IB Nation Sports Talk: Notre Dame Football We In Or We Out

IB Nation Sports Talk: Notre Dame Football We In Or We Out originally appeared on Athlon Sports.

Irish Breakdown answers subscriber-submitted questions about Notre Dame football and more on today’s show. Some of today’s topics include:

* We In / We Out: Notre Dame’s independent status gives it unmatched scheduling flexibility and national relevance — ditching it would dilute the program’s identity.

* We In / We Out: The best part of college football remains its regional rivalries and traditions, which shouldn’t be sacrificed for national playoff dreams.

* We In / We Out: College football’s playoff expansion should include automatic bids for conference champions only, no at-large wildcards — less politics, more meritocracy.

* We in/we out: Notre Dame’s “B+” game is sufficient enough to beat both Miami and Texas A&M. But an “A/A-“ game will be required to win a game late in the season, probably at Pitt or at BC.

* WI/WO – this is the most important year for ND quarterback development, because if they can show that the passing game has evolved? This will do two things: one. It’ll help recruit wide receivers who are on the fence with ND. And two, it’ll show those next level quarterbacks, who might be interested in Notre Dame to take double take on their recruitment.

* WI/WO – ND will surprise Miami and Texas A&M with their passing game because those defenses will focus on stopping the run.

* WI/WO – A strong passing game to compliment the run game will make it difficult for coaches to make half time adjustments.

* The 2025 starting quarterback will have a yards per attempt statistic of 8.5 or higher this season. Are we in or are we out?

* If the Notre Dame/USC rivalry ends, Notre Dame will be without an active, true rivalry. Are we in or are we out?

* Based on the makeup of this year’s roster, the schedule, the coaching staff and the overall landscape of college football, you will be surprised (not necessarily disappointed) if ND doesn’t make it back to the CFP Semifinals this season. Are we in or are we out?

* We In / We Out: Indy vs OKC being the least interesting and worst covered NBA finals in the last 10 years.

* There’s more risk that CJ Carr will struggle in his first start (on the road no less) compared to the defense struggling to adapt in their first game under Chris Ash (as he also adjusts back to calling plays for the first time in years). We In or We Out?

* Miami’s team is built in such a way as to take advantage of whichever your answer was to #1 above. We in or we out?

* More!

There’s even more to discuss and debate in Rapid Fire as well. See the list of topics below!

Today’s Rapid Fire topics include:

* Both USC and Penn State fans are making a sport out of knocking Notre Dame’s 2025 schedule. Most Notre Dame fans disagree with the take that the Irish schedule is soft, but we’ve had a few on our premium Champion’s Lounge who agree that Notre Dame’s schedules in recent years aren’t that great. Where do you stand on this?

* Fill-in the blank: ESPN released it’s ACC predicted order of finish for the upcoming season and it’s BLANK that they have Notre Dame’s season-opening opponent…Miami…picked No. 1 with Clemson No. 2.

* ESPN also did a top 25 college football ranking based on the trajectory of each program over the course of the next two years. The key factors were quarterback continuity, coaching staff and the trenches being intact. Here’s how they rank it: No. 1 Texas No.2 Ohio State No. 3 Georgia No. 4 Oregon No. 5 Notre Dame No. 6 Penn State No. 7 Clemson No. 8 LSU No. 9 Tennessee No. 10 Alabama. Are you good with where Notre Dame slots at No. 5?

* Anything else catch your eye?

* New Indianapolis Colts owner Carlie Irsay-Gordon likes to be on the sideline wearing a headset with a coaches call sheet. Here’s her rationale “I need to be able to say Is this person full of BS. Do they even know what they’re talking about. I would suggest it for anyone else who has to pay head coaches and GMs millions and millions of dollars. It helps you make a less expensive mistake.” Some are calling this heavy micromanaging by the new Colts owner. What do you think of it?

* Indiana Pacers radio play-by-play announcer Mark Boyle allowed Pacers TV announcer Chris Denari to call the second quarter of last night’s game. Rate the move on a scale of 1 to 10.

* Fill-in the blank: The postseason Pacers guard Tyrese Haliburton has had is BLANK.

* Netflix has announced the premiere date for its upcoming Jerry Jones docuseries ‘America’s Team: The Gambler and His Cowboys” for August 19th. On a scale of 1 to 10: How much are you looking forward to it?

Be sure to check out the Irish Breakdown message board, the Champions Lounge

Irish Breakdown Content

2025 Scholarship Chart
2025 Football Schedule

Notre Dame 2026 Scholarship Offers

2025 Commit Rankings – Offense
2025 Commit Rankings – Defense

2024 Recruiting Class
2023 Recruiting Class
2022 Recruiting Class

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This story was originally reported by Athlon Sports on Jun 13, 2025, where it first appeared.

IB Nation Sports Talk: Notre Dame Football We In Or We Out

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