Blue & Gold Illustrated: Notre Dame Football And Recruiting

The BGI recruiting staff discusses the latest news in Notre Dame recruiting 

Notre Dame's 12-0 record has been a huge boost for the program in many ways. Its recent success of 10 wins in three of the last four seasons has raised the program's profile. But the Irish are still not among the elite programs. The questions are how far has Notre Dame come and how far do they have to go? Blue & Gold Illustrated senior editor Lou Somogyi and football analyst Bryan Driskell debate that topic. The BGI staff takes a look at what programs from the five power conferences rank as tier one, tier two and tier three programs. Then the staff discusses why Notre Dame was a tier three team prior to the season before finishing up with where Notre Dame currently ranks.

Notre Dame remained No. 3 in the latest edition of the College Football Playoff rankings. With the Irish finishing the regular season 12-0 and still ranked No. 3, Brian Kelly's squad has all but assured itself of a spot in the College Football Playoffs. Blue & Gold Illustrated football analyst Bryan Driskell and recruiting reporter David McKinney discuss the latest with the rankings. The duo discusses who might earn the fourth spot after this weekend's conference championship games and whether or not the Irish could still drop a spot based on what happens Saturday.

It wasn't pretty, but Notre Dame got the job done, beating USC In the Coliseum for the first time since 2012 to finish the 2018 season with an undefeated 12-0 record. Blue & Gold Illustrated senior editor Lou Somogyi and football analyst Bryan Driskell break down the game, covering all three phases. They discuss what allowed the Irish to win but also talk about what led to the game being closer than it should have been.

The BGI recruiting staff discusses all the latest news in the world of Notre Dame recruiting 

Notre Dame travels to Los Angeles this weekend for its annual rivalry matchup against USC. This time, however, the Irish have a playoff berth on the line. The 11-0 Notre Dame squad can all but wrap up a playoff spot if it can beat the 5-6 Trojans. Blue & Gold Illustrated senior editor Lou Somogyi and football analyst Bryan Driskell preview the matchup. The staff talks about what's on the line in this game and then discuss the matchups that are most important for Notre Dame to have success.

Ryan Young, publisher of TrojanSports.com, joins BGI recruiting reporter Corey Bodden on the show to discuss USC and the upcoming matchup between the Irish and Trojans.

Notre Dame remained in the No. 4 spot of the latest College Football Playoff rankings, but there was some shakeup that could impact Notre Dame. Blue & Gold Illustrated football analyst Bryan Driskell breaks down Notre Dame's resume, whether the Irish should be in the conversation to jump Clemson, why it still blows away Michigan's resume and whether or not the Irish can still make the playoffs should it somehow drop this weekend's game.

Notre Dame made a strong statement on Saturday, blasting the #12 Syracuse Orange by a score of 36-3. Playing in pinstripes at Yankee Stadium, the Irish looked like a championship football team.  Blue & Gold Illustrated senior editor Lou Somogyi and football analyst Bryan Driskell break down the win from a big picture standpoint before diving into a breakdown of the offense, defense and special teams.

The BGI recruiting staff discusses all the latest news in the world of Notre Dame recruiting 

Notre Dame heads to the Bronx this weekend to take on the 12th-ranked Syracuse Orange. Blue & Gold Illustrated senior editor Lou Somogyi and football analyst Bryan Driskell break down the matchup and make their predictions for the game.

Ryan Murray, publisher of CuseConfidential.com, joins BGI recruiting reporter Corey Bodden to discuss Syracuse and the upcoming matchup between the Orange and Irish.  

Not much changed in the Top 10 of the College Football Playoff Rankings. Notre Dame stayed at No. 3 after beating Florida State on Senior Day by a 42-13 score. The Top 10 remained completely intact, but the Irish do square off against No. 12 Syracuse this weekend. Notre Dame opponent Northwestern also jumped into the rankings. Blue & Gold Illustrated football analyst Bryan Driskell is joined by recruiting reporters Corey Bodden and David McKinney to talk about where things stand with the Irish. The staff then jumps into a discussion of the entire rankings, predict who they think will make the final playoffs and discuss the potential chaos that could be in store for the Big 12 and the Big Ten. The staff finishes with a discussion of what would need to happen for a one-loss Notre Dame team to make the playoffs.

Notre Dame ended a run of rough Senior Day performances, blowing out the Florida State Seminoles 42-13. It was a game the Irish led 32-6 at halftime and the Seminoles never threatened. Blue & Gold Illustrated senior editor Lou Somogyi and football analyst Bryan Driskell break down the game, beginning with a discussion of what this game meant for Notre Dame big picture. They follow that up by discussing the performance of the offense, defense and special teams in the victory.

The BGI staff previews a huge weekend of visitors coming to South Bend this weekend