Despite how crazy college football has been to open the 2021 season, Eddie and I have come out firing with above .500 records. Here's hoping we can keep the good times rolling over at the altar of GAMBLOR by taking on a slate that has some truly, truly sicko-quality games.

But look, we don't hide our degeneracy here. My goal is to find a twelve-pack of games of some interest, and, by God, I'm going to deliver.

Come for the picks. Stay to listen to Eddie break my brain and my spirit during the outro.

#HAILGAMBLOR

Thankfully, the frustration within this episode comes from a win. While this season definitely seems to be of the caliber of "holy crap, is anyone even good?!" (which we go into detail in our Patreon Exclusive episode), there are some major concerns for Notre Dame going forward.

We talk about whether Jack Coan or Tyler Bucnher should start against Purdue, if Marcus Freeman needs to burn part of his playbook to save his own head coaching aspirations, and question if Peacock actually wanted to broadcast another ND game ever again with the way they handled it.

There's a lot of ground to cover and a lot of angst to get out. Buckle up.

After last week, it's clear that the HLS Sim is back as the most accurate prediction method in sports. It warned us the game against Florida State would be too close, and down to the wire.

Do not make the mistake of ignoring the Sim this week--even if we decided that we would restrict the stream and VoD to paying subscribers of our Twitch channel.

But, hey, the podcast will always be free (unless you are getting to ad-free version in the Patreon which also includes additional bonus content and pods).

Show us the money. Show us an Irish victory.

Week 1 was full of surprises, sprung traps, and failed covers (looking at you, Notre Dame). Despite the insanity, both Eddie and I finished out at 5-6-1 to bring our records to 9-7-1 for the year.

Reminder, Eddie and I are battling for a $200 donation to my Extra Life campaign, so every week matters.

So kick back, relax, and open another 12-pack of picks with us. Like the Irish, it's time to bounce back.

#HAILGAMBLOR

Let's be honest, the game could have and should have gone a lot better for the Irish. After having an incredible dominating opening, Notre Dame sputtered to an overtime victory, watching an 18-point lead completely disappear in the fourth.

Marcus Freeman watched his Notre Dame honeymoon come to an end by inexplicably putting his defense in a three man front. Notre Dame's rushing offense struggled, but Jack Coan had a record-breaking debut. And *checks notes* Brain Kelly wants to execute his team?!

Also, if you miss the national recaps, make sure to head over to the Patreon to toss in $1 for exclusive access to those bonus episodes.

Of all bits and ideas that I've created here at Her Loyal Sons, the NCAA Sim has, by far been my favorite. Not only do we, for some reason, put ourselves at the mercy of a game released eight years ago, but Shane and I also put ourselves at the mercy of technology that somehow goes insanely awry during these episodes and streams.

Loyal Listeners, I am pleased to report that we've hit peak HLS in all aspects to kick off our final sim season.

We have technical difficulties, I failed to hit proper buttons on my soundboard, the game glitched out, ate the roster I curated and made a flip card for, and, to top it all off, the sim delivered an absolute nightmare scenario of a game.

In short, it's perfect.

For video, head here.

Week 0 was nothing less than a smashing success for Eddie and I.

That being said, we know there is no rest for the degenerate. Week 1 is absolutely loaded with incredible games, plus Notre Dame's season opener.

Enjoy a fresh 12-pack of picks as we look to continue the 4-1 momentum from last week.

#HAILGAMBLOR

It figures that when I tease a guest, it falls through. However, I won't fault Jack Crosby of CBS Sports, who we scheduled to help us preview Florida State, as his first child decided to make her arrival.

While we all give Jack our hearty congrats, the show must go on. Shane and I do a rare deep-dive into a Notre Dame opponent without video game assistance and discuss what Notre Dame will face in Tallahassee.

We also discuss a major Irish injury plus--a head coach in waiting?!

Eddie and I return to the altar of GAMBLOR for one final season (well, publicly via audio at least). The season 2021 is officially upon us and there will be actual football played this weekend.

That means there are future champions to predict and spreads to pick. Sure, our highlight is Nebraska at Illinois, but that ain't going to stop us.

And, no, we don't have a problem--we've got it figured out!

#HAILGAMBLOR

Typically, I write a post explaining myself in the annual Counting Down the Irish roster ranking run by Douglas Farmer over at NBC's Inside the Irish. This year, knowing there was no way in hell that post was going to actually happen, I decided to save it as a podcast topic for Shane and I.

Shane didn't see the rankings at all before this episode. The reactions are genuine as is the questioning of my sanity. Never fear, I have a defense and explanation for all of them.

The top 25 ranking by the president of the Rocco Spindler fan club can be found below. Enjoy!