Marcus Freeman keeps hammering the same point, and for Notre Dame in 2026, it’s hard to miss the message: don’t give anybody a reason to argue.
Ahead of Sunday’s matchup with Wisconsin at Lambeau Field, Freeman doubled down on the slogan that has followed this team into the season. “It's been an ongoing message, but I've said previously it's a reminder to leave no doubt today,” Freeman said at his Monday press conferenc e.
“Leave no doubt with what you have. That message will be, 'Leave no doubt on this Monday and the same thing on Tuesday.'”
That line matters because Notre Dame enters the year with as much preseason national championship buzz as anyone in college football. The Irish are the popular pick among experts to win it all, and the belief is coming from everywhere.
ESPN’s Kirk Herbstreit and Fox’s Joel Klatt have them ending the title drought that dates to 1988. NBC Sports’ Nicole Auerbach and Joshua Perry are in that camp too, along with Sports Illustrated’s Pat Forde, The Athletic’s Bruce Feldman, five ESPN writers and two more USA Today writers.
The AP preseason ranking reflects the attention. Notre Dame is No. 4, and Marcus Freeman is heading into his fifth full season with a roster that has real substance behind the hype.
It starts with CJ Carr. Notre Dame’s quarterback is already being mentioned among the leading Heisman Trophy contenders after throwing for 2,741 yards with 24 touchdowns and six interceptions last season. With a second year as the starter and Mike Denbrock still coordinating the offense, the expectation is that Carr should be even better.
The Irish also bring back a veteran offensive line anchored by left guard Anthonie Knapp. There will be new faces in the backfield, with Aneyas Williams and Kedren Young stepping in to replace the production of first-round picks Jeremiyah Love and Jadarian Price. At receiver, Ohio State transfers Mylan Graham and Quincy Porter add another layer of talent.
On the other side, second-year defensive coordinator Chris Ash has a unit that looks loaded with recognizable names. Leonard Moore and Brauntae Johnson were named preseason All-Americans by SN, Drayk Bowen is part of the leadership core, and Boubacar Traore is another player with first-round upside.
Freeman’s own profile keeps rising too. Notre Dame is close to stacking back-to-back top-five recruiting classes, and his reputation as one of the game’s most charismatic player’s coaches only keeps growing.
There’s also the Notre Dame factor that numbers can’t quite capture. The program hasn’t carried this kind of buzz since Lou Holtz was on campus, and the school will honor Holtz, who died on March 4, with a special helmet decal this season. For those who buy into the Irish mystique, the timing fits neatly with the program’s push to channel that old championship energy again.
Still, preseason praise has not always gone well for Notre Dame. This is the sixth time since 1988 that the Irish have opened in the AP preseason top five, and the history is not exactly comforting.
In those five previous seasons, Notre Dame lost at least three games each time. That list includes 1994, when the team finished 6-5-1 after Beano Cook had predicted Ron Powlus would win two Heisman Trophy awards at Notre Dame.
The 2006 team allowed 40-plus points in losses to Michigan, USC and LSU. And in 2022, Freeman’s team opened with losses to Ohio State and Marshall before nearly slipping to 0-3 and finally beating Cal, 24-17.
That history is why there’s always some skepticism when Notre Dame gets wrapped in preseason glory. Freeman believes this group has something the others didn’t: leadership from within. Carr, Bowen, safety Adon Shuler and receiver Jordan Faison are the captains, and Freeman pointed to the team’s player-driven voice after returning from a summer break.
“Coaches get away from the team for the summer for a couple weeks,” Freeman said Monday. “When I got back I remember some of the coaches that were here - the sports performance staff - had said, 'We have more player-led leadership than in previous years. It was reflected in the voting.'”
The schedule also gives Notre Dame a clearer runway than last season. The Irish dropped early games to No.
10 Miami and No. 16 Texas A&M a year ago, and those losses helped shape the controversial CFP decision that left Notre Dame out after Miami jumped the Irish in the final rankings despite neither team playing in the final week.
This season, the ranked opponents are limited to No. 14 BYU on Oct.
17, No. 7 Miami on Nov. 7 and No.
19 SMU on Nov. 21.
Add in a quarterback in Carr, a coach in Freeman and a schedule that doesn’t look nearly as brutal as last year’s early stretch, and Notre Dame has the pieces for a real playoff run.
The lesson from 2025 is simple, though: don’t let it get messy. A change in the CFP format means Notre Dame will make the playoff if it finishes inside the top 12 of the rankings, but the Irish learned the hard way that staying above the line is the safer path.
That’s why Freeman’s message fits so cleanly. The season begins Sunday, and the standard is already clear.
“Every week you're going to look at the opportunity as all you have,” Freeman said. “This is all we got. This is the most-important game of the year.”
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For Notre Dame, the challenge is straightforward in theory and tougher in practice: make Wisconsin prove it can live in long-yardage situations, slow the run game and force Joseph to work from inside the pocket. The Irish know they will have to be ready for new wrinkles right away, because if the Badgers can get their quarterback moving and their offense on schedule, it could turn into an uncomfortable opening test in South Bend. [Read more 🡒]