Notre Dame’s Biggest 2026 Obstacle Might Be Itself

The Irish have one of the most talented rosters in the country; it's now up to the staff and players to hold themselves to a higher standard and perform at an elite clip.

Head coach Marcus Freeman, right, greets running back Aneyas Williams during a Notre Dame football practice at Irish Athletic Center on Friday, March 20, 2026, in South Bend. | MICHAEL CLUBB/SOUTH BEND TRIBUNE / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

After four full years of reshaping the Notre Dame roster through recruiting, development, and working the transfer portal, the Irish now have one of the most talented teams in the country.

The stage is now set for a more mature Notre Dame program to make another deep CFP run, but this can only happen if the Irish push and hold themselves to a national championship standard.

Notre Dame's schedule is very favorable and must be taken advantage of

Notre Dame's 2026 schedule sets up much more favorably than many recent ones have.

Rather than early matchups with ultra-talented rosters like Miami and Texas A&M, the Irish have dates with Wisconsin, Rice, Michigan State, and Purdue awaiting them in the month of September.

This slate should allow the Irish to ease into the season and collect wins while rounding into peak form. This program can no longer afford any September slipups, period.

Aside from the actual layout of the schedule, Notre Dame has a clear talent advantage over every team not named Miami, and the Irish will be heavy favorites in nearly all or all of their early games.

The only way Notre Dame doesn't end up in a great CFP position is if it doesn't take care of its own business. The Irish are a title favorite for a reason and must perform as such in the regular season.

NEW: Notre Dame's Marcus Freeman tells @jdpickell how he's using being left out of the college football playoffs as motivation👀

"We left doubt. So don't blame somebody else for the situation that we were in...

We have to leave no doubt. In order to do that, you gotta leave no… pic.twitter.com/j2pb0MMTY0

— On3 (@On3) March 12, 2026

Notre Dame coaches and players must raise the standard of what is expected day to day

For most of my adult life, Notre Dame simply did not have the raw talent needed to win the championship.

Sure, there were some excellent regular seasons in some years, but once CFP time came around, it became obvious how far behind the Irish roster was in terms of becoming a champion.

This is the area the Irish have improved in the most under Marcus Freeman. Notre Dame has the talent to win it all. Now it comes down to execution.

What this means for Notre Dame in 2026 is that it is its own worst enemy.

The Irish coaching staff must have their position groups ready to perform at an elite level when the season starts, the players must perform, and Marcus Freeman must oversee it all without any mistakes.

It's time for the Notre Dame program to operate with a true title mindset and hold itself to a higher standard than the fans and national media do.

If 2026 is THE year, the mission starts with a changed mindset where unattainable perfection is the goal in every aspect of the program.