Tim Prister

Micah Shrewsberry believes the strength of his fourth team at Notre Dame will be on the offensive end of the court, despite the lost scoring prowess to the transfer portal. Any steps in a positive direction will be welcomed in a season that looks more like a transition in Year One as opposed to Year Four.

Of BYU's seven College Football Hall-of-Famers, one was a coach, one was a TE and five were QBs. Notre Dame has the most College Football Hall-of-Famers (53) – six coaches and 47 players. Marcus Freeman is 5-3 (.625) in ESPN Game Day games. That's the highest percentage among the six who participated.

There will be much to analyze – and criticize – as it relates to Notre Dame's approach and success/failure ratio at some of the most crucial times in the game. BYU HC-Kalani Sitake would have been the one to take most of the heat, however, if the Irish had been able to make one more offensive play.

To compete for/win a national title, it takes great players and a locked in football team to complete the journey. Notre Dame's 2026 squad took a step backward as BYU made the winning plays that the Irish could not in their 28-24 loss to the Cougars.

The defense's second-half rally after a tumultuous first half falls short. Red-zone issues on both sides of the football. Jaden Greathouse steps up against Cougars. Nolan James Jr. puts his “balance and elusiveness!” on display. Pass rush without Boubacar Traore is virtually no pass rush at all.

Jordan Faison is one of the college game’s top receivers in percentage of catches per target. Micah Gilbert and Jaden Greathouse have emerged in recent weeks, although Faison’s yards after the catch are vastly superior. Nolan James Jr. and Aneyas Williams present interesting opportunities in the passing game.

As the more difficult portion of Notre Dame's schedule has arrived, Irish Illustrated assesses where the Irish are following the loss to BYU. The setback to the Cougars slants things in a negative direction. But Notre Dame's ultimate pre-season goal remains intact if they can build upon the many positives.

Trying to make sense of Notre Dame's defensive approach vs. BYU QB-Bear Bachmeier. Notre Dame's tight end dilemma on defense could continue with a few upcoming opponents. Stock Up/Stock Down through Game 7. The Leave No Doubt fallout. 24-team playoff thoughts. Class of 2027 stat roundup.

In a 24-team playoff format, the conference championship games go away. Rivalries will be impacted by lessening the impact of victory. The entirety of the bowl system could be in jeopardy. We have a plethora of issues to complain about today. The college football playoff format really isn't one of them.

Navy's passing game has taken a step back. So has its defense. Miami may not have the pass rushers of a year ago, but they've got a quality run defense, a completion machine at QB, a new running back duo and a pass-catching machine every bit as dangerous as Ohio State's Jeremiah Smith.