Notre Dame 2026

[23andCounting]

2 hours ago, Bash Riprock said:

ND had a much stronger SOS in 2024 (4) vs 2025 (44) according to ESPN. 
 

You can search ESPN FPI and will allow you to compare by year. 

So how important is it to be "battle tested" at the college ranks vs that of high school? People close to Notre Dame feel that this year's team is better than last year's team. Including myself. 

[Bash Riprock]

8 minutes ago, 23andCounting said:

So how important is it to be "battle tested" at the college ranks vs that of high school? People close to Notre Dame feel that this year's team is better than last year's team. Including myself. 

I am not surprised in the least that people close to ND feel this way right now, especially given the slight.  Obviously, the CFP committee felt differently.  My guess had the 2024 team had 2 regular season losses, they would have not been in the playoffs as well.  With ND as an independent and an unimpressive SOS, they better run the table or have no more than 1 loss.  As many have said, if ND wins either of the first 2 games, they are in the playoffs this year with the same regulary season record as 2024.  As an independent, ND has little room for error unless the SOS increases significantly.

[Komets2727]

Notre Dame is going to be on a slippery slope the next few years fellas. With the current landscape of college football, they will struggle to find power 4 teams to play. ACC 5 games they have may as well be group of 5 quality games, that conference is awful. Throw in the other 7 guaranteed wins on their schedule, and you have 12-0. Now, at some point, there will be a complete restructuring of the college football landscape and then maybe the Irish will be able to schedule some real teams on their schedule. Hoping it will happen in the next 2 years. CFP will be at 16 teams as well

[Irishman]

A lot of talk about strength of schedule. Something I looked up. 
Missouri was ranked 25^th at the end of the year. They were ranked all season. They played 4 ranked teams this regular season and lost all 4.
Exposed? They lost to a ranked Virginia team in the Gator Bowl. Virginia loses to a 5 loss Duke team in the ACC championship, but beats a ranked SEC team? 

Tennessee was ranked 23^rd at the end of the season and were ranked all season. They played 4 ranked teams this regular season and went 0-4.

LSU was ranked through October and played 5 ranked teams this year and went 0-5.

Vanderbilt finished ranked 14^th. They played 6 ranked teams and were 4-2. But those 4 teams were Missouri, Tennessee, LSU, and South Carolina was ranked at the time they played.

Those 4 teams being ranked all or most of the season artificially props up the SoS numbers for SEC teams, including Alabama.

Fact is that while Notre Dame catches grief for their SoS, but people want to ignore it for other teams.

[Bash Riprock]

4 minutes ago, Irishman said:

A lot of talk about strength of schedule. Something I looked up. 
Missouri was ranked 25^th at the end of the year. They were ranked all season. They played 4 ranked teams this regular season and lost all 4.
Exposed? They lost to a ranked Virginia team in the Gator Bowl. Virginia loses to a 5 loss Duke team in the ACC championship, but beats a ranked SEC team? 

Tennessee was ranked 23^rd at the end of the season and were ranked all season. They played 4 ranked teams this regular season and went 0-4.

LSU was ranked through October and played 5 ranked teams this year and went 0-5.

Vanderbilt finished ranked 14^th. They played 6 ranked teams and were 4-2. But those 4 teams were Missouri, Tennessee, LSU, and South Carolina was ranked at the time they played.

Those 4 teams being ranked all or most of the season artificially props up the SoS numbers for SEC teams, including Alabama.

Fact is that while Notre Dame catches grief for their SoS, but people want to ignore it for other teams.

Little confused Irish...no one said SOS was more important than wins.  None of those teams you used in your example made the playoffs or even were considered for the playoffs in 2025 seriously.  Perhaps Vandy? 

To make your case stronger (IMO) would be Texas Tech.  While they only had one loss (to unranked Arizona State) they had a SOS of 54....even higher than ND.  Yet it was never mentioned, probably because they won their conference title.  Had they lost the game, it would have been interesting if SOS was discussed when compared to other 2 loss teams such as ND and Miami.  Could make the same case for Miami (SOS in the 40's like ND) had they not beat ND head to head with identical records. 

At the end of the day, I think wins are more important than anything.  Had ND only had one loss, no discussion and SOS isn't mentioned.  I think SOS becomes more of a factor for teams on the bubble.  

[Irishman]

4 minutes ago, Bash Riprock said:

Little confused Irish...no one said SOS was more important than wins.  None of those teams you used in your example made the playoffs or even were considered for the playoffs in 2025 seriously.  Perhaps Vandy? 

My point wasn't about those teams being considered for the playoffs. My point was that teams who ARE in the playoffs had their SoS artificially propped up because those teams were kept as high in the rankings as they were. Alabama jumps out immediately when I started looking at this. The argument of Bama being more deserving of being in the playoff than ND has been based on SoS. That is why I posted that. 

[gonzoron]

The Irish are most likely going to need to turn to the portal for Defensive Line help.  On Monday, Donovan Hinish announced his retirement due to some lingering shoulder issues. Jason Onye is trying to get an extra year of eligibility but who knows how likely that is. They don't have that many recruits coming in as freshmen for the DL either. The recruiting class seems overloaded with offensive linemen, wide receivers, and linebackers. Coach Freeman needs to summon up some of his defensive magic.

https://www.uhnd.com/football/2025/12/30/donovan-hinish-retirement-turns-notre-dames-biggest-portal-priority-into-a-necessity/

[Bash Riprock]

8 minutes ago, Irishman said:

My point wasn't about those teams being considered for the playoffs. My point was that teams who ARE in the playoffs had their SoS artificially propped up because those teams were kept as high in the rankings as they were. Alabama jumps out immediately when I started looking at this. The argument of Bama being more deserving of being in the playoff than ND has been based on SoS. That is why I posted that. 

ok..that's fair.  Bama is probably the biggest debate given their record.  For some reason, they were given grace of not having the conference game count against them.  I don't understand this because it did hurt BYU and in the past it has hurt teams.  Perhaps the differential in SOS?  Bama's SOS being significantly higher than ND.  I don't think its artifically propped up...but it would be nice to understand how SOS is calculated.  To your point, how was the 6 SOS calculated?  I think that is fair question.  I also have to guess the committee was not about to omit the SEC runner-up.  (fair or unfair)

Perhaps it was Bama's big wins over Lousiana-Monroe and Eastern Illinois??? 😉 

[Irishman]

2 minutes ago, Bash Riprock said:

ok..that's fair.  Bama is probably the biggest debate given their record.  For some reason, they were given grace of not having the conference game count against them.  I don't understand this because it did hurt BYU and in the past it has hurt teams.  Perhaps the differential in SOS?  Bama's SOS being significantly higher than ND.  I don't think its artifically propped up...but it would be nice to understand how SOS is calculated.  To your point, how was the 6 SOS calculated?  I think that is fair question.  I also have to guess the committee was not about to omit the SEC runner-up.  (fair or unfair)

Perhaps it was Bama's big wins over Lousiana-Monroe and Eastern Illinois??? 😉 

I know rankings of opponents factor into SoS. a case could be made for Vandy to be ranked. But the other 3 should have dropped out of the rankings sooner than they did. I posted something about Tennessee during the regular season asking why they were still ranked. That is what I mean when I say Bama's SoS was artificially propped up. 

Ignoring the Conference championship is a head scratcher for sure, especially when you look at how Bama finished the season, and how they lost the SEC Championship. 

[PDB26]

The SEC and Big Ten conference championship games were always going to be safe zones once the leagues expanded to the point where they did away with divisions, especially with a twelve-team field. 

[PDB26]

31 minutes ago, Irishman said:

I know rankings of opponents factor into SoS. a case could be made for Vandy to be ranked. But the other 3 should have dropped out of the rankings sooner than they did. I posted something about Tennessee during the regular season asking why they were still ranked. That is what I mean when I say Bama's SoS was artificially propped up. 

Ignoring the Conference championship is a head scratcher for sure, especially when you look at how Bama finished the season, and how they lost the SEC Championship. 

Too much equity built up in the SEC over the last twenty years. Throw in the fumbling around in the ACC and Big 12 and you get a situation where it’s easy for voters to overvalue middle of the road SEC teams—for now at least.

[Irishman]

8 minutes ago, PDB26 said:

Too much equity built up in the SEC over the last twenty years. Throw in the fumbling around in the ACC and Big 12 and you get a situation where it’s easy for voters to overvalue middle of the road SEC teams—for now at least.

Yep....and throw in the ESPN factor. 

[PDB26]

13 minutes ago, Irishman said:

Yep....and throw in the ESPN factor. 

Eh, this phenomenon predates ESPN’s involvement with the SEC. If there were more Big Ten programs like Iowa, then that would probably knock a few of those SEC pretenders out earlier in the year. 

[Irishman]

2 minutes ago, PDB26 said:

Eh, this phenomenon predates ESPN’s involvement with the SEC. If there were more Big Ten programs like Iowa, then that would probably knock a few of those SEC pretenders out earlier in the year. 

Cannot disagree with that, but I am thinking from the standpoint of the new contract ESPN has with them. 

[23andCounting]

3 hours ago, Bash Riprock said:

I am not surprised in the least that people close to ND feel this way right now, especially given the slight.  Obviously, the CFP committee felt differently.  My guess had the 2024 team had 2 regular season losses, they would have not been in the playoffs as well.  With ND as an independent and an unimpressive SOS, they better run the table or have no more than 1 loss.  As many have said, if ND wins either of the first 2 games, they are in the playoffs this year with the same regulary season record as 2024.  As an independent, ND has little room for error unless the SOS increases significantly.

I think real Notre Dame football fans had a sense that this year's team was better somewhere between weeks five and eleven. The "slight" didn't make them better or worse. 

The committee decides who gets in and who doesn't. That doesn't make them any smarter than the casual fan. You're naive if you don't think ESPN put some pressure on them. 

Agree regarding 2026. I think they get in with one loss as long and they win out impressively. But if that one loss makes them a 10th or 11th ranked team, I'm sure the committee will find a way to make the Irish #13 when it counts. All bets are off after the sham that took place this year. No credibility to the committee whatsoever after what transpired. As someone else stated, their should be only one CFPS show, at the end of the season when it counts. What they did to the Notre Dame coaches and players (who gives a shit about the fans) was just plain cruel. 

[Bash Riprock]

4 minutes ago, 23andCounting said:

I think real Notre Dame football fans had a sense that this year's team was better somewhere between weeks five and eleven. The "slight" didn't make them better or worse. 

The committee decides who gets in and who doesn't. That doesn't make them any smarter than the casual fan.

Flat out disagree...do you even know who the committee members are?

• of the 13 total members, 3 are former successful college coaches.  2 of them from Power conferences
• 7 current athletic directors.....5 from P5 conferences
• 1 former AD
• 1 former college and pro football player
• 1 well respected college football sports journalist.  BTW, in 2021 was let go by ESPN, so guessing he's not representing their interests.  Also a Stanford grad

Bottom line, these are people that are or have very much been in the college football business.  They have outstanding resumes for the game.  While one can certainly agree to disagree with their logic, they absolutely bring more to the table than that of the "casual fan".  I understand your disappointment with their decision, but attempting to discredit their in-depth involvement and knowledge of the game itself is nothing more than you still chewing on sour grapes. 

[23andCounting]

6 minutes ago, Bash Riprock said:

Flat out disagree...do you even know who the committee members are?

• of the 13 total members, 3 are former successful college coaches.  2 of them from Power conferences
• 7 current athletic directors.....5 from P5 conferences
• 1 former AD
• 1 former college and pro football player
• 1 well respected college football sports journalist.  BTW, in 2021 was let go by ESPN, so guessing he's not representing their interests.  Also a Stanford grad

Bottom line, these are people that are or have very much been in the college football business.  They have outstanding resumes for the game.  While one can certainly agree to disagree with their logic, they absolutely bring more to the table than that of the "casual fan".  I understand your disappointment with their decision, but attempting to discredit their in-depth involvement and knowledge of the game itself is nothing more than you still chewing on sour grapes. 

Sorry, there are lots of fans out there who can assess which are the better teams just as a former coach can. It's not hard to determine whether Team A is better or Team B. The casual fan can do that just by watching. If you don't think that a committee here on the GID is just as capable as the committee chosen for this year's CFPS, then yeah, I'd say naive. But that's not what this is even about. It's about ESPN owning the CFPS. 

[23andCounting]

12 minutes ago, Bash Riprock said:

but attempting to discredit their in-depth involvement and knowledge of the game itself is nothing more than you still chewing on sour grapes. 

I think this statement is more about you looking for someone to banter with in the absence of Temptation. 

[Komets2727]

31 minutes ago, 23andCounting said:

I think this statement is more about you looking for someone to banter with in the absence of Temptation. 

Temp is lurking on the boards, just not commenting…

Edited December 30, 2025 by Komets2727

[Bash Riprock]

1 hour ago, 23andCounting said:

Sorry, there are lots of fans out there who can assess which are the better teams just as a former coach can. It's not hard to determine whether Team A is better or Team B. The casual fan can do that just by watching. If you don't think that a committee here on the GID is just as capable as the committee chosen for this year's CFPS, then yeah, I'd say naive. But that's not what this is even about. It's about ESPN owning the CFPS. 

Sorry....do not agree a casual fan has as much knowledge about the college football game than a coach such as the former coaches on this committee.  I am not naive....you just have delusions of grandeur as well as some bitterness about this year's selection.  

[gonzoron]

There were 31,000 empty seats at the Pop Tarts Bowl. 

[23andCounting]

40 minutes ago, Bash Riprock said:

Sorry....do not agree a casual fan has as much knowledge about the college football game than a coach such as the former coaches on this committee.  I am not naive....you just have delusions of grandeur as well as some bitterness about this year's selection.  

If one isn't bitter, than they aren't a true Notre Dame fan. Probably the best shot ND has had since 1993 to win the title and they were wrongly jumped by FIVE SEC teams. Hell, the best conference in the country only had three. ESPN. Hard for me to let it go when you keep reeling me in. 

And sorry, I'd trust a committee from the GID over the one we currently have. No outside influence. 

[PDB26]

30 minutes ago, 23andCounting said:

If one isn't bitter, than they aren't a true Notre Dame fan. Probably the best shot ND has had since 1993 to win the title and they were wrongly jumped by FIVE SEC teams. Hell, the best conference in the country only had three. ESPN. Hard for me to let it go when you keep reeling me in. 

And sorry, I'd trust a committee from the GID over the one we currently have. No outside influence. 

If only there was a way to settle things on the field. Maybe that would have kept one of those SEC teams that out of the playoff. 

[gonzoron]

1 hour ago, PDB26 said:

If only there was a way to settle things on the field. Maybe that would have kept one of those SEC teams that out of the playoff. 

It was 1 uncalled holding on a 4th down play away.

[Bash Riprock]

On 12/30/2025 at 12:54 PM, Irishman said:

My point wasn't about those teams being considered for the playoffs. My point was that teams who ARE in the playoffs had their SoS artificially propped up because those teams were kept as high in the rankings as they were. Alabama jumps out immediately when I started looking at this. The argument of Bama being more deserving of being in the playoff than ND has been based on SoS. That is why I posted that. 

To your point Irish….