As US LBM Coaches Poll No. 2 Notre Dame inches closer to the probability of qualifying for the College Football Playoff, ESPN’s Heather Dinich shows where teams stand in her projections after Week 6.
Dinich has the Fighting Irish as “would be in,” going off the team having the third-best chance of reaching the CFP by 93.3%, according to ESPN Analytics.
Notre Dame is just behind Georgia and Miami, who respectively have 95.7% and 94.7% chances to make the CFP.
“Notre Dame leads the country in total efficiency and has won three games outside of South Bend, Indiana, including the season opener against Wisconsin at Green Bay’s Lambeau Field,” Dinich said in her report. “That first one is the best win of the season for the Irish, as Wisconsin hasn't
lost since and is 4-1.
Dinich noted that the Irish have looked like a better team than No. 8 BYU, but Notre Dame “will be tested” in their first ranked road matchup against the Cougars on Saturday night.
“Notre Dame has some margin for error; as long as it's ranked in the committee's top 12 on Selection Day, Notre Dame is guaranteed a spot in the field,” Dinich added. “If the Irish lose at BYU, though, they'll be in must-win mode Nov. 7 versus Miami. While there's a guarantee in place for the Irish, there's no guarantee they'll finish in the top 12 if they have two losses.”
With Texas, Alabama and LSU losing in Week 6 and undefeated UCLA winning at Oregon, the door opened for some teams to enter the College Football Playoff conversation.@CFBHeather has the latest bubble watch ⬇️ https://t.co/gPJLvZJ9UN
— ESPN College Football (@ESPNCFB) October 13, 2026
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This article originally appeared on Fighting Irish Wire: Here is where ESPN has Notre Dame in CFP projections after Week 6
