On defense, USC is led by second-year Defensive Coordinator D’Anton Lynn, the former UCLA DC and son of former Los Angeles Chargers Head Coach Anthony. Lynn’s defense has had its share of struggles this year, but last week was an impressive showing. Throughout this year, the Trojans’ front seven has been solid, but the secondary, minus S Bishop Fitzgerald, is where USC is getting burned consistently.

This week should provide a test for the seemingly improved Notre Dame defense against an electric USC offense. Offensively, the Trojans are led by Head Coach and playcaller Lincoln Riley. The former Oklahoma HC has compiled a 31-15 record at USC since taking over in 2022, with no conference titles or playoff appearances on his resume. For these reasons, Riley entered this season in a bit of a hot seat. However, a 5-1 start and top-25 ranking have quieted his critics for now.

Fast forward to today's announcement coming out of Happy Valley that Head Coach James Franklin has been fired, and shortly after, it was announced that Kemon Spell was decommitting from Penn State and moving on with his recruitment. Was he already planning to bolt prior to Franklin being let go? That answer we may never get, but from the outside looking in, it appeared this was bound to happen whether Franklin retained his job or not.

On Saturday afternoon, the 16th-ranked Notre Dame Fighting Irish (3-2) hosts the NC State Wolfpack (4-2). The Irish look to keep their CFP hopes alive amidst the chaos of last weekend. Meanwhile, the Wolfpack would love to prove they are back on track, following two early ACC losses, with a big-time road win.

This Saturday afternoon, the 16th-ranked Notre Dame Fighting Irish hosts 4-2 NC State. The Irish look to extend their win streak to four as College Football Playoff hopes are in the air in South Bend following an upset-filled weekend.  The Wolfpack were able to get back on track with a dominant win against Campbell following back-to-back ACC losses to Virginia Tech and Duke.

This Saturday afternoon, Notre Dame welcomes Boise State to South Bend for a matchup between two CFP teams from a year ago. The Irish offense looks to continue its roll, coming off of back-to-back 56-point outings, while the defense slowly figures itself out after holding an explosive Arkansas offense to just 13 points.

Monday, Notre Dame Hockey held their preseason kickoff press conference with first-year Head Coach Brock Sheahan joined by recently announced co-captains Michael Mastrodomenico and Danny Nelson. We recap the presser and offer some preview notes for the upcoming season:

The bright side of the Irish season thus far, especially last week, is how the offense has looked under new starting QB CJ Carr. The young gunslinger has improved each week, and the offense as a whole has benefited. Carr and the Irish could be in store for another big day against an Arkansas defense that has had lapses through four games.

Notre Dame travels down south this week to take on a 2-2 Arkansas squad with hot-seat rumors surrounding the Razorbacks program following brutal, back-to-back, late-game losses on the road. The Irish defense will need to be better than they were two weeks ago against Texas A&M’s dual-threat QB Marcel Reed, as Arkansas offers a potentially larger problem with its more experienced signal-caller, Taylen Green.

Notre Dame, now 0-2 for the first time since Marcus Freeman’s inaugural season, seeks to get back on track on Saturday afternoon against a 2-1 Purdue squad that is completely different from the one that the Irish beat up on in a 66-7 route last year.

When Notre Dame announced the hiring of Chris Ash, many Irish fans were underwhelmed; however, the trust Marcus Freeman earned during last season’s CFP run was enough to overlook the move at the time.

Texas A&M’s defense has played well against inferior opponents. Meanwhile, Notre Dame struggled at Miami, most notably with a lack of a pass rush, which led to coverage getting burned all game. In the young season, missed tackles seem to be a theme for both of these top-25 squads.

The dual-threat Reed and skilled RB Le’Veon Moss can run loose behind an experienced and elite line featuring two strong tackles and one of the best guards in the nation, who are all on track to be future NFL Draft selections. Since the start of the 2024 season, Texas A&M is 7-0 when they rush for over 170 yards compared to 3-5 when they do not hit that number. Keeping the Aggies contained on the ground will be vital to any defensive success for the Irish.

While Notre Dame is currently in the midst of a bye week after their loss to Miami, here are a few players they will need to turn their attention to ahead of their matchup against Texas A&M.

Notre Dame is just one of two “power” programs to have a bye week following their first game of the year. We examine whether the early bye will have a positive or negative impact.

Last season, when Notre Dame opened their schedule with Texas A&M on the road, they benefited from having a veteran presence under center...

Last season, the Irish and Hurricanes defenses had drastically different impacts on their seasons. Notre Dame consistently called upon the defense to make big, clutch plays, which ultimately landed them in the CFP Championship. For Miami, their defense allowed 31 or more points in six games, including in the regular season finale loss at Syracuse, which cost the 'Canes a chance to compete in the CFP. We preview each team team's defense here.

As Notre Dame prepares their sequel to last season's CFP Championship run, they open this season with a ranked primetime road matchup against Miami. How will the Irish handle the Hurricanes' pass-heavy attack that led the country in yards and scoring a year ago? We preview each team's offensive pieces for Sunday's thriller here.

With a week to go until Notre Dame takes the field at Hard Rock Stadium against the Miami Hurricanes, we're gearing up for game week by...