It's no surprise that almost every analyst in the business expects Notre Dame football to be very, very good in 2026. In fact, the Irish currently have the best odds of any Blue Blood program to post an undefeated season. Those odds explain why CBS Sports' Brad Crawford offered up some good news to the Fighting Irish in predicting they'll spend several weeks as the top-ranked team in the country. The analyst also offered some very bad news regarding who will knock them from their perch and how.
Crawford believes Marcus Freeman's squad will ascend to No. 1 in Week 8 of the season. According to the analyst, they'll be 7-0 and replacing a Texas squad that was 5-0 but got upset by the Florida Gators. The Irish will then go into Week 9, coming off a bye with an 8-0 record and a clash against Miami.
Notre Dame football is predicted to hit No. 1 in Week 8 before hitting a Hurricane roadblock
Despite Notre Dame looking for revenge after its season-opening loss to 2025, Crawford believes the Hurricanes will win once again, this time in South Bend. That will knock the Irish out of the ranks of the unbeaten and the top ranking.
"After beating Notre Dame for the second straight season, the Hurricanes rise to No. 1 for the first time since 2002, Crawford wrote. Remaining matchups against Duke, Virginia Tech, and Boston College - plus the ACC Championship Game - stand between one of the nation's most explosive offenses and a potential unbeaten regular season."
If there's any solace in losing to the 'Canes in two straight seasons, it's that the CBS analyst believes Miami will finish the regular season undefeated and ranked No. 1 in the nation. The other solace, should the season play out the way Crawford believes, is that Notre Dame will get a chance for revenge in the College Football Playoff.