Rakes Report: A Notre Dame podcast

Christmas Giving season! With the help of an all-star lineup of our past guests, we take a walk through our favorite things from the 12-0 season along with some thoughts on the playoff selection and those dastardly Clemson Tigers. If you enjoyed this episode or any previous episodes of the podcast, please consider donating to our drive to raise money for the Center for the Homeless in South Bend,...

A discussion of the Syracuse victory, the Shamrock Series and chicken tenders transitions (at the 16:00 mark) to a preview of the USC game with our Trojan insider Nick Tresnowski. Can USC pull off the upset? And if they don't, who will be the next Trojan head coach?

John Cassillo ( @ JohnCassillo ) , managing editor for SBNation's Syracuse site Troy Nunes Is An Absolute Magician , stops by to look at Saturday's match up in Yankee Stadium. How are the Orange going to attack the Irish defense? How can the Irish return the favor against the Cuse D? How do you become number one in special teams S&P+? All that and more.

Looking back at Navy and forward to Northwestern. Matt reflects on his visit to San Diego and then we take a look at the Wildcats' very weird season and the chances it will include "Upsetting Notre Dame" after Saturday. 

Jessica Smetana (@ jessica_smetana ) of Sports Illustrated and "Most Valuable Podcast" stops by to discuss playing Navy, the Shamrock Series uniforms, how Crossroads turned out, MVPs of the season so far and then also Jess jinxes the Navy game pretty epically so apologies in advance for that.  

We're considering this a spiritual extension of the bye week so it's time to talk concerns and hopes for the next five games with Jamie Uyeyama of Irish Sports Daily. Will the offensive line, third down defense or the pressures of winning down the Irish? Or will they be carried by the excellence of Ian Book, Jerry Tillery, Julian Love and friends? We'll find out!

Andrew and Alex from Notre Dame, Our Blogger stop by to look back at the season so far and the challenges ahead. Can Ian Book keep doing this? What remaining loss would be worse? What's been the best play of the season so far? All that, and much more. Read Notre Dame, Our Blogger:  https://notredameourblogger.com/ Follow them on Twitter:  https://twitter.com/NDourBlogger

Michael Bryan of 18 Stripes swings by to discuss the impressive win over Stanford, the offense with Ian Book, the incredible defense, the upcoming trip to Blacksburg and much more.

Assessing each position group through the first three games of the season, with high marks for the defense and, well, some discussions of the offense.   Here is the merch link mentioned at the end: https://www.teepublic.com/user/rakesreport

Pete Sampson of The Athletic and the Irish illustrated podcast stops by for his final thoughts on camp, predictions for the season to come and oh yeah I guess the Michigan game, too. Sign up for the Rakes Report newsletter at www.tinyletter.com/rakesreport . 

Jamie Uyeyama of Irish Sports Daily walks us through every freshman in Notre Dame's 2018 defensive class. Is Houston Griffith going to start at safety? Where might Shayne Simon and Derrik Allen fit in this year and going forward? This is Part 1 of 2 of our Frosh O series and you should also be seeing Part 2 (with the offense) in your podcast feed as well.

Jamie Uyeyama of Irish Sports Daily walks us through every freshman in the Notre Dame offensive class, from Kevin Austin to Phil Jurkovec and everyone in between. This is Part 2 of 2 of our Frosh O series and you should also be seeing Part 1 (with the defense) in your podcast feed as well.

The Indianapolis Star's Laken Litman joins for a discussion on what she's seen and heard at Notre Dame camp so far, from the obligatory discussion of the QB race and running back questions to the depth on the defensive line and freshmen that might contribute from week one. Then because it's still technically the offseason we indulge in a discussion of the MISSION: IMPOSSIBLE film franchise. (Once...

Tyler James (@ TJamesNDI ) of the South Bend Tribune and ND Insider stops by to talk about ND Insider 2018 Season Preview. How good will the defense be? How concerned should we be about the offense? How much weight should we put on the Michigan game? All that and more. Buy the magazine!  https://www.ndinsider.com/buythemag/  

Michael Bryan of 18 Stripes stops by to discuss the biggest What Ifs of Brian Kelly's time in South Bend, from quarterback churn and defensive coordinator hires to Baylor vs. Kansas State.  Read Michael's rankings here: https://www.18stripes.com/top-10-what-ifs-of-the-kelly-era/

SBNation's Bill Connelly drops by to talk about his 2018 Notre Dame preview. Topics include expectations for Brandon Wimbush and the offensive line, whether or not it's good to have running backs, how the defense can become elite and the Rorschach test of a schedule. Read Bill's preview here: https://www.sbnation.com/college-football/2018/5/8/17316948/notre-dame-football-2018-preview-schedule-rost...

The Indianapolis Star's Laken Litman stops by to talk about the QB derby at spring practice, which position groups look the deepest, what to look for in the Blue-Gold Game, being in the house for Notre Dame's miracle Final Four run and hey you know also some "Dancing with the Stars."

Ringer staff writer and best-selling author Shea Serrano joins to discuss Notre Dame basketball's victory in the women's Final Four. Topics include the Irish's incredible run, the ice cold veins of Arike Ogunbowale and Marina Mabrey's next-level shit-talking. Read Shea's pieces here:  https://www.theringer.com/college-basketball/2018/3/30/17178558/notre-dame-uconn-ncaa-womens-basketball-final-four...

Jamie Uyeyama from Irish Sports Daily stops by to talk about the 2018 Notre Dame recruiting class. How does he rate the class? How'd the new assistants close? Why are people being so annoying about Jeff Quinn? Does it really matter which linebacker spot Drue Tranquill is at? All of this, and more. Sign up for the Rakes Report newsletter at www.tinyletter.com/rakesreport . 

Joe Schueller of 18 Stripes swings by to discuss the Irish's surprising 3-0 start in the ACC, if there's any chance for them to sustain it, Mike Brey's career at Notre Dame and the greatness of Bonzie Colson.

Michael Bryan of 18 Stripes swings by to talk about Mike Elko leaving, potential defensive coordinator candidates, the Citrus Bowl and an early look at next year's roster. Note: As we finished recording this, the South Bend Tribune reported that Notre Dame had agreed to a $1.5 million deal to stay with Notre Dame and then A&M upped the offer again. They also reported that there was no personality...

A look back at the recent past, present and future of ND football, including overall thoughts on the 2017 season, updating the All-BK-at-ND team, roster futurism and upcoming schedules. Donate to the Center for the Homeless at: www.gofundme.com/rakes-report-christmas-giving-2017

Football Outsiders stats guru Brian Fremeau (@bcfremeau) swings by to talk about the FEI, this weird college football season, how this year's Notre Dame team compares to past editions, coming through in the clutch, and how the Irish stack up against the Hurricanes. Find Brian's work at www.bcftoys.com  

The South Bend Tribune's Mike Vorel (@mikevorel) stops by to talk about what's driving Notre Dame's six-game win streak, the importance of newspaper ads in being good at college football and other observations from campus. Read Mike's work at www.ndinsider.com .

Chris and Matt recount basically all of Notre Dame's 49-14 victory over Southern Cal. They also discuss NC State, and how not being that scared about Saturday is the scariest thing of all.