Notre Dame football is back, and so is the Pod of Gold to discuss everything Notre Dame football every Wednesday during what might be a very loooooooong college football season.

Tribune writers Mike Berardino, Tom Noie and Austin Hough discuss what we learned (if anything) from our fall camp viewing windows. Who stood out? Who didn't? What are the position battles to keep an eye on as the opener against Wisconsin nears?

We'll share some bold predictions for the 2026 season, answer reader questions and close with a quirky top five. Give it a listen.

Week One of college football is here. It's time for Notre Dame football to (finally) play an actual game. Against Wisconsin. In Green Bay. At Lambeau Field. The Tribune's Mike Berardino, Tom Noie and Austin Hough discuss the Notre Dame news of the week (captains named, depth chart released), before a few minutes with Wisconsin beat writer John Steppe of the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel. We answer reader questions and offer a hot take or two before closing with predictions. Will Notre Dame roll? Will it be close? Tune in and find out.

Hello, old friend. It's been a minute since Notre Dame and Michigan State last met on a football field, soemthing that will change Saturday, September 19 in what might be rainy Notre Dame Stadium when an old rival returns to the Irish schedule.

Before a deep dive into Michigan State with Chris Solari of the Detroit (Mich.) Free Press, the NDI trio of Mike Berardino, Tom Noie and Austin Hough recap Notre Dame's 52-0 victory over Rice and some of the concerns that came out of that Week Two win. Specifically, what's up with the Notre Dame run game. Can it get better? Will it get better? Then it's on to Michigan State and all things Spartans before we touch on some breaking scheduling news - Nebraska in 2032! - and end our Pod with predictions and hot takes.

Here's one - bring rain gear. Hopefully the wet stuff, and the thunder and lightning stuff, hold off.

The trip to Green Bay and game against Wisconsin is in the rearview. Time for No. 4 Notre Dame to turn the page (quickly) and focus on Rice. After no football for the better part of nine months, it's two games in seven days for the Irish.

Our Pod staff of Mike Berardino, Tom Noie and Austin Hough discuss what happened at Lambeau Field - what we liked, what we didn't like and what may be cause of concern moving forward. We bring in our special guest, former Irish linebacker Mike Kovaleski for a discussion on a wide range of topics, including his time as a high school basketball player sharing the same floor as Indiana hoops legend Steve Alford.

Want some hot takes and score predictions to close the score? We've got that as well.

And like that, Notre Dame football has hit the quarter ole of the 2026 regular season coming clear of the 27-10 victory over Michigan State. It was a weird night for myriad reasons at Notre Dame Stadium, but the Irish moved to 3-0 with a (relatively) easy night's work.

We discuss the run game. We discuss the pass game. We discuss the offensive line and for good measure, we discuss CJ Carr and what more he could (should) do with this offense. There's way less concern on the other side of the football with one of the game's elite outfits.

Our reader question this week centers on all the hubbub around the failed fake punt for Notre Dame. Was it good? Bad? Indifferent?

We also talk with Lafayette Journal and Courier writer Sam King and the chance Purdue has to make this a competitive contest at Ross-Ade Stadium. Our Pod closes with plenty of hot takes and predictions.

He has spoken.

It's been more than a minute since we last heard from Notre Dame football coach Marcus Freeman, so there was no shortage of topics to talk on when he stepped to the front of the Notre Dame Stadium interview room on Wednesday, January 15.

Freeman talked of the end (for now) of the USC series. He talked of the NFL and his interest in maybe one day coaching at the game's highest level. He talked of the transfer portal. He talked of injuries. He talked of how the end of the 2025 season can fuel a deep run in 2026. We discuss all of it, and then end the Pod with a prediction for Monday's College Football Playoff championship game.

Hint: It won't be close.

We'll try, but we may mirror the College Football Playoff selection committee and fail miserably.

In our latest Pod of Gold, we attempt to make sense that like that, the Notre Dame football season for 2025 is officially over. No College Football Playoff run to a possible national championship. No bowl game. No nothing. All of it, over.

Who's at fault? Should fingers be pointed? Our crew of South Bend Tribune columnist Tom Noie and beat writer Mike Berardino and WNDU sports coordinator Jackson Neill try their best to figure out how what happened could happen and what it all means moving forward.

Short answer - watch out college football in 2026, Notre Dame is coming.

We're done.

With the regular season. With the College Football Playoff rankings shows over those four Tuesday nights in November and December. All that's left is Championship Saturday and Selection Sunday.

What does that mean for projected No. 10 seed Notre Dame? Are the Irish comfortably in the field of 12? Do they need to sweat Sunday? Do they need help from a team here or a team there? We discuss what Selection Sunday might have in store for Notre Dame, which closed the regular season with 10-straight wins each by at least 10 points. We discuss (sigh) the case for Miami (Fla.) which handed Notre Dame one of its two losses.

We'll also (briefly) review the Stanford game, touch on Notre Dame football's recruiting class on signing day and offer a Pod of Bold statement on whether Notre Dame will be in the 12-team playoff field, and what seed to expect.

At that point, the Pod of Gold will be done. Except for the wondering. Have the Irish done enough?