Undefeated Notre Dame (4-0) continues to ride the No. 3 spot in the latest US LBM Coaches and Associated Press polls.
Despite no movement in the rankings, ESPN’s Heather Dinich thinks the Fighting Irish should move up a spot in the updated College Football Playoff projections following Week 4 action.
Dinich bumped Notre Dame from No. 6 to No. 5 this week. The thing that impresses Dinich the most are the Irish’s 3-0 record against Big 10 opponents, which include double-digit victories against Wisconsin, Michigan State and Purdue.
Quarterback CJ Carr’s impressive showing of four touchdowns in Notre Dame’s 49-10 win over the Boilermakers also caught Dinich’s attention. Carr also has just one interception through four games.
“And two of their four (wins)
have come outside of South Bend,” Dinich added. “Saturday's game at Purdue was a complete effort, as the Irish made game-changing plays in all three phases. Notre Dame's defense continues to show it's one of the best in the country. The group constantly pressured Purdue quarterback Ryan Browne, who at one point in the first half was sacked three times in six snaps.
Dinich also noted that the Irish made it through September unbeaten for the first time with Marcus Freeman at the helm.
Notre Dame also managed to avoid “any embarrassing upset like it did against NIU (2024), and playing from behind like it did after last year's 0-2 start,” Dinich added.
“That's an important cushion with games against BYU and Miami still looming,” she continued.
Speaking of the Hurricanes, Dinich said that the matchup against Miami (Nov. 7) is the Irish’s toughest game remaining on their regular season schedule. Last season, the Canes beat Notre Dame 27-24.
Notre Dame will go up against North Carolina on Saturday at noon.
Oh hey there @GatorsFB …
— Heather Dinich (@CFBHeather) September 27, 2026
https://t.co/KnMEJY8Z5A
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This article originally appeared on Fighting Irish Wire: ESPN moves Notre Dame up in post-Week 4 CFP projections
