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The USA TODAY Preseason Coaches Poll is out and the Notre Dame Fighting Irish are ranked No. 5 in the initial rankings. Notre Dame has ranged from No. 2 to No. 5 in preseason magazine rankings, but the first "official" poll has the Irish at the bottom of the Top 5. 

Notre Dame finished the 2025 season ranked No. 11 in the final USA TODAY rankings, but a roster that returns a lot of talent and production from last season has expectations high for the Irish. ESPN's Bill Connelly has Notre Dame ranked No. 1 in returning production this season, and the Irish are led by preseason Heisman Trophy candidate CJ Carr at quarterback. Notre Dame also returns one of the deepest and most talented defenses in all of college football.

Notre Dame gets plenty of flak for its 2026 schedule, but three of its opponents are ranked in the Top 25, and all of them are ranking in the top 20 teams. Miami is ranked No. 7 in the preseason rankings, BYU is ranked No. 15 and SMU is ranked No. 20. The Hurricanes and Irish both advanced to the national championship game in the last two seasons, and their game against each other on November 7th is set to be an epic game between a pair of Top 10 teams, assuming both handle their business in advance. The Irish and Cougars will play in Provo on October 18th. Notre Dame ends its home slate on November 21st when it hosts SMU, a team the Irish have not played since 1989. 

There are several potential Top 10 matchups this season. No. 1 Ohio State has games scheduled against No. 2 Oregon (Nov. 7), No. 4 Texas (Sep. 12) and No. 6 Indiana (Oct. 17). The Buckeyes also play No. 14 USC (Oct. 31), No. 16 Michigan (Nov. 28) and No. 22 Iowa (Oct. 3).

No. 3 Georgia has a September 26th matchup against No. 9 Oklahoma and a November 7th game against No. 10 Ole Miss. Georgia also plays No. 11 Alabama on October 10th. No. 4 Texas also faces No. 9 Oklahoma in the annual Red River Rivalry on October 10th. The Longhorns also face No. 8 Texas A&M on November 27th. No. 9 Oklahoma also hosts No. 10 Ole Miss on November 14th. 

TOP 25 COACHES POLL

1. Ohio State Buckeyes
2. Oregon Ducks
3. Georgia Bulldogs
4. Texas Longhorns
5. Notre Dame Fighting Irish
6. Indiana Hoosiers
7. Miami Hurricanes
8. Texas A&M Aggies
9. Oklahoma Sooners
10. Ole Miss Rebels
11. Alabama Crimson Tide
12. Texas Tech Red Raiders
13. LSU Tigers
14. USC Trojans
15. BYU Cougars
16. Michigan Wolverines
17. Penn State Nittany Lions
18. Tennessee Volunteers
19. Washington Huskies
20. SMU Mustangs
21. Utah Utes
22. Iowa Hawkeyes
23. Clemson Tigers
24. Houston Cougars
25. Missouri Tigers

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