The wins just keep coming for Notre Dame following a 37-26 triumph over North Carolina on Saturday.
Despite the Fighting Irish taking care of business, Andy Staples of On3 has Notre Dame at No. 6 in his latest College Football Playoff bracket prediction.
While Notre Dame is out of the first-round bye window, multiple experts including Staples have the Irish in the 2026 field after a painful CFP snub last year. He projects that Notre Dame will host No. 11 Mississippi State in the opening round, which would be played in South Bend.
The winner of that game would go on to face No. 3 Miami in the next round. That means Staples probably has the Hurricanes defeating the Irish when they play during the regular season. A rematch would be an interesting
development, as it would add just a bit more excitement to a potential quarterfinal CFP contest.
NEW: College Football Playoff Bracketology via @AndyStaples🏆
— On3 (@On3) October 4, 2026
Do you agree?🤔https://t.co/hZSm7PML7M pic.twitter.com/pCxS6xBfVm
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This article originally appeared on Fighting Irish Wire: Where does On3 have Notre Dame in its mock CFP bracket after Week 5?













