Notre Dame opens the season sitting at No. 5 in the USA TODAY Preseason Coaches Poll, landing at the back end of the Top 5 as the Irish head into a year loaded with expectations.
That ranking matches the buzz around this Notre Dame team. The Irish finished the 2025 season at No. 11 in the final USA TODAY rankings, but this roster brings back a lot of production and talent, and that has pushed the preseason outlook way up.
ESPN’s Bill Connelly has Notre Dame No. 1 in returning production this season, and the offense is built around preseason Heisman Trophy candidate CJ Carr at quarterback. On the other side of the ball, Notre Dame also brings back what the source describes as one of the deepest and most talented defenses in college football.
The schedule is going to put that hype to the test. Notre Dame has three opponents in the preseason Top 25, and all three are inside the top 20: Miami at No.
7, BYU at No. 15 and SMU at No. 20.
The biggest early spotlight game is against Miami on November 7th, a matchup between teams that have both reached the national championship game in the last two seasons. If both teams take care of business beforehand, that one sets up as a Top 10 showdown.
Notre Dame also travels to BYU in Provo on October 18th, then closes its home schedule on November 21st against SMU, a program the Irish have not played since 1989.
Notre Dame isn’t the only heavyweight navigating a packed slate. The poll features several huge Top 10 matchups across the country, including No.
1 Ohio State’s meetings with No. 2 Oregon on November 7, No.
4 Texas on September 12 and No. 6 Indiana on October 17.
The Buckeyes also draw No. 14 USC on October 31, No.
16 Michigan on November 28 and No. 22 Iowa on October 3.
Georgia has its own set of marquee games, starting with No. 9 Oklahoma on September 26 and No.
10 Ole Miss on November 7, plus No. 11 Alabama on October 10.
Texas sees Oklahoma in the Red River Rivalry on October 10 and later faces No. 8 Texas A&M on November 27.
Oklahoma, meanwhile, also hosts Ole Miss on November 14.
Here is the full Top 25 in the Coaches Poll: Ohio State, Oregon, Georgia, Texas, Notre Dame, Indiana, Miami, Texas A&M, Oklahoma, Ole Miss, Alabama, Texas Tech, LSU, USC, BYU, Michigan, Penn State, Tennessee, Washington, SMU, Utah, Iowa, Clemson, Houston and Missouri.
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For Irish fans, the more interesting part is the path. Pates projection sends Notre Dame through Oregon and Indiana before a title-game meeting with Texas, a run that says plenty about how highly he views Marcus Freemans roster and defense. It also puts Indiana in a playoff debate few Hoosiers supporters likely imagined, even if the real intrigue still lies in whether the bracket ever comes close to matching the one Pate has sketched out. [Read more 🡒]
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Notre Dame Fall Camp Is Already Shaping Three Crucial Battles
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Marty Biagi added another layer to the early picture by outlining a tailored plan for kicker Spencer Porath as camp moves along, a reminder that even the special teams work is being handled with care. For the Irish, the next few weeks will be about more than reps and conditioning, because the biggest questions are already surfacing in the places that often decide the season. [Read more 🡒]