Notre Dame has an opportunity to make some noise this season with a stacked roster and a chip on their shoulders.
Last season, the Irish went 10-2 and were anchored by the likes of Heisman finalist running back Jeremiyah Love and backfield mate Jadarian Price, budding superstar quarterback CJ Carr, elite cornerback Leonard Moore and linebacker Drayk Bowen. Despite the advantages, Notre Dame was snubbed out of the College Football Playoff, an omission that still stings today.
Bowl predictions from ESPN bowl gurus Kyle Bonagura and Mark Schlabach on Saturday not only have the Irish making the 2027 College Football Playoff, but reaching the national championship game at Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas.
Bonagura has Notre Dame as the No. 2 seed in the CFP
quarterfinals, while Schlabach has the Irish at No. 3. Bonagura pits the Irish against No. 7 Miami and Schlabach predicts a No. 6 BYU-Notre Dame showdown.
Both Bonagura and Schlabach have Notre Dame competing in the Allstate Sugar Bowl at the Caesars Superdome in New Orleans for the CFP semifinals – with respective, projected matchups versus No. 3 Texas and No. 2 Georgia.
Bonagura and Schlabach’s final predictions have Notre Dame going up against top-seeded Ohio State. Of course, the predicted winner remains to be seen, but the Irish would love to extract some revenge on the Buckeyes, who they haven’t beaten since 1936. Notre Dame will look to end a national title-winning drought that’s lasted nearly 40 years since 1988.
2026-27 preseason College Football Playoff, bowl projections https://t.co/HesxsGu4ty
— Adam Rittenberg (@ESPNRittenberg) August 22, 2026
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This article originally appeared on Fighting Irish Wire: Where does ESPN have Notre Dame in its latest 2027 CFP projections?
