Notre Dame's talent questioned as they rank fourth in AP Top 25

Notre Dame Fighting Irish holds the No. 4 spot in the AP Top 25 as of August 28, 2026. Despite a collection of talent that includes Heisman candidate CJ Carr and potential award nominees Leonard Moore and Kyngstonn Viliamu-Asa, there are ongoing critiques about the team's ranking. Critics claim that opinions deeming Notre Dame overrated fail to recognize their talent level, as measured by 247 Sports' Team Talent Composite rankings. The discourse surrounding Notre Dame includes predictions of a potential national championship run, with analysts discussing their strengths in offense and defense.

• 11:30 AMYahoo Sports — Notre Dame is one of the most talented teams in the country, so of course they’re overrated