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Oct 11, 2025; South Bend, Indiana, USA; Notre Dame Fighting Irish head coach Marcus Freeman looks to the scoreboard against the NC State Wolfpack during the first half at Notre Dame Stadium. Michael Caterina-Imagn Images

Notre Dame a Winner as Dan Patrick Show Broadcasts from South Bend

Originally posted on Notre Dame Fighting Irish on SI
By Nick Shepkowski | Last updated Oct 17, 2025 3:19 PM ET

Notre Dame and USC may be meeting for the final time Saturday, and the entire college football world will have eyes on the showdown. That's not to say its the biggest game of the weekend, but it serves as a makeshift playoff game as Notre Dame faces a must-win regarding its playoff chances, and USC, with a trip still to take to Oregon, would have no wiggle room with a loss.

Legendary sports commentator Dan Patrick took his show on the road late this week to South Bend to highlight the big-time game. Over the last two days, Patrick broadcast from Legends at Notre Dame, just south of the football stadium. Plenty of stars associated with Notre Dame stopped by, here is a look at some of the highlights from those.

Will Ferrell Surprises Brady Quinn on the Dan Patrick Show

With USC visiting South Bend this weekend, an old rivalry was renewed today... Will Ferrell vs. @Brady_Quinn pic.twitter.com/2Yc1Rvslu6
— Dan Patrick Show (@dpshow) October 16, 2025

Marcus Freeman Joins the Dan Patrick Show on Thursday

Patrick began his stay at Notre Dame with the biggest guest of all, considering the situation, as Notre Dame head coach Marcus Freeman stopped by the set. The entire interview is worth it, as Patrick tries to get Freeman to comment on USC trying to step away from the rivalry, but the best part to me comes towards the end, when Patrick gives Freeman an ultimate compliment. See it above.

Hannah Hidalgo Talks Notre Dame Women's Basketball with Dan Patrick

DP and @HannahHildalgo discuss whether she's the face of Women's College Basketball, and who she models her game after. pic.twitter.com/i5JnpOCGKw
— Dan Patrick Show (@dpshow) October 16, 2025

Hidalgo and the women's basketball team start their season with an exhibition game against Purdue Northwest the evening of October 30.

Notre Dame Athletic Director Ken Bevacqua Joins the Dan Patrick Show

Few positions in college sports carry as much weight as being athletic director at Notre Dame. Pete Bevacqua joined the Dan Patrick Show and discussed Notre Dame's independence in football, as well as the direction the sport is going as a whole, sharing his thoughts on the perfect number for the College Football Playoff, and the NFLization of college football.

"100% answer in my opinion, 16 teams is the way we should go."

– Notre Dame AD Pete Bevacqua is in favor of a 16-team College Football Playoff format. pic.twitter.com/HarzFBlKzv
— Dan Patrick Show (@dpshow) October 17, 2025

"There's the concept of this 'Super League' – are there 24-30 teams that extricate themselves from the CFB space and create a 'mini-NFL' – I, for one, think that's a horrible mistake."

– Notre Dame AD Pete Bevacqua on ND's independence, and a prospective CFB "Super League." pic.twitter.com/B7ozbcCoyg
— Dan Patrick Show (@dpshow) October 17, 2025

Nick Shepkowski's Quick Takeaway:

For my money, Dan Patrick has long been the gold standard when it comes to a sports talk show. He's the best interviewer by a mile, and Notre Dame fans were given a treat of hearing some of their favorite players and people sit down with him this week.

In a world of far too many hot takes that the speakers often don't even believe themselves, Patrick continues to play it cool and has the best show going. How he closed the Freeman interview with the incredible compliment that he gave the Notre Dame head coach was exceptional.

This article first appeared on Notre Dame Fighting Irish on SI and was syndicated with permission.

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