The hype around Notre Dame heading into the 2026 season is bigger and louder than it’s been in quite some time. The players are talking about preparing for the season and making sure they don’t overlook anyone or anything. The coaches have their motto of “leave no doubt.” And the fans? Well, the Fighting Irish fans, or at least a large section of them, are already buying tickets to the College Football Playoff.
That last part is especially bold considering the program and the fans thought it was headed for the playoffs last year after winning 10 in a row. Then they were snubbed and even sat at home during bowl season.
John McCauley, a subway alum of the school from Nashville whose grandfather worked in Notre Dame’s development office under former school president Rev. Ted Hesburgh, bought an option on not just College Football Playoff tickets but title game tickets at CFP-RSVP.com. The site is a virtual marketplace affiliated with the CFP that sells the right to purchase a ticket to the championship game at face value, attached to a particular team.
According to The Athletic, the company has around 2,000 tickets to sell, split between the lower bowl (placed in a team-specific section) and upper bowl (where they’re spread out). This kind of RSVP approach can save fans quite a bit of money, depending on the odds of a team making it and when the RSVP’s are purchased.
Notre Dame fans buy CFP championship ticket options before 2026 season
Last year, a preseason RSVP for Indiana went for $20. Texas opened at $300 and sold out. When Notre Dame won its season opener at Texas A&M two years ago, McCauley bought four Irish RSVPs for $160 each. A week later, after the Northern Illinois loss, Notre Dame RSVPs were selling for $30.
“This is the first time I’ve had the Lou Holtz feeling about Notre Dame since Lou Holtz,” McCauley said. “All of us are superstitious and we hate talking about this. But we listen to every podcast on Notre Dame, even the terrible ones.”
McCauley is hardly the only Notre Dame fan who believes this year has a different feel to it than even the one where the Irish made it to the CFP semifinal. There’s a feeling that the program will be one of, if not the best, programs in the country. And the fans don’t want to be caught paying thousands of dollars over market value, or seeing tickets go to fans of other teams.
It’s clear the hype over Notre Dame is massive among analysts and those around college football. Fighting Irish fans are buying in more than they’ve allowed themselves to do so in quite some time.
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