Chat Transcript: What really matters when it comes to Notre Dame and its playoff path

Eric Hansen: Welcome to Notre Dame Football Live Chat, Syracuse Week Edition.

First, some quick programming notes:

► On July 1, Tyler James and I made the move to the On3 network and blueandgold.com and joined some amazing teammates. It’s proven to be a great move for us and, I believe, for our subscribers as well. And if you’re a potential first-time subscriber, you can take a one-week test drive for $1. That’s seven days of our premium content, plus all the value you get from a national team of writers and content creators, as well as access to every team site in the On3 network. Check it out at: https://www.on3.com/teams/notre-dame-fighting-irish/join/

► If you missed the last episode of our aspiring-to-be-viral Notre Dame Football YouTube show, Football Never Sleeps, what are you doing with your life? Seriously, the show keeps its shelf life long after the live presentation, so you can catch up now or later on our YouTube channel.  We’ll be back next week and every week, Monday at 7 p.m. ET, for another presentation of Football Never Sleeps with Tyler James co-hosting with me. We’ll also have our Postgame Takeaways show after the Syracuse game for you to have with your Sunday morning coffee. And check out some great shows on the Blue & Gold YouTube channel as well, including the Notre Dame Football Show, live on Tuesday nights.

► The Inside ND Sports Podcast has been rebranded as the Third & Gold Podcast. Going forward the pod will be available on all the podcast places you found us before as well as our YouTube Channel. On our most recent episode, we caught up with former CBSsports.com national college football writer Dennis Dodd to talk about Notre Dame football’s independence and the whining about it, the CFP ratings, Marcus Freeman’s future and Brian Kelly’s past … and more. Our next rendition comes out Thursday this week.

► Finally at WSBT Sports Radio 960, I’m part of the Notre Dame Football pregame show with Tim Grauel, Jim Irizarry and Blue & Gold teammate Tyler Horka. The GameDay show kicks off with 3 1/2 hours of news, analysis and special guests live from the iconic Linebacker Lounge in South Bend on Saturday ahead of the Syracuse game. We’ll start our coverage at 11 a.m. ET. You can listen locally at WSBT-AM 960, Sunny 101.5 FM and 106.1 FM in Southwest Michigan. And it will be live streaming on wsbtradio.com.

As far as this week’s chat …

PLEASE include your NAME and HOMETOWN along with your question. If you want to include your 40 time, do so at your own peril, but it’s not a requirement.

Here are the rules:

Eric Hansen: Only the No Fighting and No Spitting rules will be strictly enforced this week.

And we’re off …

Scott from Greenville, S.C.: Happy Turkey Eric!!!!! Or should I call you chef? When gave up your cooking techniques during FNS, that sounded pretty darn good. Does it work with Boones Farm? You dont have to answer that. However, I do have a question regarding ND getting into the playoffs. Is there any scenario that ND will not make the playoff? I’m concerned about the craziness that can happen. All the “what if’s”. If ND wins out, I suspect they are one of the 12, but I never believe in absolutes. Call me Irish. Or better yet, call me for dinner, especially if you’re making turkey legs. Thanks for the chats and your great insight, Eric!

Eric Hansen: Scott!!!!!!!!!!! Thanks for that. Quick personal story … three of my grandkids (the oldest, second-oldest and fourth-oldest) are sitting in the back seat of my car and they decide to vote on different categories regarding their relatives. One of the votes I won, and to my surprise, was best cook. … OK to your question. I think you’re right to have a modicum of doubt. I think that’s healthy. And it’s going to be reinforced the next couple of weeks, because Notre Dame, no matter what it does, is going to get some scrutiny/bashing and all that comes in between that. Here’s how I see it.

If Notre Dame takes care of business … that is winning and continuing to look like a team that has evolved significantly from its late August/early September version, they’re in. There are some doomsday scenarios that are valid if all of them hit as there are some which could improve ND’s standing. But if ND takes care of what it needs to on its end, I don’t think we’ll be having a Pop-Tarts Bowl live chat.

Patrick from Fort Wayne, Ind.: Good afternoon Eric, I haven’t heard Boubacar Traore’s name called recently by the play-by-play guys on TV.  What is going on with him?  Josh Burnham is easily noticeable and Bryce Young popped up in the Pittsburgh game.

Eric Hansen: Hi Patrick. As you know, Boubacar Traore did not play in the Navy game (Marcus Freeman called it a less than ideal matchup for his skill set), but he did see 39 snaps worth of action against Pitt. Sometimes what Traore is doing is pretty nuanced, so it’s not going to get the announcers’ attention — especially that play-by-play guy who did the Pitt game, Joe Tessitore. Really disappointed with that. Jesse Palmer had to carry a lot of water. Former Penn State offensive lineman and current college football analyst Landon Tengwall does a good job of breaking down his film and he does that stuff with Mike Singer and I on some of our YouTube shows. 

So, what you sometimes see is Traore demanding so much attention with his pass rush, he’ll cause the opposing quarterback to spin into pressure coming from the other side or he’ll create a gap for the interior guys. In the Pitt game he also dropped into coverage a handful of times, which is the most he’s done in a game. Even Pro Football Focus film grades don’t always pick up on Traore’s effect on a game. But just because he might not be credited with a sack doesn’t mean he’s not taking care of business and affecting a play.

Jeremy from Goshen: Hi Eric! Happy Wednesday! Any idea what Notre Dame is doing to help Erik Schmidt in practice to simulate a game-type atmosphere tat hopefully translates to making his field goal kicks in a game?

Eric Hansen: Hi Jeremy! Marcus Freeman talked about it a little bit in his presser and special teams coordinator Marty Biagi met with the media and threw us some bones about it Tuesday night. Two things are important, simplifying the fundamentals, so he doesn’t have 18 things to think about before a kick and then spacing out the kicking opportunities in practice and having them come up suddenly like they would in a game, instead of having a carved-out kicking period per se. They also create game-like conditions, with noise, etc. Colleague Jack Soble will give you a deeper dive on that in a story he’s writing for Thursday … if you want to know more.

Matt from Muscatine: Hi Eric!!! Thank you for hosting these! On FNS, you mentioned that you thought the committee would rank ND 9 or 10. You voted ND 7, I believe. How do you think you and the committee see ND differently/what accounts for how you think you and the committee perceive ND differently? Also, I’m submitting this question on Tuesday, so the committee’s rankings haven’t come out yet. If they are different from what you expected, please comment on that too. Thank you!

Eric Hansen: Hi Matt!!! Indeed the committee placed Notre Dame 9th, and I think that’s fair. I actually think the committee and I see Notre Dame similarly. It’s two teams that I have behind them is where we differ — Oklahoma at 8 and Texas Tech at 9. Oklahoma had a great win at Alabama, but again you have to look at the whole résumé. Without getting into the weeds too much, their 23-6 loss to Texas is troubling and maybe telling. The Sooners defense is elite. Their offense could lose another game for them against Missouri or LSU. They are 97th in rush offense, 87th in total offense, 81st in pass efficiency, 91st in sacks allowed, 87th in turnover margin. Yikes.

Texas Tech passes both the eye test and the math/stats test. When the Red Raiders’ top QB (Behren Morton) plays, they’ve dominated the other teams in their league. My concern is how good is the Big 12? They may be better than we think — or not. Notre Dame has played three teams currently in the CFP Top 25 and knocked out a fourth by dominating them last Saturday (Pitt). The 16 Big 12 teams collectively have played two Top 25 teams out of conference and lost both of those, Oregon and Missouri. So, I am not digging my heels in on Texas Tech. I just want to see more.

Ocean City: Do you see Dallas Golden next year moving from the nickel back over to the field or boundary cornerback.

Eric Hansen: Assuming Christian Gray comes back for his senior year in 2026, I would think Dallas Golden would be the starting nickel next year.

Mark from Boston: Good Day Eric!! The Irish strength of schedule is going to take a hit the next two games. Assuming they win both games and Miami also wins out, do you see a scenario where Miami jumps over the Irish in the playoff standings (and possibly knock ND out of the playoffs)?

Eric Hansen: Hi Mark!! As long as ND doesn’t struggle with those teams, I don’t think it’ll hurt the Irish as far as SOS, since Miami played both of those teams as well and Miami’s remaining schedule isn’t killer either — at Va Tech and on the road at Pitt. Miami beat Syracuse 38-10 and Stanford 42-7. So if the Irish win by similar margins or more, it’s a wash. And I’m not sure Miami could be any more impressive against Pitt than ND was. I really think, as remote as it might be, is for Miami to get in as the ACC champ, and there are four teams ahead of them in the standings.

Here’s what would have to happen: SMU loses twice (Louisville, Cal), because the Mustangs hold the tiebreaker over Miami. Pitt beats Georgia Tech but loses to Miami. And Virginia loses to Va. Tech. That could get Miami into a tiebreaker they might win and into the ACC title game. There are some other questions involving Miami, so I’ll dig a little deeper into the head-to-head question in those.

2581/Tony from Lexington, Ky., by way of hometown Somerset, Pa, (also the hometown of ND baseball coach Shawn Stiffler): I went home last weekend for the ND @ Pitt game. For those who weren’t there, Pitt put the ND fans who ordered tickets through ND in the end zone (facing the river ) on the top level, but they were actually great seats with a good view of the entire field! I would estimate that the stadium was 35% Irish fans, and we certainly made a lot more noise than did the Pitt fans. Chants of “Let’s go, Irish” rang out frequently during the game, and I don’t remember a single Pitt chant from their fans, though they obviously didn’t have much to cheer about… 😆 About halfway through the 4th quarter, the stadium was probably 90% Irish fans. ☘🏈☘ We didn’t get any rain during the game, it was 60-63 degrees, a perfect day weather-wise for football ! After that lengthy intro, I do have a question: given that Tae Johnson is a redshirt freshman, is he eligible to be named to the Freshm 

Eric Hansen: Hi Tony. Thanks for the details from Acrisure Stadium. Your question got cut off, but I think you were asking me if ND safety Tae Johnson can be a freshman All-American as a redshirt freshman, and the answer is yes. CJ Carr is also eligible as are a number of other Irish players. The FWAA, which is THE freshman All-America team, selects from a pool that includes both redshirt freshmen and true freshmen. So, Guerby Lambert would also be eligible for instance.

ced walker from Saginaw michigan aka sagnasty Saginaw pride: espn wrong making us play at stanford 10:30pm last time we played at this time was in 1991  at Stanford and 11pm at Hawaii  what time do u think we leave going to Stanford thurs night or friday evening God Bless This Football here come the irish trust the process the golden standard rally we are nd god country go irish love thee notre dame our mother pray for us

Eric Hansen: Hi Ced. First of all, you are on point on those late starts in 1991. I’m impressed. No. 2, blame it on Stanford being a lousy team this year. There’s a lot of competition that Saturday for eyeballs with games that will be a lot more consequential. but I agree, that’s an awful time slot if they are expecting a lot of ND fans to watch it.

Kevin from Calgary: Eric, happy chat day!! I’m shocked but relieved to see the Irish ahead of Alabama in the playoff rankings. It looks like the committee wanted to limit the chances ND could get squeezed out and are convinced the Irish are one of the true contenders this year. Do you see it that way, or are we simply benefiting from brand name (as the naysayers claim)?

Eric Hansen: Kevin!! Alabama is a pretty big brand name too, don’t you think? The committee really looks at so many more things than the average fan or average talking head does. A lot of ranters like to boil down the argument to one isolated facet of a résumé like best win or worst loss, and usually a facet that fits their argument. And you can draw lines in convenient places. I saw one where Texas A&M didn’t have a lot of upper-division SEC teams on its schedule, but another who pointed out the Aggies had the most top 40 wins.

So, without going through Alabama’s entire résumé, here are a couple of things to consider that hurts them with the committee. They lost to a lousy Florida State team and badly. They’re also a stunning 121st in rushing offense. 46th in stopping the run and 79th in sacks allowed. No one wins national titles with those kinds of numbers. Just for comparison, ND is 23rd, 13th and 16th, respectively, in those 3 categories and has a better national ranking in 15 of the 24 key offense/defense/sp teams rankings over the Crimson Tide.

Manny from San Pedro: Eric!!!!!!!! My brother from another mother!!! I was shocked we were ranked above Bama. Do you think the committee will fold with public pressure and place Bama higher next week? If tech loses big 12. Do they stay ahead of ND? I’m just nervous we will get left out when this is maybe the best ND team I have seen in two decades imo

Eric Hansen: Manny!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Considering Alabama plays Eastern Illinois this week, Notre Dame would really have to look bad against Syracuse to coax the committee into making that change. In subsequent weeks, I don’t think beating an Auburn team that’s tied for 13th in the SEC with a 1-6 league record is going to give the Tide much fuel for a leap over ND either. I think the only way Alabama jumps ND is if the Tide get to the SEC Championship Game (and there’s a good chance they will) and then win that game as well. If Texas Tech loses the Big 12, BYU probably jumps ahead of ND and Tech probably falls behind.

Jack from Strongsville, Ohio: Hi Eric. Notre Dame seems to have the perception of a weak schedule in November compared to other CFP contenders. What can be done to even out the schedule so all the better teams are not played in September and October? The series with Clemson should help and keeping the USC rivalry but this seems to be a recurring criticism of the program. Thanks as always for your great work and an early Happy Thanksgiving.

Eric Hansen: Jack, I love this question more than I love my answer to it. ND does have three unimpressive opponents but just ran a Top 25 team off its home field and walloped a Navy team that sits at No. 26 in both the AP and coaches poll and could win its conference. So ND is fighting a couple of fronts: perceived weak opponents and actual ones. No matter how good Navy is, ND is never going to get credit, at least with the vast majority of media/fans, for being a good team. The branding is off. Now what could be done in the future?

ND would benefit from the ACC getting stronger from top to bottom, because it is the one Power 4 league that doesn’t mind playing ND in November. The Pac-12 used to be open to that, but the Pac-12 is the Little Pac-2 now. So, with the commitment of all four Power 4 conferences being committed to nine-game league schedules in the future, anything but Navy, ACC teams or really good Group of 6 teams seems less realistic for that part of the schedule. Now ND can load up early, but there are pluses and minuses to that, as we saw this season.

Don in Scottsdale: Eric, Two games left this year. The season has flown by quickly. So far, I’ve been wrong about D coordinator Chris Ash. Seems like he’s settled in nicely. Questioned Bryce Young’s weight gain and he’s covering in pass protection. I can go on with all I’ve gotten wrong!!!! My question, what has surprised you this year? What has impressed you beyond your expectations?  Lastly, Buchner will be involved in some crazy play to win a playoff game making up for the missed PAT against TAM.

Eric Hansen: Hi Don. I’m glad you listed your misconceptions about ND this season and not mine! Biggest surprise? Probably how good the run defense is. It’s 13th nationally, and likely to finish in the top 10. That’s something no ND defense has done in more than two decades. Impressed me beyond expectations? Jordan Faison’s jump in production this year and CJ Carr’s evolution in being a master chess player at the line of scrimmage. And you may be right about Tyler Buchner.

Len from the Jersey Shore: Hello Eric!!!!!!!!!!!! The CFP has been a success and the rankings have been as good as can be expected.  It’s not easy to take everything into consideration.  I count 24 teams still with a chance to make the playoff with just two weeks to go. Several are in the scrambles for the ACC title game and the American title game, which still might yield the group of 5 champion. Two questions for you. As an AP voter who has analyzed teams for years are there any surprise teams in the CFP rankings? Is it possible the CFP might decide to drop from 5 conference winners with automatic bids to four for the same reasons the top four conference winners were not the top 4 seeds this year? That would also increase the at-large pool by one.

Eric Hansen: Len!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Love that you’re on your exclamation point game today. Well-played. To your questions. What surprises did I see in the CFP rankings this week? Illinois being ranked at all surprised me, let alone at 21. Some of the others in the bottom five of the top 25 were also curious, but I know those bottom slots were very hard to fill for me this week. Utah continues to be way higher than I have them, but that is no longer a surprise. That’s about it. I’ve got a good feel for what the committee thinks of the top teams. As far as going from 5 champs to 4, no. I think they want to make sure that at least one Group of 6 team is represented in the playoff, and I agree with that. They will increase at-large teams by expanding to 14 or16 total teams sooner than later.

Bob from Oxnard, Calif.: Even when Stanford is bad, they have often played us tough, and sometimes defeated us.  Do you think our fan base appears to be overlooking this game already?

Eric Hansen: Hi Bob. You’re right about history and perhaps right about the fan base as well. But I think Marcus Freeman has come up with a pretty good formula that has come to serve the Irish well in games like that. Playing to a standard. Playing lots of players in a rotation. so that when they get extended playing time, they don’t look at it as “garbage time.” And so I feel confident Stanford will get ND’s best shot.

Mike from Phoenix: Eric, I wouldn’t wish an injury on any player but based upon the most likely return of Gabe, Billy and Jaden for the playoffs do you think having 3 guys that are fresh and not beat up over the long season is a blessing in disguise? Also, can you tell us which players have absolutely no eligibility left after this year? Hope you have time to get a nap in before the late Stanford start. The late start, missing the 4th Q vs Purdue because of the rain delay, another game on Peacock and the missing the 1st 6-7 minutes of the Navy game has been a rough year of TV for the IRISH!☘️. Cheers. 🍻

Eric Hansen: Hi Mike. I think the one of those three who could have benefitted from playing is Billy Schrauth. He was playing his best football o f his career when he got hurt and the chemistry will have to be refreshed when he comes back. As long as Gabe Rubio and Jaden Greathouse are 100 percent and not still bothered by their injuries, once they shake the rust, it could play into their favor. As for the Stanford start, I’ll get a workout and a nap in that day. And fire up the Keurig machine. I’ll turn it into a fun adventure. As far as scholarship players who are out of eligibility (and there are two who may petition for an extra year), but these will not:

WRs: Malachi Fields and Will Pauling, TE Eli Raridon, DEs Jordan Botelho and Junior Tuihalamaka, DTs Gabe Rubio and Jared Dawson, S Jalen Stroman, CB Chance Tucker, Nickel DeVonta Smith, K Noah Burnette. DT Jason Onye and P James Rendell will petition for an additional season. TE Kevin Bauman medically retired and is out of eligibility.

Brian K from South Bend: Hello Mr. Eric!!!!!! Regarding the likely “Redshirt” year for Jaden Greathouse.  There’s been great speculation the past month and a half of fans and ND beat writers regarding Jaden’s future at ND (or elsewhere).  Most assumed Jaden really was hurt and Freeman confirmed that the past week or two in a media session. I find it unlikely IF he intended to transfer and not use a year of eligibility that he would still be allowed to practice and/or be around this team (think Jaden Mickey ’24). They could definitely use his talent for next season, and as much of a threat as he showed in the CFP last season they haven’t missed him much due to the production of Will Pauling, Malachi Fields, Riordan, etc. Do you think he will be back next season at ND? Thanks and GO Irish. ND 49-7 over ‘Cuse on Saturday!

Eric Hansen: Mr. Brian K (and not Kelly)!!!! Let me start with … excellent question and I’m glad you brought it up. And I commend you for trying to do some research and not just blindly buying into a conspiracy theory, because it showed up in your uncle’s (or my uncle’s) Facebook page. There’s a lot of garbage out there when it comes to reporting on ND football, but there’s some great reporting too, including some  of our respected competitors, so choose wisely. Here’s what I think and here’s what I know regarding Jaden Greathouse.

The hamstring injury is real. His engagement with the team is real. The mutual desire to redshirt him at this point and use him in the postseason (which won’t affect a redshirt year) is real. What I believe is that Greathouse will be back next year. I believe the coaching staff is confident he will be back next year. Could he have a change of heart in an era of legal monetary compensation? Yes. Do I think that’s likely with Jaden. I do not, and the coaching staff does not, I’m confident of. And really, that’s why the surprises are minimal with ND guys as far as the coaching staff is concerned, because of that open communication channel.

If you watched our Third & Gold Podcast with Lamar Mickey, Jaden Mickey’s dad, you get a great insight into how that situation evolved and how Mike Mickens even offered to help Jaden find a landing spot. So barring an incredible turn of events, I believe Jaden Greathouse will be catching passes from CJ Carr in 2026, and a lot of them.

Tom F from Kennesaw, Ga.: Hey Eric, sorry if this is a resend. Computer quit and I lost the original email. I feel Freeman is sort of a combo of Faust’s character and respect for ND, plus Holtz’ fire and motivation and probably most importantly, Ara’s ability to put players in their best positions and then coach them up to play their best on Saturdays.  Your thought???  Shuler appears to have taken some time to adapt to the Watts’ role as the “leader of the back”.  Now he and the entire defense (with the addition of Johnson) seem to be playing much faster and better.  Agree??? They are really fun to watch!!  Go Irish!!!!!

Eric Hansen: Hi Tom. Good thing you did resend, as I only see this version in the question portal. I think Marcus Freeman kind of has his own unique coaching vibe, but I will share that when I did the big piece on Peter Schivarelli a few months ago — and Pete has lots of interactions with Marcus — he saw a lot of parallels to Ara. And I didn’t cover Ara and don’t know what version of him like you do, but I did get to know the retired version pretty well, and I would agree with Pete S. on that assessment. As far as the secondary playing faster, some of that is Adon Shuler, yes, assuming that leadership role and some of it was putting Tae Johnson in the starting lineup. He is going to be an All-American sooner rather than later.

Marie from Atlanta: Hi Eric, I  hope you’re having a fantastic week, and just wanted to say how much I enjoyed Behind the Ballot  this past weekend. You are now the offensive coordinator for Notre Dame. It’s fourth and short inside the 2 yard line, what play are you calling? I know you probably should have several plays. What would be two others that you would consider calling? Do you feel like the Notre Dame offense would benefit from some more misdirection plays and some jet sweeps? Why do you think they don’t get called very often? What do you think is more likely to happen this weekend, USC beats Oregon or Missouri beats Oklahoma? As always, thanks for hosting the chat and all your fantastic insights.

Eric Hansen: Hi Marie. Enjoying it very much, even with the cooler weather. Thanks for reading Behind The Ballot, where I sized up the most-favorable and least-favorable playoff matchups for Notre Dame. So now I’ve been promoted to offensive coordinator? Is there a pay bump that comes with that? It’s fourth and short at the 2-yard line and WHO am I playing and what defense are they in? That’s going to have a lot to do with my play call. And if I have both Flanagan/Flanigans, that will affect my play call too. So just kind of generically speaking, thinking I’m getting a goal-line look from the defense, I’m putting Carr under center, so I can sneak it, hand if off the Price or Love, or I can take a quick drop and throw a fade to Malachi Fields, or, when healthy, Jaden Greathouse.

I think they may benefit from the plays you mentioned once they get into a playoff situation. Then you’re playing a much different level of defense than Notre Dame is used to seeing for most of the year. Every team in the top 12 of last night’s CFP rankings is in the top 35 in total defense. and four of them are in the top 11. I think Jeremiyah Love having such great vision and having a penchant for jump cuts and spins to break him into a footrace makes misdirection plays and jet sweeps not as attractive. Maybe in the red zone?

I like both of those underdogs with the points, but that’ s not what you asked. I’d like that Missouri game if they were at home and with their No. 1 QB. Since neither of those are true, I’ll say USC with the road upset staying in their own time zone.

Shane from White Deer, Texas: Hey Eric, I hope all is well. I heard what Coach Freeman gave as an explanation about not trying to kick a FG late during the Pitt game. Do you think getting a couple of more tries in a game that has been decided would be something you would have tried?  Maybe missing would just add to the pressure of the next kick.  How long has it been since the last made FG?  Also, Price only had 8 carries to Love’s 23. Do you think this was more of a showcase game for Love, or was it just the way the ball bounces, or gets carried, as it were?  Thanks for the chat.  Go Irish!!

Eric Hansen: I Shane, doing good here. thanks. I asked him specifically about that potential 42-yarder as you noted, and I think I would have done that in that spot. Erik Schmidt had done well since the miss with the PATs and the kickoffs after missing the long FG early. And Marty Biagi said Tuesday night, it’s not a mental thing, but a mechanics thing. So I would have done it. Last time there was a made field goal? Noah Burnette made two of them in the win over NC State on Oct. 11.

Matt from Austin: Good morning Eric. I hope this finds you well. With Gray getting healthy, and the emergence of Talich and Johnson, is this the best Notre Dame defense in the past ten years? How has Coach Ash adjusted over the second half of the season, or have the players just continued to learn his system? Lastly, how important in your opinion is it for the Irish to get to #8 in the rankings to receive a home game and possibly avoid OSU in the second round of the CFP? Thank you as always Eric. These chats are perfect for all of us and we’re very glad that you enjoy them as well!

Eric Hansen: Matt, what you lack in exclamation points, you make up for in flattery. Well-played!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Notre Dame has had some REALLY good defenses over the past 10 years, so that’s a high bar. The best three in the 2000s (not necessarily in order) were the 2012 team (7th nationally in total D), the 2023 team (5th) and the 2024 team (11th). Now remember that 2024 team played some elite offenses in its four playoff games that knocked back that standing. The current group is 29th in total defense but has made so much improvement.  Can I grade them after the postseason? I’d put them in the top four, because they’ve been so good against the run. To your Chris Ash question, that’s the magic in this when it could have gone sideways and south in a hurry, They both adjusted, and it’s been something to behold. That Sept. 21 coaches meeting, if ND makes a playoff run, is going to be legendary.

I think the No. 10 spot might be better than the No. 9 if you want to avoid Ohio State in the second round and some other icky matchups. But let’s say Oregon loses to USC and Notre Dame hosts Alabama in a December deep freeze when those two teams slide up a notch. That’s a huge advantage.

Terry from Cincinnati: I was surprised that Coach Freeman left Carr in to play the 4th quarter. Any thoughts on why Minchey wasn’t brought in? Seemed like an unnecessary risk to keep Carr in the game.

Eric Hansen: I didn’t occur to me to pull him when it’s your last chance to make an impression on the committee against a ranked team. He got sacked once and wasn’t involved in a lot of QB runs. And him playing against a defense of that caliber and moving things around at the line of scrimmage was an excellent investment. Now if it’s lopsided this week and he’s still playing, then I’m with you.

Ryan Frankfort Illinois: Good afternoon Eric what do you think about the play of Josh Burnham vs Pitt i think he looked good also you were correct that i used to live in Pittsburgh Area  i think the Irish win 49-10 or something like that on senior day Saturday GO IRISH ☘️☘️☘️🏈🏈🏈

Eric Hansen: Hi Ryan. Josh Burnham is as healthy as he’s been since early in the 2024 season and it’s showing up in his performances. Look for more of that on Saturday. I think our score predictions are pretty close this week.

Mike AKA Mo from Maumee OH: Hi Eric !^!  ND’s 2026 recruiting class looks a cut above any that I can recall. If the top six players’ rankings hold, ND could have six 5 star players in this class!?!  A couple of questions regarding the 2026 class: 1) How many of these recruits do you expect to opt for the early signing period?  2) Does your crystal ball see any of the 27 recruits cracking the two-deep roster sometime during the 2026 season? Thanks!

Eric Hansen: Hi Mike/Mo. !^^^^^! That entire class is going to sign in December. it’s almost unheard of these days for someone to wait ’til the old February signing day. And many of them will enroll early as well. To your second question, without doing deep research on this, so off the fop of my head .. not just talent but opportunity factors in, I’d say the two DEs — Rodney Dunham and Ebeneezer Ewetade, WR Kaydon Finley, TE Ian Premer, S Joey O’Brien would top the list.

Barry from Napa CA: Good morning Eric (aka Steve)!!! Two questions today, tapping into your amazing insights. First, I absolutely see the Irish in the playoff field through the next two reveals. But that last release can be doomsday for the Irish if lower seeded teams win conference championships. Of the most likely scenarios, which conference championship game(s) should ND fear most that will potentially push them out of the field? Second, while I enjoy seeing the weekly PFF grades, they must use differential equations to calculate the overall grade. Love’s overall grade was higher than any individual category as one example. That said, how much do pro teams use PFF to evaluate players, or is more weight given to their own eyes and tape? Could be a cool article to show where likely ND draftees fall on PFF grades in relation to other draft candidates…do they lend themselves to most likely draft round? Thanks for everything!

Eric Hansen: Barry/Larry/Jerry!!!!!!!!!!!!!! So let’s look at the Power 4 conference title games. Ohio State/Indiana is a nothing burger when it comes to ND’s ranking unless Michigan beats Ohio State prior to it. But let’s assume for this conversation’s purposes the favorites win out ahead of the league cc games. Also a nothing burger is the ACC. Georgia Tech or Virginia, I believe, if everyone wins out. That’s your 11 seed, so they are behind ND. So, really the only two that could muck things up are the SEC and Big 12. If Alabama won the4 SEC title over Texas A&M, both of those teams would be ahead of ND. If BYU beat Texas Tech, my guess is only one of those teams would be ahead of ND, but if I were you, I’d root for Texas Tech.

As far as the PFF grades, we had Dalton Wasserman on our Third & Gold Podcast recently, and he explained that. If you can email me, I can get you a transcription of his answer. I just can’t do it right now, as I’m into overtime and that would take some time to take care of. I want to slip a few more questions in. And yes, I like your idea about draft prospects and PFF scores.

JayFM from Detroit: Background: (cont’d)How much does this really impact the way you’re seeing it?” Marucci’s hope was that Daniels’ response would be at least 5 percent. If we can get 5 percent more for a quarterback out of this, he thought, we’re doing pretty good. Daniels pondered for a few seconds, then responded. “Seventy-five to 80 percent,” Daniels said.

Question: JayFM from Detroit…Eric thanks for doing the chats…longtime lurker, first time questioner. Jayden Daniels, LSU’s Heisman winning QB last year credited the Cognilize VR software with his rapid growth in his last season. Denbrock wanted to bring the tech to South Bend. Do you know if ND is currently using Cognilize or plans to in the near future?

Eric Hansen: Hi Jay. Thanks for your question. I didn’t include the full background, in large part because I’m going to have to track down the answer and give it to you in a future chat. I believe Riley Leonard used that. Not sure about CJ Carr, but I’ll get an answer for you.

2581/Tony from Lexington Ky.: One final comment: You always ask great questions of Coach Free at his weekly press conference, Eric. During the 4th quarter of the game, I wondered why ND didn’t have Erik Schmidt try a field goal just for the practice. We didn’t need another TD, and it would not have been a pressure situation … So I appreciated you asking Coach Free if the staff had considered sending him out for a FG attempt. I am hopeful that Erik will get some FG attempts in the final two games because it would be great if he could go into the CFP with a made field goal or two under his belt… Go Irish !

Eric Hansen: Thanks, 2581, and I agree on working those in over the next two games. I think it needs to be a priority in those games.to a point. And I should mention, there’s a chance Noah Burnette, with them resting him now, could come back for the playoff run as well.

Paul from Knoxville: Ciao Eric:  Forza Irlandese!!!  I was somewhat surprised at how well our D was able to limit Pitt offensively. Was there anything that struck you as surprising? Wrt the SYR game, do you know if the coaches prepare the team any differently to mitigate chances for a let down against a less capable opponent? I imagine practices continue at the same intensity but perhaps from a mental standpoint? Lastly, I must ask your thoughts on what happened to the Lady Irish against UM. I was unable to watch the game but saw the stats:  Porca miseria! Era brutissima. Veramente una schifezza totale.  In particular, how did our two posts get only 3 points and 3 rebounds combined???  I think Coach Ivey attributed our offensive woes mainly to an off night shooting, but what were your observations?  Thank you again for hosting the chat e buona festa di ringraziamento in anticipo!

Eric Hansen: Ciao Paul!!!! I think what surprised me was how well Christian Gray played. If they get that version of him moving forward, Yowza/Sorprendente. I mentioned earlier about Marcus Freeman really breaking it down and playing to a standard, and winning the interval instead of polluting the prep with big-picture thoughts. As to the WBB game, I was watching out of the corner of my eye while I worked on football. Just an absolute trainwreck on both ends of the court. I think the good news is Iyana Moore and Malaya Cowles will get better as they reacclimate to playing. The bad news is No. 8 USC is coming to town on Friday.

Roger from Peoria: Eric:  I just read Tyler Horka’s “Doomsday” commentary which describes a scenario in which the Irish WIN OUT but are LEFT OUT of the playoffs.  How unfortunate that would be, particularly when viewed in the context of the cries “Ash Must Go!” after the two losses.  Now the cries are “Ash is a Smash!” as the Irish D is performing better than all others with the possible exception of OSU. Contrary to being left out, do you see a reasonable scenario in which the Irish achieve a first round home game, and if so, how?  Thanks for your great work, especially if you identify how the Irish get the home game!!  And, GO IRISH!!

Eric Hansen: Roger, I wish I could give you a fabulous prize for your creativity. Unfortunately, all I have to offer is excessive exclamation points!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I do see a reasonable scenario in which ND can move up a spot. The two most likely — Oregon loses at home to USC or on the road at Washington OR Oklahoma trips up against Missouri or LSU. And thank YOU!

Adam from Dayton, Ohio: Eric, thank you as always for the best chats! Apologies if this has already been asked, but what do the Irish have to fear as far as scenarios that could bump them? There is at least some angst over the Miami H2H scenario coming into play…I think you touched on that. Anything else that could bump ND? Texas Tech losing and 2 Big 12 teams getting in? Anything else?

Eric Hansen: Adam let me address the Miami head-to-head thing. I think it should matter, but it’s not a blanket head-to-head policy. When did it occur? What was the score? Has either team significantly improved or regressed since that point.? What else is on the résumé. And what are both teams’ records? Let’s take Miami. I think Miami is a pretty good team. But like the committee, I think Notre Dame is better based on the ENTIRE body of work for both teams at this moment. But head to head!!!!!! Well, OK, SMU (7-3) beat Miami (8-2) head to head THIS MONTH. Now they have one more loss overall, but they have one fewer in the ACC standings and are tied for first place, and Miami is in fifth place. So why wouldn’t SMU be ranked higher? Head to head?

And if SMU beats Louisville this week, they’ll not only have beaten Miami, they will have beaten the other unranked 7-3 team that beat Miami.

Dennis from Swoyersville Pa.Just wanted to say hi. You are the man. God bless.

Eric Hansen: Hi Dennis. Thank you! And thanks for jumping in today.

Tom from Toronto: Hi Eric, sorry to be late but we are thinking of changing the Friday morning blueberry pancakes to include raspberries. Do you think that is a good idea? With regard to the remaining two games, assuming that they can, should ND  try to blow both Syracuse and Stanford out of the water, or should they play their best but not overdue it and substitute freely. It seems like Coach Freeman was a little ticked off with Pittsburg’s coach’s antics at the end of the game. I would like to think that ND and coach Freeman have more class. As ever, I look forward to reviewing the transcript and your insights. Thanks.

Eric Hansen: Tom. There’s nothing better than blueberries in pancakes, donuts and probably sprinkle into giant turkey legs if we ever got daring. so please!!! I think you go into those games wanting to improve your team in all aspects and look the part. That’s why I asked Marcus Freeman that question on Monday, what does that look like? I do not think you accomplish that by playing your starters excessively. I think you have your backups ready to play and wanting to show out.

Eric Hansen: OK, I am so late for getting to my next assignment, so I have to stop here. Thanks for all the great questions. There are some really good ones I couldn’t get to, so if you are a blueandgold.com subscriber, ping me on the Lou Somogyi message board and I’ll try to knock those out tonight or tomorrow. We’ll do this all over again next Wednesday at noon ET.