Notre Dame and CJ Carr took a little bit of heat from the casuals after a Blue-Gold spring football game that was a little underwhelming. The spring game should never be a major indicator — good or bad — of how a program will perform during the season, and in some post spring rankings, it didn’t move the needle for the Irish.

In a post-spring-too-early-top-25 set of rankings by USA Today, Notre Dame comes in at the No. 2 team in the country behind No. 1 Ohio State.

This shapes up to be Marcus Freeman’s best team. There are no questions at quarterback with CJ Carr returning for his second season as a starter. He is set to shoulder more of the offensive load with new running backs replacing Jeremiyah Love and Jadarian Price. Jordan Faison anchors the wide receiver room with the hope Jaden Greathouse and Ohio State transfer Mylan Graham will be significant contributors. Bryce Young is the leader of a defensive line that added transfers Francis Brewu (Pittsburgh) and Keon Keeley (Alabama) to bolster the front seven. But the biggest strength of the defense will a secondary with Leonard Moore, Christian Gray and Colorado transfer DJ McKinney.

While Notre Dame’s 2026 schedule has took some heat, the Irish have 3 opponents ranked in the top 25 from a schedule that has 10 Power 4 opponents.

No. 6 Miami HurricanesNo. 14 BYU CougarsNo. 18 SMU Mustangs

The expectations for the Irish next season have continually stacked up since the end of the 2025 season, when the Indiana Hoosiers were crowned national champions. Just about everything from 2025 left a bad taste in the mouths of the players, coaches, and fans — but it could serve as the fuel for a major title run this year.