Sam Avellone

The Fighting Irish are in a prime position to run the table next year, with their most difficult challenge also being a massive revenge spot against Miami – this time in South Bend. You best believe that game is already circled for Marcus Freeman’s squad. Outside of the Hurricanes, Notre Dame’s most challenging games will be against SMU and BYU. Frankly, it would be shocking if the Irish struggled with the rest of their opponents. I expect this squad to be laser-focused and seeking revenge after being left out of the College Football Playoff, which is a scary proposition for the rest of the country, considering Freeman has led the Irish to the title game already.

When comparing Notre Dame’s price to the others around it on the board, it’s a no-brainer. In-state rival and national champion Indiana will have to replace their Heisman-winning quarterback and multiple key contributors, and the Hoosiers will have to play teams like Ohio State, Michigan, and USC along the way. Speaking of Ohio State, the co-favorite Buckeyes will have 3 of the top 5 teams on the odds board on their schedule next year, making their price very unappealing. In addition to OSU, Texas will have to play Oklahoma, Ole Miss, LSU and Texas A&M. Oregon’s path is a bit less daunting than Ohio State’s and Texas’, but the Ducks still have to play Washington, Ohio State, Michigan and USC in their quest to reach their 3rd straight College Football Playoff. 

Notre Dame projects to have plenty of returning talent and depth, especially across the offensive line, linebackers and secondary. CJ Carr will be back at quarterback, and while his running mates in the backfield will look a bit different next year, the group is still loaded with highly recruited running backs that have awaited their turn behind Jeremiyah Love and Jadarian Price, as well as stud freshmen like Jonaz Walton and Javian Osborne. Carr’s targets will consist of another deep tight end room – a Notre Dame staple – and a very talented wide receiver room led by seasoned veterans in Jaden Greathouse and Jordan Faison, accompanied by multiple 4-star freshmen. If there were any holes in this roster, Freeman and his staff filled them with a very strong transfer portal class headlined by CB Jayden Sanders (Michigan) and a former 5-star WR in Quincy Porter (Ohio State).

A few other teams stand out to me as solid long-shot bets at their price like Penn State (75/1, bet365) and South Carolina (250/1, BetMGM), but Notre Dame feels like the team with the most win equity heading into the 2026 season.