The US LBM preseason Coaches Poll was released on Tuesday afternoon, and by all accounts Notre Dame was placed in a good spot at No. 5.
However, that isn’t what Blake Toppmeyer thinks, as he says that “the Irish are underrated,” by the poll. He thinks that Notre Dame has the easiest schedule of the top-10, giving them a great path to make the College Football Playoff. Toppmeyer class the Irish a “national championship contender hiding at No. 5” which we all believe is the case this year.
Notre Dame has a “roster built for a national championship contender,” with a Heisman-hopeful at quarterback in CJ Carr. Toppmeyer goes as far as saying that the Irish “could be celebrating the program’s first national championship since the 1988 season,” and
it seems like many are in that camp.
Notre Dame will enter the season with extremely high expectations, even if Toppmeyer believes they are underrated in the preseason Coaches Poll. It should be a fun 2026 campaign for the Irish, as they are seemingly set up for a massive year.
Who got snubbed, who got too much love, and which unranked team should be in the Top 25? Let's get to it in our coaches poll hot takes. https://t.co/5QyLbockkb
— USA TODAY Sports (@usatodaysports) August 4, 2026
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This article originally appeared on Fighting Irish Wire: USA TODAY: ‘Notre Dame got hosed’ in US LBM preseason Coaches Poll
