ESPN Deems Notre Dame A Tier 1 Team Ahead Of The 2026 Season
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Many of us have heard the saying 'there's levels to everything' and that's especially true in the world of college football. Teams like Notre Dame, Ohio State, Texas, Oregon, Miami, Indiana and Georgia amongst others are all fighting to win the 2026 CFP national championship. But what teams have the highest ceiling? Which teams are the safest bets? ESPN took a look at all 138 FBS teams and separated them into tiers and the Notre Dame Fighting Irish are in their top tier as one of 'the safest bets' this fall.
"Notre Dame returns 72% of its offensive and defensive snaps from last season, according to ESPN's Bill Connelly," David Hale of ESPN shared. "That's the best rate in the country. No team had a better explosive play differential last season vs. FBS opponents than Notre Dame (plus-7.5%). Leonard Moore has allowed 19 completions for a first down as the primary defender in his career. Eleven of them came when Notre Dame held a double-digit lead. None came when the Irish were trailing. He allowed just four in his past 11 games."
The Irish are one of four teams atop of ESPN's tier list along with the Indiana Hoosiers, the Miami Hurricanes and the Ohio State Buckeyes. I also don't think it's a coincidence that ESPN ranked these four teams in tier 1 with the Buckeyes traveling to Bloomington on October 17 and the Hurricanes traveling to South Bend on November 7.
Overall, ESPN placed the 138 FBS teams into 20 different categories and all of Notre Dame's opponents are listed throughout ESPN's tiers list:
Wisconsin Badgers – Tier 13: Three Months Until Basketball Season
Rice Owls – Tier 18: Are We Having Fun Yet?
Michigan State Spartans – Tier 15: If Indiana Can Do It…
Purdue Boilermakers – Tier 15: If Indiana Can Do It…
North Carolina Tarheels – Tier 15: If Indiana Can Do It…
Stanford Cardinal – Tier 15: If Indiana Can Do It…
BYU Cougars – Tier 3: Maybe This Is Their Year
Navy Midshipmen – Tier 9: So You're Saying There's A Chance
Miami Hurricanes – Tier 1: The Safest Bets
Boston College Eagles – Tier 15: If Indiana Can Do It…
SMU Mustangs – Tier 5: Always Close But No Cigar
Syracuse Orange – Tier 10: It Has To Get Better. Right? Right?!
Notre Dame's perceived second toughest opponent, the BYU Cougars are in ESPN's Tier 3 category: is it their year? Head coach Kalani Sitake has gone 23-4 over the last two seasons and returns key pieces to his 2026 roster. Their matchup on October 17 when they host the visiting Fighting Irish will tell us a lot about both programs, not just the Cougars.
The SMU Mustangs ranked in their Tier 5 category and are considered 'dark horses' to make the '26 CFP out of the ACC. The Mustangs and head coach Rhett Lashlee are two years removed from playing for the conference championship and making the first 12-team College Football Playoffs. With quarterback Kevin Jennings returning, their road to making the field of 12 is looking promising.
Obviously, all eyes will be on their matchup with the Hurricanes On November 7, but this ranking backs up what we've been talking about here at Irish Breakdown throughout the offseason. Notre Dame is poised to be one of the premier teams in the country this season and it's not just us who believe this to be true. All eyes will be on the Irish and head coach Marcus Freeman this fall on their journey to win the program's 12th national title.
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