Notre Dame Alums Mike Golic Jr & Sr Break Down Fighting Irish’s CFP Title Chances

Put two Notre Dame alums across the table from a Michigan man and ask about the Fighting Irish, and you are going to get a little football and a lot of rivalry. That is exactly what happened when Mike Golic Sr. and Mike Golic Jr. joined Rich.

Rich opened by pointing out that the show had recently had CJ Carr on, "because, you know, he's the grandson of one of the best Michigan coaches." After a beat, Rich noted that Carr is also a Heisman favorite.

Rich had asked Carr about how everything went down last season, with Notre Dame not being invited to the tournament, and whether the coach would use that as motivation. Carr told him, "We're not talking about it that much." Then Carr mentioned the coach's phrase for the year: leave no doubt. Rich's verdict on that, given what Carr had just said: "absolutely ridiculous."

The Golics weren't buying the idea that last year could be ignored. "You can't not bring up last year," one of them said. "It has to be part of the mentality going forward." The plan, as they put it, is simple: "Just beat the crap out of everybody and they're going to obviously have to let you in the tournament."

The margin for error came up next. As an independent, the thinking went, Notre Dame can afford one loss. Two, as last year showed, would probably keep them out. That kicked off a debate over whether the Irish are really independent at all. One Golic argued they play half a Big Ten and half an ACC schedule, so they already have a foot in both. The other side of the room pushed back that the public sees them as independent and thinks they should join a conference. "Ask the ACC if it feels like they have them as a full member," was the retort, along with a reminder that the Irish don't have to split the money with anybody.

Then the conversation turned to Marcus Freeman, and even Rich couldn't find a way to hate. "I wake up trying to hate on Notre Dame in any way, shape or form," he said. "I love this guy." He said he told Freeman directly that he makes it tough to hate him.

Rich admitted he was "deeply uncomfortable" during Notre Dame's 2024 run to the championship game against Ohio State, because the Irish had become so widely liked, in no small part because of Freeman's charisma and the team's story. When things came crashing down last year, it almost felt like home to him. "This feels like where we're supposed to be."

Naturally, "the Ohio State" came up, with a reminder to be respectful and not forget the article. Only a month or so before that title game, it was pointed out, Michigan had beaten Ohio State for a fourth consecutive time and everyone wanted Ryan Day out. Then, suddenly, Day was perfectly fine. "I love the Ohio State fans. They're just all over the map."

Rich got asked about the fans on both sides who say they would rather win the Ohio State-Michigan matchup than win a national title. "Those are all Ohio State fans, not me," he said. His explanation: Ohio State fans think about Michigan all the time, while Michigan also has an in-state rival. One of the Golics compared that to Jon Hamm in the elevator scene, and Rich confirmed it. "That's exactly the scene."

Rich also brought up Ryan Day reportedly making sure the new Chase logo on Ohio State's chest didn't include blue. On the other side, Michigan's new head coach, Kyle Whittingham, has said he doesn't get the hatred in the rivalry. That drew instant affection around the table. "Love him." "I love him too." But Rich has one condition. "I told him he's got to wean himself off his Urban Meyer relationship."

Cordial is fine, Rich allowed. Back slapping is not. "I'll give him a cordial plus," he said, since Whittingham has been friends with Meyer for a while and the two go back to the Utah staff together. The nightmare scenario floated in the room: Urban coming to speak to the team before a game this fall. "He'll be like the Manchurian Candidate," which prompted the fair question of how many people have actually seen that movie.