame on, 114 00:05:29,320 --> 00:05:33,000 you know, a who, what do you think of the draw of Indiana? 115 00:05:33,160 --> 00:05:35,880 And then kind of what was your view of like, were there draws 116 00:05:35,880 --> 00:05:37,880 that you kind of like didn't like and how you thought it all 117 00:05:37,880 --> 00:05:40,560 played out for Notre from a Notre Dame perspective on on the 118 00:05:40,560 --> 00:05:44,120 way the bracket looks? Yeah, I mean, Notre Dame fans 119 00:05:44,720 --> 00:05:48,000 and and riders like myself thought that Notre Dame had a 120 00:05:48,000 --> 00:05:49,960 chance to get the five seed at some point. 121 00:05:49,960 --> 00:05:52,960 The way the conference championship weekend played out 122 00:05:53,720 --> 00:05:58,120 sort of made that unlikely. And and so it wasn't that 123 00:05:58,120 --> 00:06:01,160 surprising that that Texas and Penn State State ahead of Notre 124 00:06:01,160 --> 00:06:03,840 Dame in the rankings, which pushed Notre Dame down to the 125 00:06:03,840 --> 00:06:07,680 seventh seed. The the thought was always like 126 00:06:07,680 --> 00:06:10,200 that five seed might be the best path, but I'm not sure it 127 00:06:10,200 --> 00:06:12,240 necessarily is the way things played out. 128 00:06:12,920 --> 00:06:17,120 I think the six seed Penn State got probably the most favorable 129 00:06:17,120 --> 00:06:19,520 path. And so there's been a 130 00:06:19,520 --> 00:06:24,080 conversation for weeks now amongst Notre Dame fans is like, 131 00:06:24,080 --> 00:06:26,720 hey, shouldn't we be ahead of Penn State in the rankings? 132 00:06:26,720 --> 00:06:29,800 That obviously never happened. And I think Penn State sort of 133 00:06:29,800 --> 00:06:32,360 solidified that with with playing tough against Oregon in 134 00:06:32,360 --> 00:06:35,160 the championship game. So I understand how it sort of 135 00:06:35,160 --> 00:06:39,440 played out that way. But yeah, Indiana, like it's, I 136 00:06:39,440 --> 00:06:42,160 think there's some similarities between these two teams, Indiana 137 00:06:42,160 --> 00:06:45,560 and Notre Dame that that make it an interesting match up. 138 00:06:46,360 --> 00:06:48,680 Indiana, I think Indiana's offense is more relied on its 139 00:06:48,680 --> 00:06:50,720 passing game, whereas Notre Dame's offense is more relying 140 00:06:50,720 --> 00:06:52,920 on its running game. But both teams have good 141 00:06:52,920 --> 00:06:58,720 defenses and don't turn the ball over very much, sort of limit 142 00:06:58,720 --> 00:07:03,000 their mistakes and and sort of count on you to to sort of mess 143 00:07:03,000 --> 00:07:07,480 up as the opponent. So it's an interesting a match 144 00:07:07,480 --> 00:07:10,360 up in that in that sense, I think it's, I don't think it's 145 00:07:10,360 --> 00:07:12,640 the worst match up for Notre Dame by any stretch, especially 146 00:07:12,640 --> 00:07:14,520 this time of year. Like I think that's what we're 147 00:07:14,520 --> 00:07:18,360 all like, well, how good can I use passing game B if it's cold 148 00:07:18,360 --> 00:07:20,080 and snowing? Obviously it was perfectly fine 149 00:07:20,080 --> 00:07:22,000 against Purdue, but we all know that Purdue sucks. 150 00:07:22,320 --> 00:07:25,720 So weather, weather doesn't matter what the weather is. 151 00:07:25,720 --> 00:07:28,520 Everyone's going to do that to Purdue because Notre Dame do the 152 00:07:28,520 --> 00:07:31,520 same. And so, yeah, I think it's I 153 00:07:31,520 --> 00:07:33,880 think it's a good match up. I, I wouldn't be shocked if 154 00:07:34,080 --> 00:07:38,160 Indiana won this game. It's going to have to be a, a 155 00:07:38,160 --> 00:07:41,400 game script that follows like Indiana strengths and Notre Dame 156 00:07:41,440 --> 00:07:44,240 and Indiana sort of shutting down Notre Dame strengths. 157 00:07:44,960 --> 00:07:48,400 But I, I think we'll see how it plays out. 158 00:07:48,400 --> 00:07:51,400 Notre Dame's played against some teams and I, it feels like an 159 00:07:51,400 --> 00:07:54,200 insult to compare Indiana to Navy and Army, but those were 160 00:07:54,200 --> 00:07:56,480 teams that people were questioning, well, how good are 161 00:07:56,480 --> 00:07:59,360 they based on their schedule? And then in those games, Notre 162 00:07:59,360 --> 00:08:01,040 Dame just blew, blew the doors off them. 163 00:08:01,040 --> 00:08:04,920 And I think Indiana's probably better than those teams, but 164 00:08:04,920 --> 00:08:09,000 those teams made some mistakes, which is which allow those games 165 00:08:09,000 --> 00:08:11,240 to be blowouts. And I think Indiana made some 166 00:08:11,240 --> 00:08:13,120 mistakes against Ohio State that led to that. 167 00:08:13,880 --> 00:08:16,560 And we'll see sort of how Indiana handles the adversity of 168 00:08:16,560 --> 00:08:18,960 playing in a in a potentially hostile environment, which it 169 00:08:18,960 --> 00:08:21,080 didn't handle well at Ohio State. 170 00:08:21,320 --> 00:08:24,840 Yeah, no, it's it's true. What's so fun in this matchup? 171 00:08:24,840 --> 00:08:28,600 Is it it's it, you know, we've been saying this, it almost 172 00:08:28,600 --> 00:08:31,440 feels like at times Notre Dame is not part of Indiana. 173 00:08:31,560 --> 00:08:32,480 I mean, I know it's in South Bend. 174 00:08:32,480 --> 00:08:34,960 I know it's in Indiana, but Notre Dame almost is like a 175 00:08:34,960 --> 00:08:38,559 level above college football. It just is it is what it is. 176 00:08:39,000 --> 00:08:41,720 And you know, the national media is starting to figure out like, 177 00:08:41,720 --> 00:08:43,200 hey, this is the battle of Indiana. 178 00:08:44,120 --> 00:08:46,720 But it, it's odd because there really is outside of the 179 00:08:46,720 --> 00:08:49,880 reversible jacket fan of the Notre Dame football, Indiana 180 00:08:49,880 --> 00:08:52,040 basketball, which I don't know about you. 181 00:08:52,040 --> 00:08:53,800 I'm I've never been a fan of that person. 182 00:08:53,800 --> 00:08:55,640 I don't know your case. Like I'm just like, pick one. 183 00:08:55,640 --> 00:08:58,640 Like be a Notre Dame basketball fan or an Indiana football fan. 184 00:08:58,640 --> 00:09:00,480 Like stay, stay with it all the way through. 185 00:09:01,160 --> 00:09:04,280 There's really not a lot of connection here between Indiana 186 00:09:04,280 --> 00:09:05,920 and Notre Dame. Like, I'm, I'm very curious to 187 00:09:05,920 --> 00:09:09,600 see what the atmosphere is like because I, I'm assuming Notre 188 00:09:09,600 --> 00:09:12,880 Dame doesn't have a lot of hatred toward Indiana, just kind 189 00:09:12,880 --> 00:09:15,200 of like, wow, this is cute. Like you guys are a football 190 00:09:15,200 --> 00:09:17,720 team also in Indiana. And from our perspective, you 191 00:09:17,720 --> 00:09:21,240 know, we've gotten curb stomped year after year by Michigan, 192 00:09:21,240 --> 00:09:24,440 Ohio State, you know, so if we can take down a Michigan, 193 00:09:24,440 --> 00:09:26,920 there's something there. Obviously winning the game would 194 00:09:26,920 --> 00:09:29,560 be huge for Indiana, But it's it's odd. 195 00:09:29,560 --> 00:09:32,720 I mean, they've only played a couple of times for for programs 196 00:09:32,720 --> 00:09:35,480 that are so close and for a Notre Dame team that kind of 197 00:09:35,480 --> 00:09:39,120 plays Big 10 geographical teams like Purdue, Michigan, Michigan 198 00:09:39,120 --> 00:09:41,440 State. It it is just really interesting 199 00:09:41,440 --> 00:09:44,480 how that there's not a lot of history here. 200 00:09:44,480 --> 00:09:46,920 And it almost feels like, you know, I went to the Rose Bowl 201 00:09:46,920 --> 00:09:48,320 this year. We played UCLA. 202 00:09:48,600 --> 00:09:51,360 It was kind of like the other fans was like, hey, I, I don't 203 00:09:51,400 --> 00:09:53,520 really know you and you don't know we have no history there. 204 00:09:53,520 --> 00:09:56,080 It's it's I, I find that interesting. 205 00:09:56,080 --> 00:09:59,360 And I wonder what the atmosphere is going to be like based on the 206 00:09:59,360 --> 00:10:01,720 fact that it's it's, it's almost like the first time we've ever 207 00:10:01,720 --> 00:10:03,000 played each other, even though it's not. 208 00:10:03,600 --> 00:10:06,560 Yeah, I mean, Notre Dame fans have a pretty good reputation of 209 00:10:06,560 --> 00:10:08,120 being a pretty welcoming fan base. 210 00:10:08,120 --> 00:10:10,520 Like, they're not here to like, throw stuff at you like it. 211 00:10:10,520 --> 00:10:13,000 That's not the kind of fan base that Notre Dame is inside the 212 00:10:13,000 --> 00:10:14,840 stadium. So you're not Ohio State, is 213 00:10:14,840 --> 00:10:16,040 what you're saying? Right, Yeah. 214 00:10:16,280 --> 00:10:18,840 So I don't think there's going to be a lot of scowling. 215 00:10:18,840 --> 00:10:23,000 Like I think it, I, I think my guess would be might be dictated 216 00:10:23,000 --> 00:10:27,080 on how IU fans are, are acting. Like if they're acting fools and 217 00:10:27,080 --> 00:10:29,120 wanting to start stuff, I think Notre Dame fans might get a 218 00:10:29,120 --> 00:10:32,280 little, a little more intense as a result of that. 219 00:10:32,280 --> 00:10:33,440 But I think they'll be welcoming. 220 00:10:33,440 --> 00:10:36,800 I don't think obviously, I think there's a little added to it 221 00:10:36,800 --> 00:10:39,560 with this being a playoff game and, and people may be upset 222 00:10:39,560 --> 00:10:42,520 like, hey, how are you? How did you get in in here as an 223 00:10:42,560 --> 00:10:45,600 Indiana fan? Outside of the the 3500 tickets 224 00:10:45,600 --> 00:10:47,560 that were allotted to Indiana, which we obviously know there 225 00:10:47,560 --> 00:10:49,320 will be more than that in the stadium. 226 00:10:50,160 --> 00:10:52,760 So yeah, I don't think it's going to the, I don't think 227 00:10:52,760 --> 00:10:54,680 there's like ill will towards Indiana fans. 228 00:10:54,680 --> 00:10:58,080 I think a lot of people know Indiana fans and maybe there's 229 00:10:58,080 --> 00:11:02,640 some guys that are fans that like maybe they're passively 230 00:11:02,640 --> 00:11:05,920 Indiana football fans, but now they're more actively Indiana 231 00:11:05,920 --> 00:11:08,120 football fans based on this season, which I, I, I don't 232 00:11:08,120 --> 00:11:11,840 blame the fans for getting more engaged based on success. 233 00:11:11,840 --> 00:11:15,720 So I don't think it'll be nasty in the stadium between the fans, 234 00:11:16,840 --> 00:11:19,360 but I certainly it could turn that way. 235 00:11:19,360 --> 00:11:22,800 If Indiana has the upper hand on the field, then Notre Dame fans 236 00:11:23,280 --> 00:11:24,480 don't like what's going on out there. 237 00:11:24,800 --> 00:11:27,480 So Speaking of that, like on, on the field, I'll, I'll ask you 238 00:11:27,480 --> 00:11:31,880 kind of a two-part question. You know, if, what would you say 239 00:11:31,880 --> 00:11:35,600 is if something is half, like if this is happening on the field, 240 00:11:35,840 --> 00:11:38,480 you think Notre Dame has a really good chance of winning. 241 00:11:38,800 --> 00:11:41,840 And then the flip side is, you know, if you were seeing, you 242 00:11:41,840 --> 00:11:44,560 know, what would you be seeing during the game that would 243 00:11:44,560 --> 00:11:49,120 really give you concern about Notre Dame having a chance to, 244 00:11:49,120 --> 00:11:51,080 to win? So I kind of the both sides of 245 00:11:51,080 --> 00:11:52,960 the coin, like what would you see that really makes you think 246 00:11:52,960 --> 00:11:55,640 like, man, if you see this in the first quarter of the, you 247 00:11:55,640 --> 00:11:57,520 know, the first half, it's like, dude, Indiana's going to have a 248 00:11:57,520 --> 00:11:59,200 rough night. And then the flip side of that 249 00:11:59,200 --> 00:12:02,360 as well. Yeah, I, I think the two biggest 250 00:12:02,360 --> 00:12:05,960 things to me and I, I think they're, they're, they go both 251 00:12:05,960 --> 00:12:08,560 ways for both teams is, is who can run the football better? 252 00:12:08,560 --> 00:12:12,000 Like particularly for Notre Dame, if it's not able to run 253 00:12:12,000 --> 00:12:15,920 the football, that raises questions of, of Notre Dame's 254 00:12:15,920 --> 00:12:17,920 sort of suspect passing game at times. 255 00:12:17,920 --> 00:12:21,360 And Ken Riley, Leonard in the Notre Dame's passing game find 256 00:12:21,360 --> 00:12:25,320 some success with or without the help of the running game. 257 00:12:25,320 --> 00:12:27,520 I think Notre Dame needs to run the ball regardless. 258 00:12:28,160 --> 00:12:31,280 I think Riley Leonard only has to make a a handful of throws 259 00:12:31,280 --> 00:12:34,480 here or there to maybe loosen up the defense and allow some some 260 00:12:34,760 --> 00:12:37,920 extra running room for for Notre Dame's running backs or himself. 261 00:12:39,280 --> 00:12:42,040 And then turnovers, I think is the other thing like neither of 262 00:12:42,040 --> 00:12:44,320 these teams turn over the turnover the ball very much 263 00:12:45,240 --> 00:12:47,400 their defenses do for force a lot of turnovers. 264 00:12:48,040 --> 00:12:50,120 So how how does how does that play out? 265 00:12:50,120 --> 00:12:52,000 Like who makes the first turnover? 266 00:12:52,000 --> 00:12:55,440 Will that will that be a significant part in the outcome 267 00:12:55,440 --> 00:12:58,600 of the game? So like, to me, like the biggest 268 00:12:58,600 --> 00:13:01,240 thing is if Notre Dame can't run the ball, like that's the 269 00:13:01,240 --> 00:13:04,480 biggest concern for Notre Dame. And then I think if IU is able 270 00:13:04,480 --> 00:13:07,000 to run the ball, that just makes I use offense so much more hard, 271 00:13:07,160 --> 00:13:09,600 difficult to stop. And so that would be concerning 272 00:13:10,240 --> 00:13:11,920 from a Notre Dame defensive perspective. 273 00:13:11,920 --> 00:13:14,680 So if IU can run the ball and then obviously whoever turns it 274 00:13:14,680 --> 00:13:18,200 over like it, I don't think what obviously whoever turns it over 275 00:13:18,200 --> 00:13:20,720 more is is going to have a harder time to win the game and 276 00:13:20,720 --> 00:13:22,040 we'll see how how that all plays out. 277 00:13:22,360 --> 00:13:24,320 Yeah, no, the the you keep hitting the running game, which 278 00:13:24,320 --> 00:13:26,280 which is true. Like it's, it's what I keep 279 00:13:26,280 --> 00:13:29,680 going back to is that, you know, statistically, Indiana's defense 280 00:13:29,680 --> 00:13:31,520 against the run is one of the best in the country. 281 00:13:32,280 --> 00:13:34,880 You know, we always have to say, you know, based on opponents and 282 00:13:34,880 --> 00:13:37,480 like it's, but we're we're here. All you have is the stats to go 283 00:13:37,480 --> 00:13:38,840 off of. You know, our defense has been 284 00:13:38,840 --> 00:13:42,200 very good against the run and definitely Notre Dame's offense 285 00:13:42,200 --> 00:13:44,640 is, is a run first offense and that's where they get the 286 00:13:44,640 --> 00:13:46,800 majority of their offense and production. 287 00:13:46,800 --> 00:13:49,230 And so I, I love seeing those battles that are kind of head to 288 00:13:49,227 --> 00:13:52,560 head battles, you know, for, for Indiana. 289 00:13:52,560 --> 00:13:56,720 I think the thing that the open question for us is, you know, 290 00:13:56,720 --> 00:14:00,160 Curtis Rourke was was great up until that injury against 291 00:14:00,200 --> 00:14:02,800 Nebraska. And then he hasn't quite been 292 00:14:02,800 --> 00:14:05,440 the same. I I saw just, you know, with my 293 00:14:05,440 --> 00:14:08,400 eyes that the ball looked better, like it was zipping and 294 00:14:08,400 --> 00:14:10,640 throwing better against Purdue. Now, obviously everything was 295 00:14:10,640 --> 00:14:14,400 open against Purdue, but the overall offense, like it hasn't 296 00:14:14,400 --> 00:14:17,440 really gotten its mojo back since that. 297 00:14:17,480 --> 00:14:18,440 You know, it was doing pretty well. 298 00:14:18,440 --> 00:14:20,880 And then like Michigan and Ohio State, it definitely hit a wall. 299 00:14:21,720 --> 00:14:25,240 The question is like, was Purdue enough to get things figured out 300 00:14:25,240 --> 00:14:28,560 or was it just Purdue sucks and that's just a blip on the road? 301 00:14:28,760 --> 00:14:31,360 I think that's a real open question for Indiana is like, 302 00:14:31,360 --> 00:14:35,560 can they get their offense back to a point where, you know, what 303 00:14:35,560 --> 00:14:38,760 made them special in my mind was their ability to just stack 304 00:14:38,760 --> 00:14:42,400 scoring drives after scoring drives and put real pressure on 305 00:14:42,400 --> 00:14:45,120 the other team. It's an open question whether 306 00:14:45,120 --> 00:14:46,840 they're going to be able to do that against Notre Dame. 307 00:14:47,520 --> 00:14:50,280 Yeah, Notre Dame hasn't played from behind a lot in games. 308 00:14:50,880 --> 00:14:56,440 They're they're used to being ahead, maybe not to as wide of 309 00:14:56,560 --> 00:14:59,880 of a degree as Indiana has been at times, but I mean, even 310 00:14:59,880 --> 00:15:02,000 thinking about Notre Dame's schedule, Notre Dame went out 311 00:15:02,000 --> 00:15:05,640 and scored 66 against Purdue, which was the week after Notre 312 00:15:05,640 --> 00:15:08,400 Dame lost to Northern Illinois. But then the following week 313 00:15:08,400 --> 00:15:10,560 after that scored just 28 points against Miami, Ohio. 314 00:15:10,560 --> 00:15:14,320 So obviously Purdue can maybe be a little misleading in terms of 315 00:15:14,320 --> 00:15:17,480 a, a healing effect. So we'll see like what that what 316 00:15:17,480 --> 00:15:20,760 that means for Indiana. I think Notre Dame's going to 317 00:15:20,760 --> 00:15:23,400 have a pretty good game plan, game plan defensively and try to 318 00:15:23,400 --> 00:15:28,960 pressure Curtis Rourke and and and limit his ability to expose 319 00:15:28,960 --> 00:15:31,560 the defense. But I think Notre Dame's going 320 00:15:31,560 --> 00:15:34,800 to have to make some decisions. They're like, OK, if you're 321 00:15:34,880 --> 00:15:36,680 worried about stopping the passing game, does that make you 322 00:15:36,680 --> 00:15:40,600 more vulnerable against the run? And then then I think IU becomes 323 00:15:40,600 --> 00:15:42,800 really more dangerous like I mentioned earlier with if the 324 00:15:42,800 --> 00:15:45,840 running game is is clicking for the Hoosiers. 325 00:15:46,960 --> 00:15:48,720 I'll ask you this question because I, I thought it was a, 326 00:15:49,360 --> 00:15:51,440 you know, it ended up not being totally true because Indiana 327 00:15:51,440 --> 00:15:54,480 went up 7 O at Ohio State. But I, I thought that if Indiana 328 00:15:54,480 --> 00:15:58,480 could, could continue that lead, you know, I felt like there was 329 00:15:58,480 --> 00:16:01,200 going to be a lot of pressure on Ohio State because Ohio State, 330 00:16:01,200 --> 00:16:03,600 you know, at that point, like they didn't, they knew they had 331 00:16:03,600 --> 00:16:04,880 to play Michigan. They didn't know they were going 332 00:16:04,880 --> 00:16:06,240 to lose the Michigan. Like there's a world where if 333 00:16:06,240 --> 00:16:09,560 Ohio State loses to Indiana and Michigan, Brian Day could have 334 00:16:09,560 --> 00:16:13,800 been fired just the next day. You know, it didn't end up 335 00:16:13,960 --> 00:16:15,360 Indiana made a couple of mistakes. 336 00:16:15,360 --> 00:16:17,600 Ohio State really took control of that game. 337 00:16:18,400 --> 00:16:22,000 You know it in this case, I, I obviously the players don't take 338 00:16:22,000 --> 00:16:23,600 anybody lightly. You're in the College Football 339 00:16:23,600 --> 00:16:25,200 Playoff. Everyone here is good. 340 00:16:25,480 --> 00:16:27,680 But I definitely think Indiana's coming in as the underdog. 341 00:16:27,680 --> 00:16:29,760 It's kind of the upstart story. You know, Notre Dame's at home, 342 00:16:29,760 --> 00:16:34,720 Notre Dame is Notre Dame. You know, if Indiana continues 343 00:16:34,720 --> 00:16:39,120 to have a lead, is there a world where all of the pressure moves 344 00:16:39,120 --> 00:16:40,680 over to Notre Dame if you're in the second-half? 345 00:16:40,680 --> 00:16:43,040 And like, is that something that could happen or do you think 346 00:16:43,360 --> 00:16:46,120 that that it's just not going to happen in that kind of way? 347 00:16:46,480 --> 00:16:47,880 I think it definitely could happen. 348 00:16:47,880 --> 00:16:51,080 I so Notre Dame, like I mentioned, Notre Dame hasn't 349 00:16:51,080 --> 00:16:55,160 trailed a lot, but it has given up for scores to opponents at a 350 00:16:55,160 --> 00:16:56,800 higher rate than you would expect for a really good 351 00:16:56,800 --> 00:17:00,040 defense. And I think sometimes Notre 352 00:17:00,040 --> 00:17:02,240 Dame's just not necessarily prepared for the different 353 00:17:02,240 --> 00:17:05,480 things that a team might come out that it hasn't done all 354 00:17:05,480 --> 00:17:09,640 season and then quickly after that is able to course correct 355 00:17:09,640 --> 00:17:11,560 it and, and come up with a defensive game plan and 356 00:17:11,560 --> 00:17:14,160 adjustments to limit what those teams are doing. 357 00:17:14,160 --> 00:17:17,319 So, so I there could be a similar script to to what that 358 00:17:17,319 --> 00:17:20,800 Ohio State Ohio State game was where maybe IU has a good first 359 00:17:20,800 --> 00:17:23,319 drive and then Notre Dame sort of locks in and, and slows 360 00:17:23,319 --> 00:17:26,000 things down. But then maybe maybe that maybe 361 00:17:26,000 --> 00:17:27,920 IU keeps things going. That's sort of what happened 362 00:17:27,920 --> 00:17:31,040 with USCUSC and Notre Dame's final regular season game. 363 00:17:31,040 --> 00:17:34,560 The offense for USC was able to continue to find some success 364 00:17:34,560 --> 00:17:36,800 and that wasn't something that Notre Dame was used to doing. 365 00:17:36,800 --> 00:17:41,640 But Notre Dame's offense kept having answers to to not make 366 00:17:41,640 --> 00:17:44,120 that too uncomfortable. But then it was still close 367 00:17:44,120 --> 00:17:46,920 towards the end of the game and Notre Dame clinched it with some 368 00:17:46,960 --> 00:17:48,960 some pick sixes at the end that made it a little bit more 369 00:17:48,960 --> 00:17:50,640 lopsided than the game actually was. 370 00:17:51,680 --> 00:17:53,360 So it'll it'll be interesting to see. 371 00:17:53,360 --> 00:17:56,200 I think the pressure aspect of it, like Notre Dame even maybe 372 00:17:56,200 --> 00:17:59,320 not in game pressure a lot, but Notre Dame's been pressured 373 00:17:59,320 --> 00:18:00,640 since losing to Northern Illinois, right? 374 00:18:00,640 --> 00:18:03,200 Like they could not lose again. Like if they wanted to make the 375 00:18:03,200 --> 00:18:05,600 Coswell playoff, they had to win each game. 376 00:18:05,600 --> 00:18:07,920 So the game pressure wasn't always there, but there were 377 00:18:07,920 --> 00:18:10,480 times even in the some of the games that aren't the the 378 00:18:10,480 --> 00:18:11,800 scoreboard. The scoreboard doesn't 379 00:18:11,800 --> 00:18:14,800 necessarily dictate it that it was, it was like the, this, the, 380 00:18:15,320 --> 00:18:18,040 the, the result of the game was a little bit in question. 381 00:18:18,040 --> 00:18:20,560 Like it wouldn't be unreasonable for to see the other team jump 382 00:18:20,560 --> 00:18:23,200 ahead and stay ahead. And Notre Dame was able to 383 00:18:23,200 --> 00:18:25,360 overcome that. Whether that's against Virginia, 384 00:18:25,640 --> 00:18:28,280 whether that's against Georgia Tech, whether that's against 385 00:18:28,760 --> 00:18:32,800 Miami, Ohio and Louisville. Louisville was probably its most 386 00:18:32,800 --> 00:18:37,160 impressive victory early in the season because Louisville played 387 00:18:37,200 --> 00:18:39,000 its tail off. It made some mistakes earlier in 388 00:18:39,000 --> 00:18:42,440 the game that put it in a hole, but Louisville's offense was 389 00:18:42,560 --> 00:18:45,320 able to find some pretty good success by its quarterback and 390 00:18:45,320 --> 00:18:47,080 some receivers making some spectacular plays. 391 00:18:47,080 --> 00:18:50,480 And maybe that's something that that Indiana can do here on 392 00:18:50,480 --> 00:18:53,520 Friday night. So I I've actually never been to 393 00:18:53,520 --> 00:18:55,400 Notre Dame Stadium. I've been to a lot of places. 394 00:18:55,400 --> 00:18:58,200 I'm going on Friday. I think there's a good number of 395 00:18:58,200 --> 00:19:01,720 Indiana fans either haven't been before or haven't been in like a 396 00:19:01,720 --> 00:19:02,720 lot. A couple of my friends. 397 00:19:02,720 --> 00:19:04,040 I haven't been in there 20-30 years. 398 00:19:04,040 --> 00:19:06,480 Again, there's just not a lot of outside of going to see Notre 399 00:19:06,480 --> 00:19:07,720 Dame. Obviously we're not Indiana's 400 00:19:07,720 --> 00:19:10,800 not playing there much. Speak to a little bit about the 401 00:19:10,800 --> 00:19:15,040 atmosphere of what what what we're going to find as fans, how 402 00:19:15,040 --> 00:19:17,400 it might affect the game and the fact that it's a night game. 403 00:19:17,400 --> 00:19:20,760 Like I've been saying this for a while that you know it, there is 404 00:19:20,760 --> 00:19:22,360 something special about Notre Dame. 405 00:19:22,360 --> 00:19:24,560 There's something special about a Notre Dame night game. 406 00:19:24,880 --> 00:19:27,520 You know, I, I think back to sorry to bring it up, like the 407 00:19:27,520 --> 00:19:31,320 Matt Liner, you know, push play when he was at USA, Like if you 408 00:19:31,320 --> 00:19:34,840 have great games and you have great moments and they happen at 409 00:19:34,840 --> 00:19:38,480 Notre Dame at night, it it's kind of unique and can be a real 410 00:19:38,480 --> 00:19:40,200 special moment. But but speak about the 411 00:19:40,240 --> 00:19:42,840 atmosphere a little bit because I remember going into the Ohio 412 00:19:42,840 --> 00:19:45,720 State game, that was one thing. You know, we had a couple people 413 00:19:45,720 --> 00:19:48,080 from Ohio State come on and they were kind of pissed because they 414 00:19:48,080 --> 00:19:50,720 were like the noon, the noon atmosphere isn't the same as a 415 00:19:50,720 --> 00:19:52,200 night atmosphere. And it's just like, it's not 416 00:19:52,200 --> 00:19:54,840 going to be exactly the same, even though it was still a top 417 00:19:54,840 --> 00:19:56,800 five matchup. So I'm curious, you know, just 418 00:19:56,800 --> 00:19:59,560 for people coming in, what to look for as a fan, what to 419 00:19:59,600 --> 00:20:02,680 enjoy, but also how the how a night game atmosphere may 420 00:20:02,920 --> 00:20:05,520 positively negatively affect, you know, how the game goes for 421 00:20:05,520 --> 00:20:08,920 Notre Dame or Indiana. Yeah, I think there's something 422 00:20:08,920 --> 00:20:10,600 special about just being on campus. 423 00:20:10,600 --> 00:20:13,640 Notre Dame is a smaller campus and like you don't have to 424 00:20:13,640 --> 00:20:17,320 travel that far on campus by foot to see sort of the sights 425 00:20:17,320 --> 00:20:19,720 that you're from from TV. If you haven't been to Notre 426 00:20:19,720 --> 00:20:21,600 Dame before, you can see the golden Dome. 427 00:20:21,600 --> 00:20:24,760 You can see touchdown Jesus right at right looking over the 428 00:20:24,760 --> 00:20:28,200 stadium. And so I think it all sorts of 429 00:20:28,200 --> 00:20:32,680 adds it like the stadium itself. It's it's nicer now since it's 430 00:20:32,680 --> 00:20:36,200 been renovated, but it's just a pretty very playing like bowl. 431 00:20:36,200 --> 00:20:39,000 Like there's not, it's not like a unique in any sort of way with 432 00:20:39,000 --> 00:20:40,640 that. But obviously the you can sort 433 00:20:40,640 --> 00:20:42,840 of sense the history and tradition there and Notre Dame's 434 00:20:42,840 --> 00:20:46,080 done a good job while modernizing it and sort of 435 00:20:46,080 --> 00:20:48,640 making it still feel like like Notre Dame Stadium. 436 00:20:49,920 --> 00:20:51,960 So yeah, I would encourage fans to sort of walk around before 437 00:20:51,960 --> 00:20:54,520 the game and take in those sites and inside. 438 00:20:54,920 --> 00:20:57,360 I think night games, the atmosphere in Fortnite games has 439 00:20:57,360 --> 00:20:59,960 continued to improve. I don't Notre Dame hasn't had 440 00:20:59,960 --> 00:21:03,680 like at least I've been covering Notre Dame since 2012 since 441 00:21:03,680 --> 00:21:05,560 then. Like not necessarily known for 442 00:21:05,560 --> 00:21:07,000 being an intimidating environment. 443 00:21:07,000 --> 00:21:10,240 I think back in the early 90s when Notre Dame was really 444 00:21:10,240 --> 00:21:12,200 rolling, it was a different sort of deal. 445 00:21:12,200 --> 00:21:15,160 But Notre Dame does a lot in terms of its in game 446 00:21:15,160 --> 00:21:19,360 presentation with music to try to get fans involved, does some 447 00:21:19,360 --> 00:21:21,240 stuff between the third and fourth quarters with a light 448 00:21:21,240 --> 00:21:25,160 show and and stuff to, to get things excited. 449 00:21:25,160 --> 00:21:27,920 So I expect it to be a really cool atmosphere. 450 00:21:27,920 --> 00:21:30,560 I, I expect Notre Dame fans to be very into it, especially 451 00:21:30,840 --> 00:21:32,560 being the night game. I think that leaves plenty of 452 00:21:32,560 --> 00:21:34,000 time to get liquored up. Notre Dame. 453 00:21:34,480 --> 00:21:38,800 Notre Dame doesn't sell alcohol in in the in the stands. 454 00:21:38,800 --> 00:21:41,520 Like there is access to it in like the premium seating areas. 455 00:21:41,520 --> 00:21:43,840 But the folks that are sitting in the regular seats, they're 456 00:21:43,840 --> 00:21:46,560 not, they're not able to buy alcohol in the stadium. 457 00:21:46,560 --> 00:21:49,040 So I think some of them do plenty of pre gaming to prepare 458 00:21:49,040 --> 00:21:50,720 for that and maybe sneak in some man as well. 459 00:21:50,720 --> 00:21:55,760 But I expect the crowd to be full throated and ready to go. 460 00:21:55,760 --> 00:22:00,600 And, and I sometimes it's people refer to the Notre Dame fans 461 00:22:00,600 --> 00:22:02,400 that sort of sit there and they call, they call them the wine 462 00:22:02,400 --> 00:22:04,600 and cheese crowd. I don't, I don't expect like if 463 00:22:04,600 --> 00:22:07,520 you're going to this game, you're going to be willing to 464 00:22:07,520 --> 00:22:09,840 put yourself through the cold at night. 465 00:22:10,040 --> 00:22:11,400 Like I feel like you're there for a reason. 466 00:22:11,400 --> 00:22:12,520 You're there to cheer for your team. 467 00:22:12,520 --> 00:22:15,120 And so I expect Notre Dame fans to be very supportive and loud 468 00:22:15,120 --> 00:22:16,840 and and try to make a difference in the game all. 469 00:22:17,440 --> 00:22:18,200 Right. That sounds good. 470 00:22:18,200 --> 00:22:20,400 Before we get to kind of the end and, you know, predictions are 471 00:22:20,400 --> 00:22:22,680 just thoughts on the game. I'll ask you this because you 472 00:22:22,680 --> 00:22:26,000 mentioned, you know, after the loss of Northern Illinois, it 473 00:22:26,000 --> 00:22:28,680 was a tight path that they had to win out. 474 00:22:29,720 --> 00:22:34,600 And you know, with Alabama not making it, I hate kind of the 475 00:22:34,600 --> 00:22:36,560 threats of like, well, we're done scheduling hard because I 476 00:22:36,560 --> 00:22:38,120 mean, they're at their schedule kind of sucked anyway. 477 00:22:38,120 --> 00:22:40,480 But you know, with with conferences grow. 478 00:22:40,480 --> 00:22:42,560 It's a Notre Dame question every single time. 479 00:22:42,560 --> 00:22:43,960 And I know you're not in charge of this stuff. 480 00:22:43,960 --> 00:22:46,840 I'm just curious your thoughts. You know, as conferences get 481 00:22:46,840 --> 00:22:49,680 bigger, there's going to be less and less non conference games 482 00:22:49,680 --> 00:22:52,760 and less opportunities for Notre Dame to schedule high quality 483 00:22:52,760 --> 00:22:55,600 opponents. You know, with the way that this 484 00:22:56,000 --> 00:23:00,480 12 team playoff played out, seeing the advantages that the 485 00:23:00,480 --> 00:23:02,920 conference champions are getting, which is a whole nother 486 00:23:03,080 --> 00:23:05,320 conversation like Boise State, knock yourself out, you get to 487 00:23:05,320 --> 00:23:06,840 buy. It's like they're going to 488 00:23:06,840 --> 00:23:10,280 change all that. But do you think is this giving 489 00:23:10,280 --> 00:23:14,240 you more like more view of like we, we got to stay independent 490 00:23:14,240 --> 00:23:16,320 or do you view it as more like it? 491 00:23:16,320 --> 00:23:19,120 It would be better for Notre Dame to get into a conference 492 00:23:19,120 --> 00:23:22,120 and have an opportunity for one of the years, maybe you're a two 493 00:23:22,120 --> 00:23:24,280 or three lost team to still get in the playoffs. 494 00:23:24,280 --> 00:23:27,560 Because right now, it does feel like the path is always going to 495 00:23:27,560 --> 00:23:31,840 be unbelievably razor thin for Notre Dame, kind of being the 496 00:23:31,880 --> 00:23:34,680 only one that doesn't have a conference affiliation. 497 00:23:35,360 --> 00:23:37,960 Yeah, I, I think there is some concern there. 498 00:23:37,960 --> 00:23:40,040 And the concern from my perspective is like the 499 00:23:40,040 --> 00:23:43,680 willingness of the power conferences to continue to 500 00:23:43,680 --> 00:23:46,840 schedule Notre Dame, right. I think if those conferences 501 00:23:46,840 --> 00:23:49,400 really wanted to put the screws to Notre Dame, they just, they 502 00:23:49,400 --> 00:23:51,600 just tell their teams to stop scheduling Notre Dame. 503 00:23:52,840 --> 00:23:56,480 Obviously the ACC relationship allows Notre Dame to fill most 504 00:23:56,480 --> 00:23:58,040 half of his schedule. And then you sort of have 505 00:23:58,040 --> 00:24:03,320 ongoing rivalries with Navy Stanford, although there I think 506 00:24:03,320 --> 00:24:05,680 there's maybe a little bit of question, there's no Stanford 507 00:24:05,680 --> 00:24:09,120 game scheduled at this point for next season with Stanford 508 00:24:09,120 --> 00:24:12,400 joining the ACC that I think there's some back and forth 509 00:24:12,400 --> 00:24:15,360 going about like it whether or not Stanford counts as an ACC 510 00:24:15,360 --> 00:24:18,240 game to for Notre Dame's contract with the ACC and stuff 511 00:24:18,240 --> 00:24:22,200 like that. So it's it'll be interesting to 512 00:24:22,200 --> 00:24:23,600 see. And obviously USC joined the Big 513 00:24:23,600 --> 00:24:26,600 10. So does USC get incentivized to 514 00:24:26,600 --> 00:24:28,080 not schedule Notre Dame moving forward? 515 00:24:28,080 --> 00:24:30,160 It's hard to imagine that because of how historic that 516 00:24:30,160 --> 00:24:32,440 rivalry is. But there's not that much that's 517 00:24:32,440 --> 00:24:34,520 sacred in college football anymore, unfortunately. 518 00:24:35,520 --> 00:24:37,480 So I think there is some concern there. 519 00:24:37,720 --> 00:24:41,680 I think as long as there's still a viable path to the playoff and 520 00:24:41,680 --> 00:24:45,520 Notre Dame, like even like Notre Dame's the seventh seed with 521 00:24:45,840 --> 00:24:48,440 with one loss and it's one of its worst losses ever. 522 00:24:49,760 --> 00:24:54,200 Like that's not a terrible path. But yeah, it I think the one of 523 00:24:54,200 --> 00:24:56,120 the major concerns is like, well, Notre Dame can't get a 524 00:24:56,120 --> 00:24:57,840 buy, but also doesn't have to play in the conference 525 00:24:57,840 --> 00:25:00,040 championship game. So it does get an extra week 526 00:25:00,040 --> 00:25:01,920 off. I think we're all still learning 527 00:25:01,920 --> 00:25:04,120 what that all looks like. It means I think it's too early 528 00:25:04,120 --> 00:25:08,000 to make any sort of bold statements about what this would 529 00:25:08,000 --> 00:25:09,480 look like long term. And we don't even know if this 530 00:25:09,480 --> 00:25:12,400 is going to be the playoff format moving forward past next 531 00:25:12,400 --> 00:25:15,280 season. So I think Notre Dame's going to 532 00:25:15,280 --> 00:25:17,880 have a voice and role in in determining where things 533 00:25:17,880 --> 00:25:19,720 continue to go as it relates to the playoff. 534 00:25:20,520 --> 00:25:22,880 But I wouldn't be shocked if down the line, like it just 535 00:25:22,880 --> 00:25:27,720 becomes untenable for Notre Dame to put together a meaningful 536 00:25:27,720 --> 00:25:31,840 schedule on an annual basis that would make it reasonable for 537 00:25:31,840 --> 00:25:34,320 Notre Dame to get into the playoffs with with one loss or 538 00:25:34,320 --> 00:25:34,960 something like that. I. 539 00:25:35,360 --> 00:25:36,880 I agree. And I, I think at this point, 540 00:25:36,880 --> 00:25:39,320 what they've kind of what, what Notre Dame has lost from my 541 00:25:39,320 --> 00:25:42,640 perspectives as an outsider is the ability to have kind of a 542 00:25:42,640 --> 00:25:45,120 Clemson type season where you, you, you stub your toe and 543 00:25:45,120 --> 00:25:48,040 you're really kind of out of it. But you're able to, I don't say 544 00:25:48,040 --> 00:25:51,080 back door, but just find a way into the, into the playoff. 545 00:25:51,400 --> 00:25:53,760 It, it feels like that's not going to be available to Notre 546 00:25:53,760 --> 00:25:56,280 Dame. It's all, I mean, it's also, you 547 00:25:56,280 --> 00:25:59,680 know, the, the money aspect is just I, I continue to be amazed 548 00:25:59,680 --> 00:26:01,360 at this. But you know, it used to be 549 00:26:01,360 --> 00:26:04,640 because Notre Dame had that exclusive TV contract. 550 00:26:05,000 --> 00:26:07,680 It really put them above and beyond a lot of other teams. 551 00:26:08,240 --> 00:26:11,280 At this point, I'm pretty sure that every Big 10 team in every 552 00:26:11,280 --> 00:26:14,640 SEC school is probably making more, if not double what Notre 553 00:26:14,640 --> 00:26:16,440 Dame makes just off the NBC contract. 554 00:26:16,440 --> 00:26:18,040 So you're, you're kind of getting to a point where the 555 00:26:18,040 --> 00:26:21,560 money, I'm not sure like Notre Dame could end up making more 556 00:26:21,560 --> 00:26:24,120 just coming into the Big 10 with a full share than what they get 557 00:26:24,120 --> 00:26:26,960 off the NBC contract. Yeah, Notre Dame doesn't share 558 00:26:26,960 --> 00:26:29,400 the numbers with us, so we don't know exactly what they look 559 00:26:29,400 --> 00:26:31,960 like. But it's been expressed that 560 00:26:32,040 --> 00:26:33,600 that Notre Dame is fine. Like it's not. 561 00:26:33,880 --> 00:26:36,760 The gap is not that big, if there is much of a gap at all 562 00:26:37,000 --> 00:26:39,400 between not just the NBC contract, but Notre Dame also 563 00:26:39,400 --> 00:26:42,840 gives money from the ACC media deal as with all those games 564 00:26:42,840 --> 00:26:44,440 that it plays against the ACC team. 565 00:26:44,440 --> 00:26:47,920 So they're they're making up for it in different ways. 566 00:26:48,600 --> 00:26:51,760 And I think there is some institutional value to being 567 00:26:51,760 --> 00:26:53,480 independent. I think there are a lot of 568 00:26:53,480 --> 00:26:56,960 donors that really value that and continue to donate at a high 569 00:26:56,960 --> 00:27:00,800 level because of that. So I think there are decisions 570 00:27:00,800 --> 00:27:04,680 that have to be made continuously like the the NBC 571 00:27:04,680 --> 00:27:06,160 contract. I don't believe it's as long 572 00:27:06,160 --> 00:27:09,480 term as it normally is because I think that that Notre Dame needs 573 00:27:09,480 --> 00:27:13,320 to have the flexibility to be able to sort of flex and 574 00:27:13,360 --> 00:27:16,520 continue to keep up with these these power conferences, but 575 00:27:16,560 --> 00:27:20,160 specifically the Big 10, the SEC with with what the those 576 00:27:20,160 --> 00:27:22,520 programs or those conferences are able to do right now. 577 00:27:22,760 --> 00:27:25,520 Yeah, No, it's it, it, it's one of those things that always 578 00:27:25,560 --> 00:27:27,680 continues to come up at the last thing I'll say. 579 00:27:27,680 --> 00:27:30,160 I just don't talk to a lot of Notre Dame fans about this. 580 00:27:30,160 --> 00:27:32,040 I I talk about Notre Dame a lot in respect to this. 581 00:27:32,040 --> 00:27:34,160 Not like, you know, people who cover the team. 582 00:27:34,160 --> 00:27:37,680 The, the, the, the piece that I would be concerned about if I 583 00:27:37,680 --> 00:27:42,600 was Notre Dame is it does feel like there's going to be kind of 584 00:27:42,600 --> 00:27:44,840 one, again, we don't know. This continues to always change, 585 00:27:44,840 --> 00:27:46,880 but it feels like there's going to be another round of expansion 586 00:27:46,880 --> 00:27:50,600 that like 20 and 20 seems like fair numbers for the AC, for 587 00:27:50,600 --> 00:27:54,440 the, for the Big 10 and the, the SEC feels like you get to 40. 588 00:27:54,960 --> 00:27:56,800 That's kind of a good, a good round Number. 589 00:27:57,600 --> 00:28:00,280 And if I was Notre Dame, my only concern would be is if that 590 00:28:00,280 --> 00:28:04,520 expansion happens and they're not a part of it, that then it's 591 00:28:04,520 --> 00:28:08,560 like, have you now calcified yourself outside and suddenly 592 00:28:08,560 --> 00:28:12,120 this move, the train continues to move and it's like you you 593 00:28:12,120 --> 00:28:14,680 can't find a way into one of those two. 594 00:28:15,280 --> 00:28:18,920 And, and really, you know, we've talked about this is you have a 595 00:28:18,920 --> 00:28:23,080 lot of weird marriages of schools and conferences, but you 596 00:28:23,080 --> 00:28:25,600 know, like, like Stanford doesn't really make sense of the 597 00:28:25,600 --> 00:28:28,720 ACC, nor does Berkeley, but there would not be a more 598 00:28:28,720 --> 00:28:31,400 unlikely marriage than Notre Dame and the SEC. 599 00:28:31,400 --> 00:28:34,200 Like it's just you, the Notre Dame as a school could not be 600 00:28:34,200 --> 00:28:37,680 more diametrically opposed to everything the SEC is than that. 601 00:28:37,680 --> 00:28:40,360 So it's like you, I, I just continue to come back to like, 602 00:28:40,360 --> 00:28:42,560 if the Big 10 just says, like we got, you know, we're getting 603 00:28:42,560 --> 00:28:45,240 North Carolina and Clemser, whatever, we're getting the 20. 604 00:28:45,960 --> 00:28:48,160 I'd be really concerned as a Notre Dame fans like, Oh man, 605 00:28:48,160 --> 00:28:50,880 that's, that's like now we're losing our options out. 606 00:28:50,880 --> 00:28:53,720 I I don't know that's I'm just curious your thoughts on that 607 00:28:53,720 --> 00:28:55,680 and then we can we can move off this and get to final thoughts 608 00:28:55,680 --> 00:28:59,360 on the game. Yeah, I mean, I, I think it does 609 00:28:59,360 --> 00:29:02,720 seem unlikely that Notre Dame will join the SEC, but a lot of 610 00:29:02,720 --> 00:29:04,840 things seem unlikely that it happened, you know? 611 00:29:05,120 --> 00:29:08,080 So like, I think Notre Dame, it's sort of a game of chickens. 612 00:29:08,120 --> 00:29:11,760 It it Notre Dame be like, OK, Big 10, if you're going to make 613 00:29:11,760 --> 00:29:15,040 this move, like we'll join the SEC and then we'll Big 10. 614 00:29:15,040 --> 00:29:16,400 Will the Big 10 call their bluff? 615 00:29:17,480 --> 00:29:18,720 Would, would Notre Dame follow through on that? 616 00:29:18,720 --> 00:29:20,880 And then vice versa? Like I think there is some 617 00:29:20,880 --> 00:29:22,480 leverage from Notre Dame's perspective. 618 00:29:22,480 --> 00:29:24,240 It's like, well, don't do anything crazy because then 619 00:29:24,240 --> 00:29:26,080 we'll just join the other conference that you don't want 620 00:29:26,080 --> 00:29:28,480 us in because we all know that you either both of those 621 00:29:28,480 --> 00:29:30,640 conferences want Notre Dame if they could have them. 622 00:29:31,480 --> 00:29:35,400 So I, I don't know, it seems like a big game of chicken to 623 00:29:35,400 --> 00:29:36,640 me. I don't know how it all play 624 00:29:36,640 --> 00:29:41,440 out, but Notre Dame's at least. Or maybe it's like the classic 625 00:29:41,440 --> 00:29:43,600 office scene where they're all pointing, pointing finger guns 626 00:29:43,640 --> 00:29:45,960 at each other right now. And that's what that's what's 627 00:29:45,960 --> 00:29:47,840 going on right now. Yeah, and in the end it'll just 628 00:29:47,840 --> 00:29:50,240 be it'll be money, whatever the best money option will be there. 629 00:29:50,240 --> 00:29:52,040 So we've kind of kicked all around it. 630 00:29:52,040 --> 00:29:53,840 What are what? I mean, you know, it's always 631 00:29:53,840 --> 00:29:55,200 the most cliche. What's your prediction? 632 00:29:55,200 --> 00:29:57,360 But what what do you what are you thinking for the game? 633 00:29:57,360 --> 00:29:58,880 If you want to throw a prediction out there, you can. 634 00:29:58,880 --> 00:30:00,000 Or how you think it's going to play out? 635 00:30:00,000 --> 00:30:01,120 Like what? What do you think we're going to 636 00:30:01,120 --> 00:30:04,880 see in, you know, 74 hours now on Friday night? 637 00:30:05,480 --> 00:30:09,280 Yeah, I've been looking at a Notre Dame 28 to 7 victory or 638 00:30:09,280 --> 00:30:11,600 2017 victory. Come on, man. 639 00:30:11,600 --> 00:30:13,560 No 17. Sorry, sorry, sorry, misspoke. 640 00:30:14,240 --> 00:30:16,240 I, I expect it to be tight in the first half. 641 00:30:16,240 --> 00:30:19,120 I do think Notre Dame will pull away a little bit, but I don't 642 00:30:19,120 --> 00:30:22,280 think it's going to be like, I don't think it'll ever feel like 643 00:30:22,280 --> 00:30:23,800 extremely comfortable for Notre Dame. 644 00:30:23,800 --> 00:30:25,680 I think it's going to be close throughout. 645 00:30:26,880 --> 00:30:28,920 Notre Dame's field goal kicker has been struggling. 646 00:30:28,920 --> 00:30:32,960 So I have a hard time putting a field goal into my score 647 00:30:32,960 --> 00:30:34,280 prediction for Notre Dame right now. 648 00:30:35,400 --> 00:30:39,240 So that's why I'm going with 28. And I think is going to be able 649 00:30:39,240 --> 00:30:41,000 to have some success offensively. 650 00:30:41,360 --> 00:30:44,000 I think it's defense will probably force a timely turnover 651 00:30:44,000 --> 00:30:47,440 that'll help out its offense. But yeah, I don't I don't think 652 00:30:47,440 --> 00:30:50,000 it's going to be lopsided. I think it'll be close and I 653 00:30:50,000 --> 00:30:52,560 think Indiana will be able to move the ball, but I think maybe 654 00:30:52,560 --> 00:30:55,040 we'll have some trouble getting into the end zone at times. 655 00:30:55,640 --> 00:30:57,240 I think it's, that's, it's all fair. 656 00:30:57,240 --> 00:31:00,520 I, I really, I'm not sure where I'm going to land on the game. 657 00:31:00,520 --> 00:31:03,240 I I think being a Homer, I'm probably going to pick in the 658 00:31:03,280 --> 00:31:04,160 other. It's it's wild. 659 00:31:04,160 --> 00:31:07,040 I mean, we are beyond any rational thought that it's like 660 00:31:07,040 --> 00:31:09,120 kind of like the spot in Ghostbusters where he's like 661 00:31:09,160 --> 00:31:11,240 I'm, I'm beyond the the capacity of a rational thought. 662 00:31:11,240 --> 00:31:13,960 We are way past any expectation I ever had. 663 00:31:14,360 --> 00:31:16,480 The idea that I'm picking Indiana to win a road game in a 664 00:31:16,480 --> 00:31:18,960 College Football Playoff is like bananas. 665 00:31:20,200 --> 00:31:23,400 But I, I would just say that, you know, the the only game we 666 00:31:23,400 --> 00:31:25,040 struggled was against Ohio State. 667 00:31:25,040 --> 00:31:27,360 It wasn't awesome. But if you really take a 668 00:31:27,360 --> 00:31:31,680 positive view of that, there was a couple of miscues on special 669 00:31:31,680 --> 00:31:35,160 teams that really lost the game. And it's not like it was close. 670 00:31:35,520 --> 00:31:39,120 But if you change those, it it wasn't also like a complete butt 671 00:31:39,120 --> 00:31:42,040 whooping. And, you know, and this is no 672 00:31:42,040 --> 00:31:45,520 knock on Notre Dame or the stadium, but Notre Dame Stadium 673 00:31:45,520 --> 00:31:48,080 is not Ohio Stadium. You know, it's, it's 30,000 less 674 00:31:48,080 --> 00:31:50,120 people. They've lost, I think three 675 00:31:50,120 --> 00:31:51,640 games in the last four years at home. 676 00:31:51,640 --> 00:31:53,480 Ohio State hasn't done that in a decade. 677 00:31:53,760 --> 00:31:56,240 You know, it's, it's just two different kinds of places. 678 00:31:56,440 --> 00:31:59,920 So I, I think there's a reality where Indiana, if their offense 679 00:31:59,920 --> 00:32:03,120 comes in a little bit better. And I signeti has shown every 680 00:32:03,120 --> 00:32:06,040 time the lights get bright outside of that one Ohio State 681 00:32:06,040 --> 00:32:09,040 game, they've been able to respond and normally respond in 682 00:32:09,040 --> 00:32:11,840 a pretty good manner. So I think, I think there's a 683 00:32:11,840 --> 00:32:15,280 real chance Indiana could win, but I think it's going to be a 684 00:32:15,280 --> 00:32:19,520 close game one way or the other. I would pick in I I'm I'm on the 685 00:32:19,520 --> 00:32:21,720 fence. I would say I like Indiana +7 on 686 00:32:21,720 --> 00:32:24,800 the points where that line is right now, I like Indiana plus 687 00:32:24,800 --> 00:32:26,520 seven. I think that's a fairway to bet 688 00:32:26,520 --> 00:32:28,600 it. I have a real hard time saying 689 00:32:28,600 --> 00:32:30,400 Indiana's going to win, but it would not. 690 00:32:30,640 --> 00:32:32,640 It would not shock me, but it would definitely make me happy. 691 00:32:34,280 --> 00:32:37,040 All right. Well, hey, Tyler, I really 692 00:32:37,040 --> 00:32:38,520 appreciate, really I appreciate you coming on. 693 00:32:38,520 --> 00:32:40,280 I hope you enjoy the game on Friday. 694 00:32:40,280 --> 00:32:43,080 And whichever risk goes, let's, let's one of us beat Georgia. 695 00:32:43,240 --> 00:32:45,400 Let's we, we can all agree we got it. 696 00:32:45,400 --> 00:32:47,520 We got to Rep the state of Indiana and take care of 697 00:32:47,520 --> 00:32:49,040 Georgia. All right, sounds good. 698 00:32:49,040 --> 00:32:50,560 Enjoy the game as well. All right, you too. 699 00:32:50,560 --> 00:32:54,320 So this is Tyler James from inside Notre Dame Sports, and 700 00:32:54,320 --> 00:32:56,480 we'll have a couple more podcasts, I think, for you the 701 00:32:56,480 --> 00:32:59,560 rest of this week as we get ready for the game on Friday. 702 00:32:59,560 --> 00:33:02,200 I know GAIL will be up there a couple live events, so check out 703 00:33:02,200 --> 00:33:05,640 his Twitter Crimson Cast and I want to thank you all for 704 00:33:05,640 --> 00:33:07,800 listening. And as always for Crimson Cast, 705 00:33:07,800 --> 00:33:09,440 this is Scott signing off.