Notre Dame 2026 Preview
The College Football Experience (@TCEonSGPN) on the Sports Gambling Podcast Network continues its 138 college football team preview series with the Notre Dame Fighting Irish 2026 Season Preview. Pick Dundee aka (@TheColbyD) & Ryan McIntyre (@Moneyline_Mac) break down the 2026 Notre Dame roster and what to expect from an Independent chasing the College Football Playoff this season. Can Marcus Freeman follow a 10-2 campaign and a Playoff run with another January push? Was the 0-2 mark in one-score games the difference between a good year and a great one?
Can returning quarterback CJ Carr build on a 2,741-yard, 24-touchdown redshirt-freshman season under offensive coordinator Mike Denbrock? Will an offense that ranked second nationally in scoring stay elite with 67 percent of its production back? Can Chris Ash’s defense hold its 10th-ranked scoring form after the transfer portal reshaped the back seven? Did Notre Dame win or lose the transfer portal this offseason? How does the schedule set up, from Wisconsin to a brutal Miami and Syracuse finish? And where’s the betting value on the 10.5 win total and the -800 CFP price? We talk it all and more on this episode of The College Football Experience.
Marcus Freeman And A Notre Dame Program On The Rise
This Notre Dame 2026 preview starts with a head coach who has the Fighting Irish rolling. Marcus Freeman enters the season 43-12 in South Bend. So the deck rates his seat a 1 out of 10, one of the coolest marks in the country. First, Notre Dame finished 10-2 a season ago and reached the College Football Playoff. Then both losses came in one-score games, 27-24 to Miami and 41-40 to Texas A&M. Because the Irish went 0-2 in those tight finishes, the margins are where this season turns. From there, the deck grades the program a 9 out of 10 and trending up.
CJ Carr Leads A Loaded Notre Dame Offense
Notre Dame’s offense ranked second nationally in scoring and 12th in total offense in 2025. The passing game landed 37th and the run game 17th. Mike Denbrock returns to call the plays as offensive coordinator, so the system carries over. First, redshirt sophomore CJ Carr takes the reins at quarterback. He completed 66.6 percent of his throws for 2,741 yards and 24 touchdowns. Then the room returns 67 percent of its production. Receiver Jordan Faison is back, and the line rebuilds around Ashton Craig, Anthonie Knapp, Guerby Lambert and Joe Otting. Also in play is the run game, which must be rebuilt after multiple backs were drafted. From there, Denbrock leans on a line the deck expects to rank among the nation’s best.
Chris Ash Reworks The Notre Dame Defense
Chris Ash takes over as defensive coordinator this season. First, the unit ranked 10th nationally in scoring defense and 22nd in total defense a year ago. Then the run defense finished a stout 11th, while the pass defense lagged at 56th. Because the back end is the clear fix, Ash inherits the right problem to attack. Meanwhile the roster returns 77 percent of its production, one of the higher marks in the country. Linebackers Jaiden Ausberry and Drayk Bowen anchor the front seven. Christian Gray, Leonard Moore and Adon Shuler headline a secondary that has to hold up. Jason Onye and Boubacar Traore lead the line, and the deck ranks this roster fifth overall.
The Schedule And The Notre Dame Win Total
Notre Dame opens at home against Wisconsin before Rice, Michigan State and Purdue fill out the early slate. First, a road test at North Carolina and a trip to Stanford follow. Then a Provo trap game at BYU sits right before the bye week. From there, the Irish draw Navy and Miami out of the break. Next they close through Boston College, SMU and Syracuse. What does a Saturday feel like inside Notre Dame Stadium when the Irish chase another Playoff berth? The deck sets the Notre Dame win total at 10.5. It also prices the Fighting Irish at -800 to make the College Football Playoff. So the hosts weigh the over against one of the sport’s most demanding independent schedules.
College Football Previews
SEC
Arkansas Razorbacks
Auburn Tigers
Georgia Bulldogs
Kentucky Wildcats
LSU Tigers
Missouri Tigers
Oklahoma Sooners
South Carolina Gamecocks
Tennessee Volunteers
Big Ten
Illinois Fighting Illini
Iowa Hawkeyes
Michigan State Spartans
Northwestern Wildcats
USC Trojans
Washington Huskies
Big 12
Baylor Bears
Iowa State Cyclones
Kansas State Wildcats
Oklahoma State Cowboys
TCU Horned Frogs
Texas Tech Red Raiders
UCF Knights
West Virginia Mountaineers
ACC
Boston College Eagles
Clemson Tigers
Miami Hurricanes
Pittsburgh Panthers
Syracuse Orangemen
Virginia Cavaliers
Wake Forest Demon Deacons
Pac-12
Boise State Broncos
Fresno State Bulldogs
San Diego State Aztecs
Washington State Cougars
American
Army Black Knights
Navy Midshipmen
Temple Owls
Tulsa Golden Hurricane
Mountain West
Air Force Falcons
Hawaii Rainbow Warriors
New Mexico Lobos
San Jose State Spartans
Sun Belt
Arkansas State Red Wolves
Georgia Southern Eagles
Georgia State Panthers
Louisiana Ragin Cajuns
Marshall Thundering Herd
South Alabama Jaguars
MAC
Bowling Green Falcons
Buffalo Bulls
Miami OH Redhawks
Ohio Bobcats
Toledo Rockets
Umass Minutemen
Western Michigan Broncos
Conference USA
Jacksonville State Gamecocks
Liberty Flames
Middle Tennessee Blue Raiders
Independents
Notre Dame Fighting Irish
UConn Huskies
Podcast Chapters
00:00 Download the SGPN App Today!
02:03 Welcome To The Notre Dame Preview
04:55 2025 Snub & The Freeman Buzz
09:48 Marcus Freeman Evaluation
13:32 Mike Denbrock’s Offense & CJ Carr
20:25 Chris Ash’s Defense & Portal Turnover
24:43 Tailgate Report & South Bend Bars
28:12 Notre Dame Stadium & Irish Legends
30:47 Grading The Program Today
31:54 Wisconsin, Cupcakes & The Early Slate
36:40 Road Tests: UNC, Stanford & BYU
41:33 Navy, Miami & The BC-SMU-Syracuse Finish
48:29 Schedule Strength & The Win Total
53:38 Wrap Up And Fight Song
