Notre Dame is getting the job done so far through three weeks of the season.
The Fighting Irish are No. 3 in this week’s US LBM Coaches and Associated Press polls, and the team is still a heavy favorite to qualify for the College Football Playoff.
Despite being in solid shape, Notre Dame has dropped from No. 3 to 4 in ESPN’s updated Football Power Index
. The Irish’s FPI is at 26.8, which is between 0.3 and 1.0 below Ohio State, Texas and Georgia.According to ESPN, Notre Dame’s projected win-loss record is 11-1, and has 35.1% chance to win out the rest of the season. ESPN is giving the Irish an 80.9% chance to make the CFP, a 23.3% probability to reach the national title game and a 12.6% chance to win it.
Notre Dame (3-0) will hit the road this
week to face Purdue (1-2) on Saturday.
NEW: Updated ESPN FPI after week 3 of the College Football season📈📉https://t.co/HSfmBDVkvp pic.twitter.com/b7vuJYETLi
— On3 (@On3) September 20, 2026
Contact/Follow us @IrishWireND on X (formerly Twitter) and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Notre Dame news, notes and opinions.
Follow Kevin on X: @KevLSmittie
This article originally appeared on Fighting Irish Wire: Notre Dame drops down in ESPN FPI rankings after Week 3
