Notre Dame Enters 2026 With Expectations Higher Than Ever.

For Notre Dame, the expectations surrounding the 2026-2027 football season are unlike anything Marcus Freeman has faced during his tenure.

The Fighting Irish enter the season as one of the favorites to win the National Championship and for a program that came painfully close to a championship just two seasons ago, the message is clear, the time is NOW.

Notre Dame opens up as the No. 4 team in the preseason AP Top 25 poll trailing behind Ohio State, Oregon, and Texas. However, the ranking may not tell the entire story, the Irish are being viewed as a legitimate contender by big time media personalities like Rece Davis, Kirk Herbstreit, Joey Galloway, Joel Klatt and more.

A quarterback ready to lead

At the center of those expectations is returning quarterback CJ Carr.

After taking over the starting job last season, Carr showed why the Irish believe it has its quarterback for the future. He finished the 2025 season with 2,741 passing yards, 24 touchdowns, and just six interceptions while also completing 66.6% of his passes.

Now entering his junior season, CJ has gone from promising young quarterback to one of the biggest names in all of College Football. He enters 2026 as one of the nation’s top Heisman Trophy candidates, while seeing his name on the Davey O’Brien Award Preseason Watch List. Among returning P4 quarterbacks, Carr ranked first in yards per completion and second in yards per attempt and touchdown rate last season.

If Carr can take another step forward, Notre Dame could have one of the most important pieces needed to make a championship run.

Notre Dame Everything Instagram

The foundation has been built

While CJ receives much of the attention, the expectations surrounding the Irish go far beyond one player.

Marcus Freeman enters his fifth season as the Dick Corbett Head Football Coach at Notre Dame with a roster that has become very deep and talented. Notre Dame returns a significant amount of production from last season, while continuing to add the much needed talent through recruiting and the transfer portal.

That depth has been especially noticeable during fall camp as the Irish have reportedly had multiple position battles where the biggest question isn’t whether Notre Dame has enough talent, but figuring out who deserves the most playing time.

For Freeman, that’s a good problem to have. But it also means the standard has changed.

Notre Dame isn’t entering the 2026 season hoping to surprise people, they’re looking to compete for a championship from the beginning and Leaving No Doubt.

The defense with championship potential

Notre Dame’s defense is what could ultimately be what separates the Irish from the rest of the country.

The defensive line features significant talent, led by returning standout Boubacar Traore, Jason Onye, and Armel Mukam, while the linebacker core brings back plenty of experienced playmakers such as Drayk Bowen, Kyngstonn Viliamu-Asa, and Jaiden Ausberry. In the secondary, Leonard Moore, Christian Gray, Adon Shuler, and Brauntae Johnson give Notre Dame the much needed proven talent across the back end.

The Irish also used the transfer portal to add even more depth and experience. Guys like Tionne Gray, an Oregon transfer, bring size and experience to the interior defensive line, while also adding Francis Brewu from Pittsburgh. DJ McKinney, a veteran cornerback from Colorado, adds another experienced defensive back option.

If the defense can consistently play at an elite level, Notre Dame won’t have to rely on CJ Carr and the offense to win shootouts every Saturday.

Replacing the production at running back

There are still a few questions, and this is a big one.

Notre Dame lost the most productive running back duos in the country in Jeremiyah Love, and Jadarian Price, leaving a hole in the backfield. Replacing that production won’t be easy and it could be one of the biggest storylines of the opening weeks of the season.

The Irish don’t necessarily need one player to replace everything Love and Price brought to the field. Aneyas Williams appears poised to take on a much larger role after showing flashes of his potential the last couple seasons, giving Notre Dame a versatile back who can contribute as runner and receiver. Behind him, Nolan James Jr. and a pair of talented young backs will get their opportunities to earn meaningful carries and prove they can handle the workload.

The Irish will be just fine at the running back position.

This is the year everyone is watching

For many years, Notre Dame has entered seasons with questions about whether Marcus Freeman and the program was truly ready to compete with the best teams in the country.

In 2026, those questions have shifted.

Now, the question is whether the Irish can actually finish the job.

The program has the quarterback, they have the veteran coaching staff, they have the depth, and the talent. And, according to the preseason projections, they have one of the best chances in the country to win it all.

Remember this though, preseason expectations do not win championships. Marcus Freeman knows that.

Notre Dame learned that the hard way last season after missing the College Football Playoff despite finishing the regular season on a 10-game winning streak, and playing as the top team in the country.

Now, the Irish have another opportunity.

And if Notre Dame can live up to the expectations surrounding the program, 2026 could become one of the most memorable seasons in decades.

It all begins Sunday, September 6th. The Irish travel to Lambeau Field to take on the Wisconsin Badgers at 7:30PM ET on NBC.