Notre Dame is looking to reap benefits from new 2026 CFP format

On the defensive side, expectations remain cautiously optimistic for second-year defensive coordinator Chris Ash. While his tenure began slowly, with the team opening the season at 0-2, Ash has since become more settled within the program as he continues shaping the defensive identity.

With stability at quarterback and continuity on the coaching staff, Notre Dame believes it has positioned itself to secure the playoff berth that narrowly eluded the program last season.

Notre Dame holds a CFP bid in the 2026 season

The College Football Playoff is set to remain a 12-team field, despite widespread speculation about a possible expansion to 14 teams in 2024. That discussion surfaced when Notre Dame, along with nine other FBS conferences, signed the current CFP contract.

While the format stayed unchanged, Notre Dame athletic director Pete Bevacqua confirmed in December that the program would be guaranteed a playoff berth as long as it finishes inside the top 12 of the final rankings.

“People have asked me, ‘Well, how come Notre Dame gets that benefit?’” Bevacqua said during an end-of-season news conference. “And we still have to prove it on the field more than anybody. We still have to put ourselves in that area, that zip code of a top 12 team, but we want to protect ourselves against what happened this year.”

For that reason, the program chose to look ahead, assuring that it would not face the same adversity in the following season. Now, the Irish will look to capitalize on the revised CFP format and secure a playoff berth in 2026. The opportunity is clearly in place. Whether the Irish can fully capitalize on it under the 2026 CFP format remains to be seen.