Can Notre Dame Win The National Championship?
Although Notre Dame is one of the traditional powerhouses in college football, this program has become somewhat of an afterthought when comparing the top programs in the sport. Despite the fact that the Fighting Irish made the national championship game just two seasons ago, many casual fans scoff at the idea of Notre Dame being a legitimate contender.
It seems that this team isn't respected by many fans for several reasons, like its tendency to fall short in big games and a lack of consistency in the playoffs. But what if I told you this version of Notre Dame is different?
Is this the year the Fighting Irish finally make it over the top? I will make the case that Notre Dame finally has what it takes to go all the way and win it all.
Notre Dame is coming into the season ranked No. 4 in the preseason AP poll and No. 5 in the coaches' poll. The team is getting a lot of respect from the media and actual coaches.
My own data-based ranking system, which I debuted earlier this week, is incredibly high on Notre Dame, ranking the Fighting Irish No. 2 behind only Ohio State. Looking at ESPN's data, it becomes clear that there's A LOT to like about this team heading into the season.
ESPN's projections really like Notre Dame, as it ranks No. 3 in both FPI and SP+, two metrics that measure how good each team is using a multitude of factors like returning production, recruiting, coaching, etc. During the preseason, they can be used to project how good each team will be during the upcoming season.
On top of this, ESPN projects Notre Dame will win 10.7 games against the 62nd-ranked strength of schedule. That strength of schedule is pretty weak, but it's still impressive that the Fighting Irish are projected to have the second most wins in the nation.
Notre Dame is consistently awesome defensively, and that is not expected to change this season as it ranks No. 9 in the SP+ defensive projections. However, the Fighting Irish are projected to be even better on offense, ranking No. 3 in the SP+ offensive projections.
A big reason why Notre Dame's offensive outlook is so positive is because of its quarterback, CJ Carr. As a freshman last season, he ranked No. 8 in QBR with a mark of 82.7, and he was really good at generating big plays while limiting sacks at a high rate. He needs to get better at throwing the ball accurately and limiting turnover-worthy plays, but the upside is there.
The Fighting Irish will lean on Carr more now that they don't have Jeremiyah Love, so we may see his production increase. If he improves on some of his weaknesses, he has legit Heisman upside.
Now, Notre Dame's skill position group includes a lot of unproven talent after losing both running backs and two starting receivers so that is a bit concerning. However, this team got a few Ohio State receivers in the transfer portal, and their offensive line is returning a lot of starters from last season. Also, last year's offensive line was solid all-around.
Even though the defensive projections for Notre Dame fall a tad short of the offensive projections, the amount of talent the team has on this side of the ball is ridiculous.
Cornerback Leonard Moore and linebacker Kyngstonn Viliamu-Asa are the stars of the show as they were the highest-graded defenders on the team by PFF. Moore is one of the better cover corners in the country and will likely be a first-round pick in the 2027 NFL Draft. Viliamu-Asa is a versatile linebacker with some pass rush chops who could also be a second-round pick in next year's draft.
Outside of those guys, safety Braunte Johnson is a great starter and a really good playmaker in coverage. Cornerback DJ McKinney from Colorado is a solid ball hawk as well. Lastly, defensive tackle Francis Brewu from Pittsburgh has a serious chance to be the team's best defensive lineman, as he was quite productive the last two seasons before coming to Notre Dame.
Notre Dame's defense was excellent in 2025, ranking 7th in Adj. EPA/Play and 13th in success rate. This unit should be incredible once again. If the Fighting Irish hit their ceiling on both ends of the ball, this team could be special.
It's easy to see this team doing just that because the roster is amazing and they have great coaching. Punt and Rally's data has Notre Dame with the 5th best roster in the country by recruiting rankings, and CFB Coach Rankings' data views head coach Marcus Freeman as the 8th best coach in the country in terms of in-game coaching, not factoring in recruiting.
There are a lot of great teams this year, and I don't have the guts to make the bold claim that Notre Dame will win it all. Ohio State and Oregon are just so good on paper, and Georgia and Texas look impressive as well. However, Notre Dame is one of the best teams in the country, and they have everything it takes to compete at a high level and make a deep playoff run. If this team hits the ground running offensively after losing some key pieces, the Fighting Irish can surprise a lot of people this year.
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