Notre Dame football ranked 11th in first 2026 CFP poll
· Yahoo Sports
SOUTH BEND — Notre Dame football and the College Football Playoff Selection Committee remain wary adversaries at best.
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The Irish (7-1) opened at No. 11 on Tuesday Nov. 3 in the first CFP rankings of the 2026 season.
Set to face top-ranked Miami (8-0) on Saturday Nov. 7 at Notre Dame Stadium, coach Marcus Freeman’s team was ranked fourth in the latest media poll and sixth in the US LBM Coaches Poll.
The only voting body that matters, however, is the 13-person CFP committee.
"When you look at their schedule, they don't have that signature win right now,” committee chair Hunter Yurachek said of the Irish on ESPN. “They lost their only Top 25 matchup. They have a great opportunity this weekend against Miami to get that signature win."
After the unbeaten Hurricanes, the committee ranked Georgia, Utah and Indiana in the 2-4 slots that would come with a first-round bye in the 12-team playoff field.
Alabama is ranked fifth, followed by Kentucky, Texas, unbeaten UCLA, BYU and Mississippi.
Notre Dame’s only loss over its past 18 games was a 28-24 nailbiter on Oct. 17 against BYU in Provo, Utah. The Irish then came off an open week to struggle to a one-point halftime lead over Navy before pulling away for a 35-13 win on Halloween afternoon in New England.
With Tennessee at No. 13 and LSU at No. 14, the SEC accounts for half of the top 14 teams in the first week of CFP rankings.
“I don’t really watch playoff rankings,” Notre Dame cornerback Leonard Moore said after Tuesday’s practice, which was before the CFP ranking was revealed. “I don’t think anything matters until all 12 games are done.”
Yurachek, the Arkansas athletic director, took over as CFP selection committee chair in midstream last November. Arkansas is a member of the SEC.
Notre Dame’s “Leave No Doubt” mantra has been a rallying cry since the committee left the 10-2 Irish out of the 2025 playoff field in favor of Miami and Alabama. Two-loss Miami had fallen behind the Irish in the previous CFP rankings despite owning a 27-24 win over Notre Dame at home in the season opener.
A negotiated provision for 2026 guarantees the Irish a spot in this year’s playoff provided they finish in the top 12 of the CFP rankings.
This story will be updated.
Mike Berardino covers Notre Dame football for the South Bend Tribune and NDInsider.com. Follow him on social media @MikeBerardino.
This article originally appeared on South Bend Tribune: Notre Dame football ranked 11th in first 2026 CFP poll