In this special edition of Pod of Gold, NDI columnist Tom Noie and Irish beat writer Mike Berardino and WNDU sports coordinator Jackson Neill stray from the usual pod script.

The three preview Stanford (a little bit) and touch on the Notre Dame football news of the week (injuries, depth chart, Georgia Tech kick time, etc.) before welcoming former NFL defensive lineman Marc Spindler, the father of Irish offensive guard Rocco Spindler, for a special conversation.

Marc Spindler touches on his role as a father to a college football player, what college football player looks like now (he doesn't recognize it), his son's touching promise to his Marc's father (Rocco's grandfather) and what his son attending Notre Dame means to him every time Marc Spindler steps on campus.

We asked Marc Spindler for 15 minutes, but talked with him for 30. It could've gone 90.

The pod closes with each reporter offering one hot take and one prediction for Saturday's game.