ESPN analyst drops controversial No. 1 in way-too-early Top 25 college football rankings originally appeared on The Sporting News. Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
After a controversial end to the 2025 college football season for the Notre Dame Fighting Irish, they come in at No. 1 on Josh Pate’s way-to-early Top 25 rankings.
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When the dust settled in the College Football Playoff, Marcus Freeman’s team was left wondering what would be next. Well it’s clear to say some analysts are still very high on the Irish heading into the 2026 season.
Notre Dame’s absence from the postseason was a choice. The tenth-ranked Irish withdrew from bowl consideration after being left out of the 12-team College Football Playoff, with the final spot going to the Miami Hurricanes despite Notre Dame being ranked ahead of Miami in every previous CFP reveal.
ND athletic director Pete Bevacqua defended the decision, calling it “the right decision” alongside coach Marcus Freeman. Bevacqua cited player health, finals week and team continuity as central factors.
The Irish would’ve landed in the Pop Tarts Bowl, which racked up a record 8.7 million viewers on ESPN with BYU and Georgia Tech. That total was more than every Fighting Irish game this season except the Labor Day night opener against Miami, which averaged 10.8 million.
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From a branding standpoint, though, the ratings were unavoidable. Bowls without Notre Dame thrived, while the Irish no longer commanded must-watch status on their own.
Miami advanced to the national championship game and pushed Indiana to the limit, with the Hoosiers earning their title and best finish in school history behind Heisman Trophy winner Fernando Mendoza.
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As for Notre Dame’s upcoming season, we’ll know midway through if they’ll live up to the hype. With matchups at BYU and against Miami in a three-week span, Freeman and the Irish have the ability to make a statement for the Playoff committee.
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