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Final show from me, before this weekend's game, between Notre Dame and Texas A&M, tomorrow nights, Saturday, 7.30 pm Eastern on ABC, Notre Dame #7 against Texas A&M #20. Today's show is going to be sort of a different type of show, obviously it's not going to be a very long show. I'm going to cover a couple different things that I really wanted to kind of discuss with you all before the game starts. And just really do sort of a put a final bow on just what surrounds this game, what this game means, what people think it means, what it actually means. And then also I'm going to do something where I'm going to discuss what I, because we don't know a lot about this team yet. And we've seen clips and we know what we think based on talent in last year. But we didn't see a lot of this football team in fall camp. And so I'm going to discuss four things on each side of the ball, offensively and defensively, that I will be looking for to tell me, okay, Notre Dame came to play today. Because ultimately that's what we need to find out, right? And all the things that we discuss going into that is going to set the stage for what I mean by that as far as if they're ready to play. Because there's a perception about this game that I find very fascinating. But it's also a perception that is somewhat, somewhat deserved. But I've got, I just have some issues with the way that it's being perceived and what kind of dive into, you know, what, what some of those issues are and, and how I see this game along all that. So we're going to do that. And then of course, tonight we are going to post the, we're going to post our countdown to kickoff show tonight, Sean and Vince and Jesse will have that so we'll publish that tonight. And then tomorrow night after the game, we'll have a post game show with, with Vince and Ryan and Trevor and Sean Davis. So that's going to be fun. And then of course I'll be traveling on Sunday. So I'll have a post game show or a no upon further review on Sunday night. And there's a chance that when I get home, depending on how the film breakdown goes, I may have something that I put up either Sunday night or Monday. We'll kind of see how that goes. But that's why you need to make sure that you've hit that subscribe button. You got those notifications turned on. So then make sure that when we do go live or I do publish a video that you'll be able to see it. And without further ado, let's dive in today's topic. Prize picks is America's number one daily fantasy sports app with over 5 million active members. Prize picks is the easiest and most exciting way to play daily fantasy sports. Unlike other apps on prize picks, it's just you against the numbers. All you do is pick more or less on two to six player stat projections and watch the winnings roll in. Get in on the daily action with your friends and become part of the prize picks community today. 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And it's been really interesting to read it to the point to where I have somebody today calling me a homer because we picked Notre Dame to beat a team that's gone 12 and 13 the last two years. It really is fascinating because there's this perception about Notre Dame that is understandable to a degree, but it takes into no context who they're playing. And that's really been the fascinating aspect about this. But it's not just Notre Dame fans. Clearly Notre Dame is what I think last I saw a three point underdog to Texas A&M. A team coming off of a seven and eight and five season, or what was A&M last year, seven and six, right? Because they lost their bowl game, although I, you know, bowl games don't mean a whole lot nowadays. But I believe Texas A&M last year went seven and six correct. Yes, seven and six last year, they went five and seven the year before that. They went eight and four the year before that. And people are acting as if Notre Dame is getting ready to play Clemson or Ohio State or Georgia or Alabama. And I don't really understand that. And so we can have a conversation on one side about Notre Dame and what they need to prove and all this type of stuff. But then my question is, but does this game actually do that? And so when I get into this game, it's really fascinating to think about and to talk about in the preview. And the other part is there is just so much that we don't know. And especially for Texas A&M, because it is a first year with a new staff, first game with a new staff, tons of transfers that have come in there. How quickly do they get rolling? Are they going to have issues like USC had last year, like Florida State had in the opener? Will they look more like 2022 USC or 2023 Florida State with all their transfers? We don't know the answer to that question. And we'll start to find that out this weekend. But the way that the way that people kind of dive into this this matchup is is is if Notre Dame is going to play Georgia. And then they act as if like when Notre Dame did play Georgia, that they just got their butts kicked or when they did play Ohio State, they got their butts kicked. So a team that barely loses to teams that are actually really good. It goes out as expected to get beat by a team that's gone 12 and 13 the last two years. But that's sort of where Notre Dame has put themselves in, right? And that's kind of where we're at because I keep hearing this Notre Dame has to prove they can win games like this, right? That's why they're an underdog against Texas A&M because Vegas doesn't believe in Notre Dame because Notre Dame doesn't win games like this. That's what I hear. And to a degree, there's some merit to that, but to a degree, there's also a lot of what type of game is this and that's where I think a lot of the the disagreement comes is not so much whether or not Notre Dame quote unquote wins games like this. It's what kind of game do you actually view this to be? And what's going to be interesting is to see the response from the people that view this game as this huge big picture Notre Dame doesn't win games like this kind of mantra. It's their response going to be if Notre Dame wins. So if you're someone who says Notre Dame doesn't win games like this, if Notre Dame wins, are you then going to come here and say, you know what, I was wrong, they're really good and they've turned a corner or are you going to say, well, A&M's not Georgia. They're not Ohio State. That's what's going to really drive me nuts is if all the people that are saying, you know, A&M's going to win or A&M's going to give them a tough game and Notre Dame doesn't win games like this, if Notre Dame wins, especially if they win somewhat convincingly, are all of you that are saying that now going to change your tune on Texas A&M or are you going to admit that Notre Dame starts to win games like this? And that's what's going to be to really what's be at stake and in some people's minds when you look at this matchup and you say Notre Dame doesn't win games like this, I could give you lots of evidence that that's just not true that Notre Dame does win games like this. Those lower top 25 caliber teams, I pointed out the other day on my show, like they beat NC State last year who won nine games. They beat Duke last year who was ranked in the top 25 when they played. They beat Syracuse two years ago when they were ranked in the top 25 and the answer was, are you really comparing Duke and Syracuse to Texas A&M and my answer is why not other than the SEC patch and A&M on the set helmets, what makes me think they shouldn't? Because here's what I know and they'll say the same thing about North Carolina, but here's what I know about the three teams that I just mentioned, okay? Here's one thing I know, they're in the ACC. So there's going to be a level of disrespect and I had somebody say, well, don't you think if Texas A&M was in the ACC, they'd have a better record? And I said, okay, well, let's look at the data. In the last 10 years, do you guys know what Texas A&M's record is against the ACC? You know what it is? The last 10 years? Three and five. If you take out the two losses to Clemson, it's three and three. They're not, they didn't play Florida State, right? And so no, there's no evidence that if Texas A&M was in the ACC, they dominate the ACC. Like you have to actually have data to support this. If you're going to otherwise you're just making an emotional argument based on the emblem on the jersey and the logo on the helmet. And they say, well, how can you compare Syracuse and Duke and North Carolina to Texas A&M? My answer is very simple. Well, the last two years, Texas A&M has gone 12 and 13. The last two years, Syracuse has gone 13 and 12. Actually, it would be 13 and 13. The last two years, it's a better record. The last two years, Duke has gone 17 and nine. North Carolina, the last two years, where Notre Dame beat them, has gone 17 and 10. So again, what type of game is this? NC State, the last two years has been and what? I think they won eight, nine games each of the last two years, right? I believe NC State, 17 and 10, I believe the last two years. They went nine and four last year and then eight, five, the year before, so 17 and nine. So my question is, okay, why is it that game? But then here's the counter argument that gives that argument validity. It's recency bias and there's an understandable recency bias because the last two games that Notre Dame played on the road against decent teams, they lost. They lost to a four lost Clemson team last year that was missing eight starters. They lost to a Louisville team that won 10 games but still lost four last season. And although that those two teams have certainly been better than Texas A&M the last two years, the talent level between Texas A&M and those two teams is not that different and you could argue in some instances, Texas A&M is better. So that's where the frustration comes in on the Notre Dame side is you keep putting yourself in these situations where you're on the verge of silencing people. I mean, that was the mantra going into the discussion going into the Clemson game last year, right? Is yeah, this is a beat up Clemson team, but it's still Clemson and you have one, you know, the last matchup convincingly, you had one, two of the last three games against Clemson, but you haven't beat them away from home. And this is a wounded Clemson team that had lost a couple of games coming into that matchup. And then you go on the road and you just lay an egg and get beat, chance after chance after chance to win that game and you get beat. You don't get it done. You have a chance going into Louisville. You just rebounded from her house state loss with a win over Duke. The college football playoff is absolutely still in your grasp for Notre Dame to go out there and be able to win that football game. And if Notre Dame beats Louisville in that game and Louisville at the time was a top 25 football team, they were, I think going into that game ranked 25th, they were undefeated. They ended up winning 10 games that year, played in the ACC title. You win that game. You've got USC coming up who was a top 10 team, you're at your ranked 10th. It would have been very easy for Notre Dame to climb back up in there, especially with a road game at Clemson coming down the stretch. You had a chance to go into that game and say, okay, we rebounded from a house state. We're ready to roll and you laid an egg. You weren't ready to play. You weren't focused. You weren't locked in. You could see it during pregame. I remember coming up before the game started and talking to Tim O'Malley and telling Tim like, dude, I don't know what's going on right now. But this team does, they're just going through the motions right now in pregame. You could see it. And then that's exactly how they played just didn't compete. And so those games are going to be what get people to say they never win games like this or don't often win games like this. Well, they didn't win them too most recent, which is important, but there's a lot of games like this that they won. But that's really where Notre Dame comes down is is you've got to stop with the up and down performances in these type of games. And so that's where there is some understandable angst. What I don't agree with is necessarily saying, I'm now picking them to lose. That's really what that I question is like, okay, can they lose this game? Sure, they can lose this game. Would they lose this game, no, and you can't make any good argument to say that they are going to win, you know, to win this game. And then here's the other, here's the other part of this. This will be considered an upset based on the line. I don't think it's an upset. I really don't. This is a game that to me that Notre Dame should win. But here's the thing that I would challenge all of you that get into this thing about Notre Dame not winning these type of games. My argument would be, well, how often does Texas A&M win these type of games? Light it. Hey Irish Breakdown listeners, it's Urban Meyer. This fall the game changes. Join me. Heisman Trophy winner Mark Ingram and broadcaster Rob Stone as we bring you a new perspective on football and culture every week. We will be joined by the biggest name in sports and talk about everything inside and outside of the lines. Let us guide you through a new era of college football. Watch Triple Option on YouTube or listen on Apple Podcasts, Spotify or RevuGet Podcasts. When you need meal time inspiration, it's worth shopping Kroger for thousands of appetizing ingredients that inspire countless mouth-watering meals. And no matter what tasty choice you make, you'll enjoy our everyday low prices. Plus, extra ways to save. Make digital coupons worth over $600 each week and up to $1 off per gallon at the pump with points so you can get big flavors and big savings, Kroger, fresh for everyone, your restrictions apply. Two of those wins were over Miami. Two of those wins were over $600 each week. Miami finished the year five and seven and Arkansas finished the year seven and six. They did beat Alabama back in 2021, which is a big win, but that same year they also lost by 10 to Arkansas, lost by 10 to Ole Miss, lost to LSU and lost to Mississippi State at home. So a week before beating Alabama at home, they lost to Mississippi State at home, who went seven and six. So is this really the type of game that Texas A&M wins very often? The answer is no, they don't. And so when you look at how this game plays out, I'm actually going to pull up a post that was made yesterday and it was really good interesting to point out. Everybody went back and looked at all the times that Texas A&M had started their home opener against the ranked opponent and it was eight times. They beat Notre Dame, number 24 Notre Dame in 2001. Quick note, that Notre Dame team finished with a losing record. They lost to Utah, 41, 35 in 2004. Let's see, they get to this next one. They lost to Oklahoma, 17, 16 and 0, 6. They lost to Texas, 34, 17 in 2007. They lost to Alabama in 2013 by touchdown. They beat number 16 UCLA at home in 2016, a 31 to 24 win in overtime. I just want to point out, however, that that UCLA team that they beat in the home opener in overtime, finished the year 4 and 8. Just want to point that out to you. The next year they lost to Clemson and then in 2022 they beat Miami 17 to 9 in a low scoring game where A&M's defense played very well and that Miami team finished 5 and 7. So what evidence do we have that A&M plays great in these kind of games? And that's really where my frustration comes down into is like there's this ignoring what's on the other side of this conversation and saying, hey, they're going to be because of Notre Dame. This is a two-way streak, right? Notre Dame has proven a lot more that they can win games like this than Texas A&M has. Well, you know, Mike Elko is a great coach. Mike Elko is a great coach, you know, but Mike Elko doesn't have a ton of top 25 wins either. I think they have like one and it was a great win. They beat Clemson last year by three touchdowns, a team that Notre Dame lost to later in the year, but Notre Dame did beat Clemson and Duke and didn't play for a while and still beat Duke in that game. So there is absolutely this fair discussion to be had about Notre Dame's inconsistency on the road because I can point to you and I can give you what is a home or take which is, well, look what they did to NC State last year and look what they did to Duke. They beat Duke last year and look what they did to North Carolina in 2022 and look what they did to Syracuse in 2022 and then I can plug my ears and close my eyes and pretend that Louisville and Clemson didn't happen and, you know, that's really what it comes down to because if you're going to point to USC and Ohio State in 2022, it's a useless conversation because both of those teams are better than Texas A&M, right? Those are top 10 football teams. If you handle your business against Louisville and Clemson last year, we're having a completely different conversation. That's basically what it comes down to. And again, I'm not talking about what's being said outside of the Notre Dame world. I don't care what Paul Feynbaum says. Paul Feynbaum is in, on my opinion, just not someone to be taken seriously. I don't think he takes his own comment seriously. He says things for shock effect. He's a shock jock, right? That's all he is. We don't need to waste time on what Paul Feynbaum talks about. I don't care what other people say. I'm good with Josh Pate Pick and Notre Dame to lose this game because Josh is going to make his opinion based off his honest evaluation of this game. I don't agree with it, but I respect it. My issue is more so coming from Notre Dame fans and the view that there's this, well, they have to prove something, but, you know, A&M is just, you know, and minus the jock beef eater jock is like, this jockey is what that is, I believe, where that comes from. So that's kind of the frustration, but at the same time, I understand it's frustrating. The constant negativity is frustrating, but it's also somewhat understandable. It is. I will give you guys that because of when was the last two times that we saw Notre Dame in a game like this? It was at Clemson last year and they lost. How about before that? It was that Louisville last year and they lost. How about before that? It was that Duke last year and they needed a miracle at the end of the game to win. So I get it. My whole thing is I just don't know that A&M has proven that they're as good as any of those teams. Now maybe they are, but they haven't proven it. And this is a team that in the last 20 years has one season of 10 or more wins. And that was the year they had Johnny Manziel and won the high and when he won the Heisman Trophy, I think they won 11 that year. So there's obviously a lot of stake, but here's my challenge to you. If you're someone who is on the Notre Dame doesn't win games like this and they can't beat teams like this and A&M's really good and all that kind of stuff, I do not want to see you on the message board after the game or in this chat, after the game or in shows next week, pretending like all of a sudden A&M's not a show me game. I don't want to hear you doing that. I don't want to hear you doing that. But if you're going to ride that wave now, then ride it next week, if Notre Dame wins. And at the same time, people that are like Notre Dame always wins these games. Don't then try to pretend like A&M's bama if Notre Dame loses this game. Right? Well, you know, it's don't make excuses for if Notre Dame loses this game. I don't want to hear people doing either one of those things after this game. You own what you said coming into the game. You either own the fact that you thought A&M was a world beater and Notre Dame can't win or own the fact that you think that Notre Dame is the much better team and if they don't win. I mean, we all need to be able to do that and not change our stripes just because the results are, you know, said one thing and then now we've got to act like, well, you know, but that team, no, own it because it's okay to be wrong sometimes. When I give you my analysis, I give you my honest analysis of a game. Right? And if you think I'm a homer, you probably shouldn't listen to me because a homer someone who is cannot see past their bias. And I tell you all to always pick Notre Dame in whatever game, but I'm going to always tell you the concerns to have going into games and we'll do a little bit of that this week as well. So, you know, I just want to make sure that people stick to this, but at the same time, we need to have an honest assessment of who Texas A&M. So forget what our perceptions were coming in. Let's get real now about what this game is for Notre Dame. This game is an, is absolutely a per se, big perception game for Notre Dame. There's no doubt because of everything that I just spent the last 20 minutes talking about. You don't win games like this. I've literally told had people tell me Notre Dame struggles to beat SEC teams. Literally someone told me that. I said, hold on a second. Outside of Bama and Georgia, who in the SEC has beaten Notre Dame in the last 15 years? I have, has Notre Dame lost a game to an SEC team outside in the last 15 years, other than Bama, Georgia? LSU didn't beat him, Notre Dame beat them twice. South Carolina didn't beat him, Vanderbilt didn't beat him. Like what, who is this SEC teams that keep giving Notre Dame all these problems outside of those, those big two? But that's the perception. And unfortunately, especially now in our society, perception equals reality. If the evidence tells you something different than what your feelings tell you, we are in a society where people will rely on their feelings. I've literally given people data about whether it's a political argument, an economic argument, or a Notre Dame college football argument, and they will literally just say, okay, I reject that. Okay. I just gave you data to show the statement you made is false. And you're just going to reject it. No, because I feel, I feel a certain way. And my perception is this, but that's the world we live in, right? And so until we can change that, that's the world we live in. And so there is a perception that this game means something. And that's a good thing if Notre Dame can win, then they can kind of change that narrative. I don't care as much about perception, to be honest with you. I don't care if Notre Dame wins this game and all the SEC fans say, well, A&M's not that good. Notre Dame still sucks. I don't care. I don't care if the national media jumps on the Notre Dame bandwagon if they win this game. I don't care. I care about reality. And the reality is Notre Dame is trying to take that jump to being a national contender. And A&M can be a stumbling block to that 100% because if you lose this football game, that is a giant red flag. I am not going to do this whole thing with you guys where if Notre Dame loses this game, I'm going to come on here on Sunday or Monday and say, you know what, guys, A&M was better than I think. And it's okay to lose this game. They're going to be fine. It's a problem. It's a problem. In year three of your program with the talent you have, you should not go into a game like this. Game one of the Mike Elko, Eric, Texas A&M with a bunch of new players. But I don't care where I don't care if the game is played on Mars. You should win this game. I don't know of another top 10 team that would go on the road against this team that is coming off of back to back seasons where they went 12 and 13 and would be a three point dog in this game. I just don't know who that team would be Notre Dame does. So the reality is, is losing this game is going to be a giant black eye to me. And, and part of the reason is, is because it'll be your third straight game against a top 25 opponent or a top 25 caliber opponent on the road that you lost. Now it's not, you had a couple bad games and then I can point to this, this, this, and this is as evidence why it was just a couple of bad games. But now you do it again and it is now who you are. That is who you are. And there's honestly not another road game on the schedule until maybe USC at the end of the season where you can kind of get this taste out of your mouth with Florida State losing to Georgia Tech, I don't know that there's a home game on the schedule. And so if you lose this game, I'm going to be honest with you. There's going to be a sour taste in my mouth until Notre Dame beat somebody really good. Because this is one of those games where you have better talent than Texas A&M. This is a game where you have a more cohesive coaching staff than Texas A&M. I don't care where the game is played, if you lose, it tells me you're not the program that you should be and you're not where you need to be. That's the reality of it. And I don't know that there's a game left on the schedule that can tell me otherwise. It would have to be going to the postseason and beat some teams that are better than that. That's the concern. But what about the flip side? This is going to be anytime you go on the road and beat a top 25 team. And I'm okay with Texas A&M being the top 25. I am. Texas A&M did not have 12 and 13 talent the last two years. My counter argument is that they also don't have, you know, 25 and two talent the last two years either, like some of us are acting. They are a team that has talent. I love the hire of Mike Oco. I think he's a great dude. I think he's a heck of a football coach. And I think Texas A&M is going to win a ton of football games with him as their head football coach. But you shouldn't lose this game in the first, I'm actually, and I've said, I'm more concerned about A&M coming to Notre Dame next year, that version of A&M than I am about this one. So if you lose to this one, it's a problem. But if you beat this one, it's a good win. It should be celebrated as a good win. It should be celebrated as a step in the right direction because you did beat a Louisville Clemson 2023 caliber team. And I do think that's what A&M will be. I do think A&M is going to be minimum eight and four this year, minimum eight and four. And I could even see a nine to maybe 10 win season coming up for them, even if they lose to Notre Dame. I really like this A&M team. They shouldn't beat Notre Dame. So if Notre Dame wins in any kind of close quality win, it's going to be a good victory. It will. But this is not a, you can now go beat Bama victory, bring on Ohio State victory, bring on Michigan 2023 victory, bring on Georgia, bring on Texas. It's not that kind of game, right? It's a good win. It's a good step in the right direction. It's a okay, you laid the foundation now get better and better and better. And this is going to be a game that prepares you to go out and play Louisville and goes out to you know, Georgia Tech, Florida State and USC. It is certainly a statement when there's no doubt about that. But practically speaking, this is not the kind of win that tells me if Notre Dame wins by seven points, maybe 10 points, three points, two points, any kind of competitive loss does not tell me, all right, bring on Bama, bring on Bama. I'm not doing that. Bring on Georgia, not doing that. The only way that Notre Dame can make that kind of statement, in my opinion, is to dominate this football game where you are clearly the better team and you just roll this football team. That will tell me that when Notre Dame's on their game, they can hammer people. Because here's what I'll say, all the stuff I said about A&M, I absolutely believe and all the stuff that I believe that about, you know, they're not as good as people think they will be. So if you're an A&M fan listening to this, be realistic with yourself. You're asking me to do the same thing. Very few teams in year one dominate. It rarely happens. You want evidence of that? Go back and look at Nick Saban's first football team at Alabama. Nick Saban inherited a six and seven football team, right? They lost to Oklahoma State in a bowl game. They had some close loss to really get Auburn team by a touchdown, lost by eighth in Mississippi State, only lost by three at number nine Tennessee, lost an overtime at Arkansas, only lost to number five Florida by 15, beat Duke, beat Ole Miss, beat Vanderbilt, right, beat FIU, I mean, they weren't a great team and Nick Saban takes over phenomenal football coach had literally just won a title three years before. And what did he do in his first year? He went seven and six and lost to Louisiana Monroe in November. It's going to take him a little. Can you guys give him more than one week to turn you into a national contender? Because I'm telling you, he will. If he gets the support, he will. And Mike Elko's going to win at Texas A&M. I just, it shouldn't be this game. It shouldn't be this game. It takes some time. Notre Dame shouldn't lose a game like this, but if you win convincingly, it says something because for all of my issues with Texas A&M, right? They were not a great home team in the last couple of years. Last year they beat New Mexico, Louisiana Monroe, Auburn, South Carolina, Mississippi State, and Abilene Christian at home. They lost to the only good team they played at home Alabama. The year before they beat Sam Houston State at home. They beat a five and seven Miami team at home by eight. They lost a miss at home. They lost a Florida at home. They lost a UMass at home or they beat UMass at home, right? And then they beat a good LSU team at home. But that's several losses at home, including to Appalachian State. But here's the thing. All of those games were competitive. Even the Florida game in 2022, in my opinion, was a competitive game. Florida was clearly the better team, but it was a competitive game. You lost by, I think, 17 and Florida scored last. A&M actually had a lead at halftime. They were winning 24 to 20 at halftime and then Florida pulled away in the second half, put a touchdown on at the end of the game. It was 34-24. I think A&M went for it, didn't get it. And then Florida punched one in late with a couple minutes left to make it a more decisive game. But that was a back and forth game. That was an evenly matched game where A&M makes this mistake, this turn over, that mess up, whatever. They're in that game. They have a shot to win that game. Bama last year was the better team and Alabama won that game by six. But that was also a game where A&M scored late to make it closer than it was. But it was much closer prior to that. So Alabama had taken a 26-17 lead when they got a safety of Max Johnson, who I just feel awful for today because he had a terrible injury last night. But it was 17-10 A&M at halftime. They had a lead and then it was 24-17 and then they got the late safety and then Alabama or A&M goes down and kicks a field goal two minutes left to make it a six-point game. So even though it was a game that was not as close as the final score based on the second half, it was a game that A&M lead at halftime. So the thing is, you just don't win these games convincingly over A&M. That's the thing I'll give them credit for. When they play at home, they're not this unbeatable force at home. They're not. And their record at home against ranked teams in recent years is not that great. But they've gotten some good wins. They got LSU in 2022. They got Bama in 2021, right? They beat Florida, who was played in the SEC title game by field goal in 2020. So they have gotten some good wins at home and they are a team that's good at home, but they also have a lot of losses at home. They've lost to Auburn recently at home. They lost a Clemson at home in 2020, it was a 2018. So you've got to win the game. That's all I care about. The only way that I look at this game and say, "Holy moly, Notre Dame is who we thought they were as if they dominate the game." That's the only way that I think that they could do it. I'm not predicting that's going to happen because it is an opener. And as you guys watched last night, whether you're watching Colorado, North Dakota State, whether you were watching Minnesota, North Carolina, whether you were watching NC State against Western Carolina in a game where they were tied in the second half, 21, 21, a lot of stuff happens in openers, right? A lot of stuff happens in openers. So I don't make too much of how they play. All I care about is that they win. But if you want to really prove yourself in a way that for me has lasting impact, you've got to win convincingly. And that's my thing. I'm not, but let me clear, I'm not demanding that in the opener. I'm not. All I care about in this game ultimately is to just win. I don't care if it's a sloppy four quarter game. I don't. A&M has talent. They have good coaching. They're playing at home. They're going to have 105,000 fans in the stands. I don't care that you, you don't think you're a blown, a lot of people don't blow up. I mean, the last two times Bama played at Texas A&M, they won one by six and lost the other. You know, so, but I do expect there to be a win. If you do get a convincing win, I think that's when I start looking to this game and saying, okay, that tells me something. That tells me something about this football team, but at the end of the day, all I really care about is that Notre Dame wins. That's the ultimate gauge by, by which you say this team is taking a step is that they just, they win. Right? Because ultimately that's what you play for. Right? Isn't that what Herman Edwards said? Right. You play to win the game. And in this instance, I'll care a lot more about style points in a month when Louisville comes to town. I'll care a lot more about style points when they play Florida State in November. Right now, this game in the opener, just win. Just win. That's it. That's all I care about. Just win. And that's all to me with the goal. So that's part one. I'm going to get into part two of what to look for to let us know if Notre Dame is where they need to be mentally and just, just from a culture standpoint to win this football game. So I'll get into that next, but before I do hit that like, hit that subscribe, hit the notification bell, share this podcast. Give us a five star review. Greatly appreciate that. And as always sign up for the message board at boards at our spring time to come. 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