Besides, there is loads of college football to talk about. The CFB playoff rankings could end in the biggest possible clusterfuck imaginable. The coaching carousel spun off its axis this week. And there was even a college football rivalry that bled into Twitter via website fight (which Shane and I gave a dramatic reading treatment to).

Don’t let Irish football kill your college football joy completely. There is still quite a bit of fun to be had.

The Roundup

Yes, bowl committees everywhere will cheer for a Navy loss this week. Navy winning the AAC title could end up screwing everyone’s schedule up.

In the least surprising news ever, one of college football’s top running backs, D’Onta Foreman will forgo his senior year to get paid.

THIS IS NOT ND NEWS. This is important college football news for teams that need a quarterback: Malik Zaire is officially on the grad transfer market.

I hope no one thought Dave Aranda was going anywhere. Thanks to Coach O taking less money than Les Miles, Aranda is gonna GET. PAID.

We all had Indiana as the team to have the craziest coaching carousel, right? IU suddenly had Kevin Wilson resign over “philosophical differences” and promptly named a replacement within hours. The whole thing doesn’t pass the smell test when you dig in a little deeper. After just signing a new extension, Wilson willingly resigned and only took $500k in a buyout? Riiiiiight. IU swears this isn’t over player mistreatment or anything medical although the players themselves appear to disagree. This whole thing is weird.

THIS IS NOT ND NEWS EITHER. This is a super-hot tip on a potential coach for Oregon.

Apparently you should never question Lamar Jackson. Otherwise, Petrino will get pissed, storm out of a presser, and give you the biggest death glare imaginable.

Prayers to the SC community. They lost former RB, Joe McKnight, to a senseless act of violence in NOLA.

Sometimes, tragedy finds humor. Despite the terrorist attack on Ohio State’s campus, one professor made sure to remind everyone who won a certain football game.

And if you ever want to feel incredibly dirty about college football. Have fun taking a deep dive into the quagmire that major-program CFB head coaches step into.

Eddie is on the road to 50%. I’m likely toast for the rest of the regular season. Feel free to keep track of our success, or lack thereof, so far. Also, keep your eye out for a HLS Podcast bowl pool, with a gift card from Amazon on the line, and pick directly against the spread, Eddie, and I.

The post Friday Roundup: The “Notre Dame-Free” Episode appeared first on Her Loyal Sons.

For the Irish: Tarean Folston (Sr.), Josh Adams (Soph.) & Dexter Williams (Soph.)

Heading into the 2015 with the questions at quarterback, I felt reassured that Tarean Folston would be stabilizing factor for the Irish. As a sophomore, Folston accounted for nearly 900 yards and a solid 5.1 yards-per-carry average.

Of course, that optimism ended in week 1 vs. Texas when Folston tore his ACL. Folston now returns to a backfield that is much more crowded. Freshman sensation Josh Adams, who set the Notre Dame freshman rushing record with 835 yards, will see a great deal of action. Dexter Williams, who was very impressive in the spring, also looks to play an increased role for the Irish this fall. However, it will be interesting to see if his recent arrest will cut into his playing time.

It will also be interesting to see if Coach Brian Kelly names a starter prior to the Texas game. So far, he has suggested the Irish will ride “the hot hand.” That means that, at least in the early season, all three backs are likely to have opportunities until one clearly separates himself from the group.

For the Enemy: Texas’ D’Onta Foreman (Jr.) and Chris Warren (Soph.)

Credit: 247Sports.com

D’Onta Foreman and Chris Warren – the Smash Brothers – will both present unique challenges for the Irish.

Both are big backs, as Foreman checks in at 6-foot-1, 250 pounds and Warren is 6-foot-2, 250 pounds. I suspect both will probably come into the opener closer to the 240 pound range.

Foreman last year rushed for 681 yards and a gaudy 7.2 yards-per-carry average. Warren put up 470 yards and a 6.6 yards-per-carry average. Both are also described as physical down-hill runners and they are clearly the strength of the Texas offense.

Texas Offensive Coordinator Sterlin Gilbert remarked in the spring that he had never had running backs that big in his offense before. A factor that will likely impact their overall effectiveness will be the quarterback play, which was very inconsistent last year. At this stage, Texas has yet to name a starter.

More concerning for the running game has been injuries along the offensive line. In the last two weeks, three of the five projected starters on the offensive line for Texas have been injured. Zach Shackelford (center), Tristan Nickelson (tackle) and Patrick Vahe (left guard) have all sustained recent injuries. Though it appears they will return for the Notre Dame, that is not set in stone at this point.

With the inexperience at quarterback, it is extremely likely that we will see a large dosage of the physical running of both Foreman and Warren. Given what the last physical runner on the schedule did to Notre Dame (Ezekiel Elliott), I’m very concerned heading into Sunday night!

The post Running Back: Know Thyself, Know Thy Enemy appeared first on Her Loyal Sons.