Notre Dame is starting the 2026 season with plenty of respect from the AP voters.
When the Associated Press released its preseason Top 25 on Monday, August 17, the Fighting Irish checked in at No. 4.
That’s a step up from last year, when Notre Dame opened the preseason poll at No. 6.
The ranking also tracks with what the coaches said earlier this month. In the preseason coaches poll released on August 4, Notre Dame landed at No.
- This time around, the Irish edged even higher in the AP poll and picked up six first-place votes after earning five from the coaches.
Notre Dame’s schedule is loaded with ranked opponents as well. Three of the Irish’s 2026 foes are in the AP Top 25: No.
7 Miami, No. 14 BYU, and No.
19 SMU. Navy is listed in the “others receiving votes” group.
Those same three opponents were also ranked in the preseason coaches poll earlier this summer, with Miami at No. 7, BYU at No. 15, and SMU at No. 20.
At the top of the AP poll, Ohio State holds the No. 1 spot with 1,672 points and 40 first-place votes. Oregon is No.
2, Georgia is No. 3, and Notre Dame follows just behind at No. 4 with 1,510 points and six first-place votes. Texas rounds out the top five.
The full AP Top 25 is led by Ohio State, Oregon, Georgia, Notre Dame, Texas, Indiana, Miami, Texas A&M, Ole Miss, and Oklahoma. LSU, Texas Tech, Alabama, BYU, USC, Michigan, Washington, Penn State, SMU, Tennessee, Utah, Iowa, Houston, Louisville, and Mizzou make up the rest of the ranked field.
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For Notre Dame fans, it was the familiar mix of intrigue and irritation that comes with hearing an opposing coach publicly weigh in on how the Irish should handle their independent status. Social media response was split, with some taking aim at Cignettis past losses to Notre Dame and others simply questioning why he was so eager to press the issue, especially as he heads into his third season at Indiana after a successful year. [Read more 🡒]