Regardless of what the calendar said, I always knew college football season was coming when the preview magazines hit the shelves. If we were up at the lake, I’d duck in to the drugstore to grab them all off the shelf and spend glorious hours pouring over them on the porch. Prior to the days of the Internet information deluge, it was my only outlet to sate my curiosity about how the season could play out and what I should be looking for, and I enjoyed it fully.

While my thirst for knowledge now is slaked by the aforementioned deluge, it’s nice to return to those halcyon days of youth and take the time to digest a season preview in printed form. And this year, I found an excellent outlet in the South Bend Tribune’s NDInsider Season Preview.

The Trib staff does a very comprehensive job covering all aspects of the program, from season predictions through position analysis, wrapping up with a review of the incoming freshman and a chat with local recruiting analysts (although Mike Frank’s inclusion would have made the feature better). Eric Hansen, Mike Vorel, and Tyler James bring their experience covering the program to bear in feature articles on Keivarae Russell’s long road back to Notre Dame, Malik Zaire’s expectations both for the team and for himself, Will Fuller’s potential for a breakout season, and who is going to feel more pressure in 2015 — Brian Kelly, from a fan base justifiably hoping for more than they got last year, or opposing quarterbacks from a defense returning a record 90 percent of its tackles from last year.

The result is well worth your time. For more information and to order a copy, visit the South Bend Trib’s website.