JotCast | Notre Dame Football Live Chat | Nov. 4, 2026

Notre Dame Football Live Chat | Nov. 4, 2026

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Mike AKA Mo from Maumee OH

12:40

Hi Eric !!!^^^!!! I may have simply imagined it, but did Navy seem a bit more "chippy" in their play against ND? I'm talking about the body slam out of bounds what wasn't called as a penalty, the one that was, the push from behind after RB James was well past the goal line, numerous shoves & "accidental" bumps after a play was over. I had to chuckle when one of these events happened and the big ND player did a "TIMBER!!!" stiff-legged fall onto his back (no penalty called). Navy is usually noted for their disciplined play, but they had a substantial number of penalties, including personal fouls. Was Navy trying to bait ND into retaliating (usually that's the guy who gets flagged)? Was Navy HC Newberry trying to light a fire under his guys that a few took too far? Your thoughts.........thanks!!!

Eric Hansen

12:40

Hi Ed. Marcus Freeman has been very consistent in terms of emphasizing special teams, committing practice time and his best players to that phase of the game. But special teams play has changed some, especially when it come to kickoff returns. When you look at field goal kicking, net punting, returns and coverage, these two teams are extremely similar. If ND is going to make a special teams difference, it would likely be in: punt block, a fake punt or stopping a fake punt or field goal. That's not as exciting at Rocket taking back a kickoff return, but ND has ways to impact the game on special teams, at least that potential.

Ed from Sayville NY

12:31

Hello again Eric. Well, here we are on the cusp of a really big test for both programs, and plans to honor the late great Lou Holtz are in place to mark the magnitude of this game. In that Lou’s teams paid great attention to special teams play, what might the Irish have cooked up as a potential surprise that becomes a difference maker? Who might be the unexpected player aiding the effort? Is there anything you can share about Miami’s special teams and tendencies in this phase of the game? Go ☘️

Eric Hansen

12:30

Where I would have some concern is if this roster was an anomaly, that it was either this season or wait 10 years. But Notre Dame's commitment in the rev share/NIL space, its facilities, the way Marcus Freeman is recruiting, the other program infrastructure point to the Irish being a major factor in the national title discussion even if they lose a game on Saturday night. It'll hurt for a while, but there still is a very promising long-term future for this program, I believe.

12:28

Hi Jack, and thank YOU. Perception is a powerful element, but not always is it as enduring as it seems in the moment, both good and bad. Remember how you and everyone else felt about the Northern Illinois loss in 2024? Or Ohio State fans felt after a loss to Michigan in late November knocked the Buckeyes down to an 8 seed before they rompled through the playoff to a national title? (more)

Jack,Strongsville, Ohio

12:23

Hi Eric. Obviously the Miami game is important for this season. How important is it for the future of the program? Given the high expectations for this year and the 38 year drought of winning a national championship would a loss and probable exclusion from the playoffs this year have a long lasting effect? Thanks for your great work across all the platforms we see you on.

Eric Hansen

12:22

I can't remember the last time a Notre Dame coaching staff stayed intact from one season to the next, but I know it hasn't happened in either the Marcus Freeman or Brian Kelly eras. I'd have to do some more digging. NFL and college teams are always interested in Freeman's assistant coaches. Then they have a decision to make. If you are talking about Freeman purging the coordinator of the nation's No. 1 team in total defense, then November would have to be a disaster for Ash and the Irish. So let's let November play out and then ask me that question again.

Packy from Naperrville,Il

12:20

Eric…will Ash be the DC next year? What’s your guess given how close you are to things?

Eric Hansen

12:19

As far as the schedule strength argument, I'm good with that, as long as it's applied universally. I see why unbeaten teams might get a pass -- UCLA for one. But one-loss Indiana's schedule and results make no sense. I think that's a heck of a defensive team, but a flawed offensive team even with its QB is healthy. Very strange start to the rankings. I have a story going up in a bit that does expose a silver lining.

12:17

So why is there such a discrepancy between Notre Dame's CFP ranking and the polls? My jaw is still on the floor, but my brain is engaged. If the Miami opporunity wasn't in front of the Irish, I would do a deeper dive. But leaving no doubt is what this Notre Dame team was constructed around in the offseason, so now it's time to live that mantra on a huge stage. (more)

12:14

Hi Dave, there's a lot to unpack there, but I think worth it. Let's take them one at a time. Even if I weren't a voter in the AP poll, I do see value in having that and the coaches polls from preseason on. 1) There's the historical element. You want to know a coaches record against ranked teams? How do you qualify that if there aren't rankings until November? That's just one small example, but I think those rankings add perspective and juice in the early season, even though some fans view them as predictive and not the snapshots they're supposed to be. (more)

Dave from Mitchell, GA

12:11

Eric, hope you are well and I'm excited about Saturday night's game. I believe this is put up or shut up time. I'm sure this question will be asked multiple times but do you see a path for ND making the playoffs with a loss to Miami at this point? I do not, especially with the CFP rankings from last night. How can they rank so differently than the AP and Coaches Polls? And why do we even have those polls if they obviously do not matter to the CFP playoff committee? I don't like to be a conspiracy theorist but with the #11 ranking I do believe there is a bias towards ND and trying to keep them out of the playoffs with the top 12 guarantee. If they harp on ND's schedule (which is soft), then they should do the same with Indiana and not give favor because they are the reigning champs. Your thoughts?

Eric Hansen

12:11

The part about name and hometown, though, is in play. So is no 17-part questions ... now off we .... go!

BUT NOT THIS WEEK. It's Miami week, so all five of those are rescinded.

12:10

Here normally are the rules ...

Seriously, it's pretty easy.

As far as today's chat, PLEASE include your NAME and HOMETOWN along with your question(s).

12:09

OK, that actually was a slowly delivered bit of programming, sorry. Let's ramp this up.

12:08

► Finally … one significant change that has been made to the chat recently — the live chat portion and the ability to submit questions will be limited to subscribers of blueandgold.com. Those higher on the food chain than me at On3 — which is just about everybody — came up with this concept to reward subscribers, since my brain and fingers are too slow to get to all the questions in three hours. I am supportive of this.
What I am more excited about is that On3 has rolled out a new introductory offer for first-time subscribers. It’s 60% off your first year, which amounts to $48 for the year or $4 a month if that math hits your brain better. With that, you get all 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 HERE.

► At WSBT Sports Radio 960, I’m part of the Notre Dame Football pregame shows with Tim Grauel, Jim Irizarry and Blue & Gold teammate Jack Soble. The GameDay show kicks off with 3 1/2 hours of news, analysis and special guests live on Saturday ahead of the ND-Miami showdown. We’ll start our coverage — live from The Linebacker Lounge, near campus — at 3 p.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.

12:07

► The Third & Gold Podcast is available at all the places where you find podcasts, as well as our YouTube Channel. The next episode drops on Friday. On our most recent episode, former Notre Dame offensive lineman Trevor Ruhland joined us as our special guest.

12:06

► 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 new home on the Blue & Gold YouTube channel. The last three shows have been our most-watched episodes ever. We’ll be back next Monday at 7 ET for another presentation of Football Never Sleeps. Check out some other great shows and content on the Blue & Gold YouTube channel as well, including the live Mega Show this past Tuesday night that you can catch on replay.

12:05

First, some quick programming notes:

12:03

Welcome to the epic Notre Dame-Miami week live chat.

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