
19 February 2026
College Football Playoff scenarios, evaluating assistant coaching hires and more
The Independent: A Notre Dame Football Podcast
About
Matt Fortuna and Pete Sampson are back for another episode of The Independent. The guys talk about the Big Ten's proposed 24-team College Football Playoff format and how that would have affected Notre Dame this past season (and in seasons to come). They also evaluate the assistant coaching hires that Marcus Freeman and Chris Ash made for this year's Fighting Irish assistants: Charlie Partridge, Brian Jean-Mary and Aaron Henry. Plus, it's never too early to look ahead to the 2026 schedule and break down the makeup of future Irish opponents.
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