March 9, 2026, 7:03 a.m. ET
Notre Dame is returning significant talent, including quarterback C.J. Carr.
Notre Dame may have chosen to sit out last bowl season but it does not look like outsiders think the momentum in South Bend is slowing down.
FanDuel released their odds-on favorites to win the college football national title next year and it was the Fighting Irish who sit atop of those projections with +650 odds to win it all. For those non-gamblers reading this, it means that should a person bet $100 for Notre Dame to win it all, they would in turn receive $750 ($650 profit) if the Irish do finish the season as champions.
Notre Dame narrowly edged out Ohio State (+700), Texas (+700), and Indiana (+750) to be the favorite, and Oregon (+850) rounds out the top five. Those odds show just how slim the margins are at the top of college football.
Notre Dame is returning a significant portion of their production next season, headlined by quarterback C.J. Carr and a core bolstered through both high school recruiting and the transfer portal.
Still, it needs to be mentioned that these projections in March are just that, projections and not quite predictions. Notre Dame will once again have to handle the pressure of being an independent program and thus have a very small margin of error. This year, being the favorite will put extra pressure on Marcus Freeman’s shoulders because the narrative will go from whether they can break through to can they live up to the expectations.
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The Irish have been a fixture in the college football playoff race the last few years and it looks as if this year will be no different.
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