Josh Pate Reveals His Preseason No. 1 Team Ahead of 2026 College Football Campaign

The college football analyst predicts Texas as the AP's No. 1 team but reveals his own choice as his top team to start 2026.

This 40-year-old head coach leads this blueblood college football program and is among the top favorites for a national title run in 2026. | USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect

The AP preseason poll is still weeks away, typically released in August a few weeks before the start of the college football season, but Josh Pate is not waiting around.

On the Tuesday edition of his College Football Show, Pate walked through his full projected AP top 25 for the 2026 season. While he predicted Texas would land at No. 1 in the poll itself, the veteran college football analyst made a clear distinction between what he thinks AP voters will do and where he personally stands.

Pate predicts AP will pick Texas at No. 1, but he chooses Notre Dame

Pate spent the segment breaking down where he expects each team to land in the preseason poll, starting at the top. He predicted Texas would hold the No. 1 spot for the second consecutive preseason, with Notre Dame at No. 2 and defending national champion Indiana at No. 3.

"I think Texas is going to be No. 1 (in the preseason AP Poll). I'd have Notre Dame No. 1 for the record right now, but I think Texas is going to be No. 1," Pate said.

He later reiterated the point while discussing Indiana's case for the top spot, acknowledging the Hoosiers went undefeated and won the national title last season.

"I think they'll have Notre Dame No. 2. I think last year's national champion, Indiana, lands at No. 3," Pate said. "But I could see Indiana as high as No. 1 because I could see a lot of voters saying, 'Indiana proved us wrong at every turn.' Well, actually, they proved me wrong at every turn last year. A lot of people were on board with Indiana. But nevertheless, if they didn't lose a game last year and they are the defending national champ, then someone's got to knock them off, right?"

Pate conceded that logic has merit but said he does not expect enough voters to push Indiana past Texas or Notre Dame. What he made abundantly clear is that his own ballot would have the Fighting Irish on top.

Making the case for Notre Dame as the No. 1 team in 2026

Pate's position is not without substantial support from the broader national picture. Notre Dame returns quarterback CJ Carr, who threw for 2,741 yards with 24 touchdowns and just six interceptions as a redshirt freshman in 2025 while ranking second nationally in yards per attempt at 9.4.

Carr currently holds the best Heisman Trophy odds and was recently named MVP of the Manning Passing Academy by ESPN's Todd McShay, who said Carr's performance there compared to the other top quarterbacks in attendance was not close.

Notre Dame Fighting Irish head coach Marcus Freeman is set up for a big 2026 season. | USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect

Marcus Freeman's program also returns offensive coordinator Mike Denbrock, marking the first time in the Freeman era that Notre Dame brings back both its starting quarterback and play-caller. The receiving corps added Ohio State transfers Mylan Graham and Quincy Porter to a room already featuring Jaden Greathouse and Jordan Faison.

The schedule is built for a title run, too. Only four true road games appear on the slate, and the two marquee home tests against Miami and SMU arrive in November, when Carr and the offense should be at full speed.

In one of the top games of the 2026 season, Notre Dame opens the 2026 season against Wisconsin at Lambeau Field in Green Bay on Sunday, Sept. 6 on NBC.