Notre Dame

The Irish lost their shot at a national championship in 2025's title game, but the program believes it's actually better positioned for a run this year despite losing both starting running backs to the NFL Draft. Jeremiyah Love (48.9 PPA) and Jadarian Price (23.5 PPA) are gone, but defensive tackle Tionne Gray's arrival from Oregon headlines a transfer class designed to push Notre Dame over the top. The Irish rank third nationally in JP+'s preseason ratings at +22.4 points, powered by elite units on both sides of the ball — the offense grades fourth at +12.0 while the defense sits sixth at +11.0, though special teams remain a liability at 127th nationally.

JP+ projects exactly 10.0 wins for Notre Dame across 12 games, setting up the Irish as a virtual playoff lock with upside for more if they can navigate road tests at BYU and North Carolina plus a home date with Miami. CJ Carr returns under center after Kenny Minchey transferred to Kentucky, while the receiving corps gets reinforcements from Ohio State transfers Quincy Porter and Mylan Graham alongside Colorado cornerback DJ McKinney on defense. If the rebuilt backfield finds its footing early and the defense maintains last year's standard, Notre Dame has the talent to finish what it couldn't in 2025. If not, 10 wins still represents a successful campaign for a program that knows it's knocking on the door.