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Notre Dame has garnished a lot of attention this offseason. Head coach Marcus Freeman is headed into his fifth year at the helm and has his most experienced and talented roster to date. The depth of talent on this roster is exceptional and their schedule sets up favorably. There's a lot of pressure on the Irish to succeed this season, make a run in the CFP and bring home their 12th national title. The expectation every year is to compete for championships, but this season has a different feel to it. 

Will Notre Dame be able to handle the pressure? I took an objective look at the reasons working in their favor and the counter argument against the Irish. There are legitimate factors as to why many believe they'll get over the hump in 2026 as well as some valid counter arguments against. Regardless, this is a big year for Freeman and the Fighting Irish and the pressure is on. But there's several valid reasons why many think they'll succeed. 

WHY THEY'LL SUCCEED

They're Good In All Of The Right Spots ….

Previous title winners have been exceptional in four key areas: quarterback, offensive line, defensive line and in the secondary. In 2026, Notre Dame returns quarterback CJ Carr who is a preseason Heisman favorite as well as the No. 1 returning cornerback in college football, Leonard Moore. Freeman has strived to become a line driven program since the day he took the job. This season, the Irish have the highest outlook in the trenches since his arrival with several All-American candidates on both sides of the ball. 

Continuity At The Top ….

This is the first time in Freeman's tenure that he returns his offensive coordinator, defensive coordinator and special teams coordinator. Veteran play caller Mike Denbrock is entering his third year with the Irish, defensive coordinator Chris Ash is now in year two of his system while special teams coordinator Marty Biagi is walking into his 4th season in South Bend. Another common theme we've seen from past championship winners is continuity at the top, and the Irish certainly have that.  

Proper Motivation ….

College football is a sport surrounded by storylines. Is there a bigger storyline entering the 2026 college football season than Notre Dame's playoff snub last year? It's debatable, but I don't think there is. There's no better motivation in sports than being denied an opportunity to compete by the powers that be. There was a lot to be desired after the 2025 regular season. Notre Dame was playing their best football in November, they were riding a 10-game win streak and looked the part of a true championship contender. This year, their mantra 'Leave No Doubt' will be on full display. 

They've Been Here Before ….

Last season, they entered the season as being 'the hunted' which was a first for Freeman and some of the veterans on his squad. After their historic run in the first 12-team College Football Playoffs, a target was placed on Notre Dame's backs. It's not a coincidence that Miami and Texas A&M built their playoff resumes around their wins over the Irish. Freeman, his staff and the leadership on the team now have experience and understand the work it takes and understand the focus they must maintain if they're going to be one of 'the hunted' this fall. 

THE COUNTER ARGUMENT

They've Been Here Before ….

The 'they've been here before' argument is a double sided coin. Yes, they have the experience from 2025, but I wouldn't be doing my due diligence if I didn't point out the other side of that argument. Last season, as 'the hunted' Notre Dame lost to the two best opponents they played, the Hurricanes and the Aggies. Will they be able to take the lessons they learned and apply them to this year? In a perfect world, yes but after their home loss to Marshall in 2022 I thought their days of losing to MAC teams in the home opener were behind us as well until I was brought back down to earth in 2024. 

Will History Repeat Itself? ….

Since 2006, these types of situations have not been kind to the Irish. In 2005, Notre Dame had a resurgence led by Brady Quinn, Jeff Samardzija, Darius Walker, Victor Abiamiri, Tom Zbikowski and a host of others. All of those players, and more, returned in 2006, but the product on the field didn't look quite the same. They were further away from competing for a title in 2006 than they were in 2005 but returned the majority of their roster and were ranked as the preseason No. 2 team in the country.

In 2018, Notre Dame went undefeated and made their first appearance in the four-team College Football Playoffs. The following season, they returned a good chunk of their offensive line, receiver Chase Claypool, starting quarterback Ian Book and a host of talented defensive players. Unfortunately, they were out of playoff contention by the start of November despite being ranked as a Top 10 team in the preseason. 

Departure Of Stars ….

Notre Dame also lost a lot of offensive star power. Running backs Jeremiyah Love and Jadarian Price along with three of their four leading pass catchers headlined by boundary receiver Malachi Fields are now all in the NFL. Love and Price were both taken in the first round of the NFL Draft after an impressive two-year stint as the top duo in the country. Notre Dame has a lot of star-power potential, but will need several players to emerge this season in the wide receiving corps, tight end and running back if they wish to make a deep run. 

MY THOUGHTS

At the end of the day, we won't know the answer to this question until we watch it unfold from September to November. Having said that, I think Notre Dame is in position to handle the pressure of this season. The motivation they bring into 2026 speaks for itself but I wouldn't trade the talent they have on the field or the experience they have on the sideline with any other program in the country. Freeman rarely makes the same mistake twice; he, his staff and his players now understand the true meaningful of what it means to be 'the hunted'. 

Carr is an exceptionally mature quarterback for his age, despite being a redshirt sophomore and he's a competitor. Stars were lost on offense, no doubt about it, but I believe Notre Dame has earned the right to be considered a team that reloads and doesn't need to rebuild. As far as the history piece is concerned, what happened in 2006 and 2019 doesn't carry too much weight with me. Is it valid to look at past seasons as a reference? Sure, but Freeman, this staff and these players weren't on those teams. 

The ultimate question won't get answered until we see this team perform throughout the season. But based on the things we saw during spring and will likely see in fall camp, this team has a different level of focus. Their slogan 'Leave No Doubt' isn't just a catchy marketing tool to sell t-shirts. They've adopted that mindset during the offseason and I have all the confidence we'll see that translated to Saturdays (and one Sunday) during the season. 

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