The Irish Tribune sat down with ESPN's Josh Pate this Friday to discuss the upcoming renewal of the coveted "Catholics vs Convicts" Rivalry. Pate reflected on his time in South Bend and the mystique and magic of Our Lady's Campus. Finally, Pate detailed some changes he'd make to the College Football Playoff format.

The Fighting Irish will be looking to avenge last season’s 24-27 loss in Coral Gables this week against the 2025 College Football Playoff National Championship runner-ups. If Head Coach Marcus Freeman’s team did not have enough of a chip on their shoulder already, they should now after Tuesday’s release of the CFP rankings, where the Irish found themselves at 11. Whether right or wrong, a message has been sent via the CFP committee: Saturday is a must-win.

The most intriguing aspect of this game came when news broke earlier this week that Miami's superstar wide receiver Malachi Toney will be out on Saturday with an ankle injury. Toney's injury changes the entire dynamic of this game. Not only is he the best player on Miami's roster, but he is undoubtedly the second-best wide receiver in the country.

The goal should be fairly simple this season: show improvement. This will be Shrewsberry’s oldest roster in his time at Notre Dame, featuring six fourth- or fifth-year seniors, all of whom will play vital roles this year. We will see if this plethora of experience proves helpful for the Irish, but they need to put a legitimate product on the court for fans to start trusting this team “built by believers.”