“Leave No Doubt” Notre Dame Season Preview PT 1

“Leave. No. Doubt”. Marcus Freeman uttered these commanding words in an interview with ESPN this past week when describing the mindset of Notre Dame coming into this season. Without explicitly stating it, it felt pretty clear that for the Irish, it’s championship or bust. Freeman has already led the Irish to a national championship appearance in 2024, losing at the hands of a near-impenetrable Ohio State team that only allowed 13 yards of rushing by non-Quarterbacks. Despite the team's success however, most Irish fans can look back on that season and say that despite being 14-1 heading into the CFP final, that team didn’t have the preparation or the confidence to win a national championship. They had suffered what is one of the most embarrassing losses in college football to Northern Illinois early in the season, and only one opponent they played in the regular season ended the year ranked. But with the 2026 season approaching, one can feel that something is different in South Bend, that Marcus Freeman has finally found an identity for the Irish, one that can be compared to the days of Gold when the 4 Horsemen and Knute Rockne led the Irish to their undefeated seasons and 3 national championships. The identity back then, and the identity they might have found again, Freeman has already clearly stated, “Leave No Doubt”. 

The last time the Irish crowned champions was all the way back in 1988; at the time, a clear sign that Lou Holtz had officially turned around a program that was living in its glory days and brought them back to being a powerhouse. Last season, in what was a shocking decision to most, the College Football Playoff Committee left Notre Dame out of the playoffs despite having a qualifying ranking the week before. With Notre Dame ranked 10th to begin conference championship week, the independent sat idle, feeling that, despite their losses against Miami (24-27) in week 1 and Texas A&M (40-41), they could be considered locks for the playoffs, especially after 11th-ranked BYU got trounced in the Big 12 championship game by Texas Tech. But when selection Sunday came, the committee had decided to jump Miami from 12th to 10th, over both BYU and Notre Dame despite sitting idle for the ACC championship game. While the head-to-head matchup favored Miami, for weeks the committee had kept the Irish above the Canes in the rankings due to upset losses against SMU and Louisville in October. So when Miami jumped in front of Notre Dame to steal their playoff spot, many were left dazed and confused. In response to the committee’s controversial decision, Notre Dame fired back with their own controversial decision to decline their invitation to the Pop-Tart Bowl and choose to sit out the postseason despite qualifying for a top bowl game. Many critics said this decision reflected the entire attitude of Notre Dame, with some calling them entitled and claiming that college football was not meant to be hacked by independents. 

Regardless of what people thought of the decision however, Notre Dame stuck to their decision and focused on getting to work for 2026. This is an Irish team that hasn’t played football since November, so with the 2026 season just days away, the expectations for Notre Dame are clear; if you’re going to bark real loud, you’d better have a real big bite to back it up. Many have called their schedule a “cupcake” schedule, claiming they’re shying away from real competition. As of now, they have three ranked games lined up against (14) BYU in week 7, (7) Miami in week 9, and (19) SMU in week 11. So with all the expectations that Notre Dame have- to win a national championship and go undefeated- the controversies they face caused by their bowl game absence and their independent schedule, and with a massive target on their back…Here come the Irish, ready to flip the script and bring a natty back to South Bend where it belongs.