Not even the most pessimistic fan had this week 2 matchup against Northern Illinois as the game to blow up Notre Dame's season. An obvious let down game and sleepy home opener after the hyped matchup at Texas A&M? That made all the sense in the world. But to lose a game like this in [...]
"You know this Notre Dame team? The team that won last week against Texas A&M? Turns out they have a history of not playing up to that standard in the following week. That's why the AD set up this game for them. This whole game is a trap." Northern Illinois at Notre Dame (-28) Notre [...]
Welcome back to the second week of the Quad Box. The Quad Box that was actually put in for the noon slate was possible, which was a fun surprise for those who followed the recommendations here. Before we dive into the rest of the weekend's picks, I will acknowledge that there is one of these [...]
Notre Dame aced the projected toughest test of 2024 in College Station, shutting down the Aggies offense and creating the explosive plays to decide a defensive battle. Al Golden's defense put on a masterclass, shutting down explosive plays and forcing Conner Weigman and the unproven A&M skill talent to sustain long drives to score. Riley [...]
One (full) week down on the season. The biggest upset so far came back in Week 0 in Ireland (although that's since been a little watered down LOL FSU) while Week 1 was a pretty quiet affair across the nation. Technically, the Fighting Irish sprung an upset but that wasn't very shocking to many folks. [...]
For most of the country it was a quiet beginning to the 2024 college football season. Folks in Gainesville, College Station, Clemson, Tallahassee, and Baton Rouge are the exception. For the bulk of the teams in the rankings there wasn't a whole lot going on as they opened their accounts for another year. So, this [...]
Notre Dame traveled to SEC-land in College Station to open up the 2024 season as 3-point underdogs and came away with what has continually been described nationally as a 'rugged' victory over Texas A&M. As predicted, it was a low-scoring affair that was being dragged out through the first 3 quarters until Notre Dame made [...]
As we pass the hours and minutes until the 2024 season kicks off, it’s time for a spin through the Notre Dame schedule of opponents for the upcoming year. Which opponents inspire the most fear for a loss this fall, what are the biggest question marks or swing factors, and what rationale has a chance [...]
After the dark unknown of the offseason (and to a different extent the previous postseason), we have finally arrived at a full slate of football this Saturday. With so many games going on in a given week, there are only so many games you can pay attention to right? Wrong! (Well also technically true but [...]
Well, howdy there folks! Welcome back to another season of college football and the first 18 Stripes game preview of 2024. This is my 17th season covering the Fighting Irish and for the first time in a while, I'm ready to change things up. Today, I'll start a different layout for the game preview articles [...]
The Irish offense finished 2023 ranked 14th in Offensive F+, which feels like a "meets expectations" grade from where things stood in the preseason. Still, the game-by-game output that placed Notre Dame there feels underwhelming - Sam Hartman and company throttled some inferior opponents but struggled to put points on the board in most of [...]
This season I'll be separating the weekly games to watch and winner picks from the 18 Stripes Top 20 Poll. Just like old times. Taking stock of the opening week(s) of college football we have a solid lineup but not a very deep one. As the mega conference continue to get larger I'm not sure [...]
By the time Notre Dame kicks off their season in College Station later this month it'll be 154 years and nearly 10 months since the first college football game was played in the United States. Some might argue otherwise, but college football is still alive and thriving heading into 2024. This season comes with plenty [...]
The official University of Notre Dame football depth chart for the 2024 season is soon to be released into the wild as the program travels down to College Station to open another year of fun. This is fun, right? In advance, 18 Stripes will give one more thorough look through the Irish roster and present [...]
Welcome back to the first Five Wide Fullbacks of the hot summer time. In today's edition we are talking about the injury to Gabriel Rubio, the development of Notre Dame's offensive line, a tricky 2024 opponent to watch, the brewing saga of 2025 quarterback recruit Deuce Knight, and insights from the recent Olympics version of [...]
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