The Independent: A Notre Dame Football Podcast Notre Dame-Stanford Preview and more with ESPN's Bill Connelly
Nov 25, 2025
Bill Connelly, renowned ESPN analyst and author of 'Forward Progress', joins to dissect college football dynamics. He reveals how his S&P+ metrics rate Notre Dame highly due to their efficiency and consistency against teams like Miami. Connelly shares insights on playoff evaluations, emphasizing success rate as a key metric. He critiques committee rankings and discusses how factors like scheduling and luck impact team evaluations. The conversation also highlights Notre Dame's recent dominance and Jeremiyah Love's Heisman prospects.
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Why SP+ Rates Notre Dame Over Miami
- Bill Connelly's SP+ favors teams that look dominant across many games rather than a single head-to-head upset.
- Notre Dame ranks higher than Miami because Notre Dame has been more consistently dominant this season.
Mid-Majors Penalized By Past Schedules
- Connelly notes mid-majors need signature scheduling to get credit; quality often depends on historical scheduling choices.
- That structural bias makes it hard for some good teams to earn deserved rankings.
Explosiveness Explains Notre Dame's Surge
- Connelly highlights explosiveness: Notre Dame ranks first in yards per successful play despite not leading in success rate.
- That big-play ability explains their recent scoring dominance and postseason appeal.
