With the release of the US LBM Coaches Poll, we know now where Notre Dame stands among the best teams in the nation.
Sure, the Irish weren’t ranked in the top spot, but for many, preseason polls are just a complete guess as to how good teams actually are. However, there are more than a few top analysts that really know the game, with On3’s Josh Pate being one of them.
While he didn’t play the game at this level, he’s established himself as one of the top voices and on Tuesday, Pate revealed his College Football Playoff bracket projection along with who will win. Not only does he have Notre Dame as the top overall seed, he’s got the Irish going all the way, defeating Texas in the championship game.
A first-round bye sets up at matchup against Oregon,
and then a massive one against Indiana in the semifinals. Pate also includes two of Notre Dame’s 2026 opponents in Miami and BYU, with the Hurricanes being the No. 3 seed and the Cougars No. 7. In this scenario, the Irish would beat both of those teams in the regular season.
No Notre Dame fans will complain if Pate ends up being correct, as the hype continues to grown nationally. The Irish are viewed as one of the few teams that could win it all this fall, and picking them isn’t a stretch at all.
CFP Prediction Version 1.0 pic.twitter.com/yVsTvBQUJh
— Josh Pate (@JoshPateCFB) August 5, 2026
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This article originally appeared on Fighting Irish Wire: On3’s Josh Pate makes his National Champion pick, is it Notre Dame?
