What Is Notre Dame Ranked in the College Football Playoff? First Playoff Ranking Revealed
Is Notre Dame in good position to return to the College Football Playoff?
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After starting the season with two close losses, the Notre Dame Fighting Irish are right back in the thick of the national championship race — and now we know where they’ve landed in the first College Football Playoff ranking.
Where is Notre Dame ranked in the College Football Playoff ranking?
The Notre Dame Fighting Irish are ranked 10th in the first week of College Football Playoff rankings. So as it stands, Notre Dame would make the playoff if it began today.
For context, 12 teams make the annual College Football Playoff — a mix of the five highest-ranked conference champions (those five teams receive automatic bids) and then the highest ranked teams behind those conference champs to fill out the full 12-team field. The four highest-ranked teams receive a bye, meaning they start one round into the playoff bracket. The rest of the teams all play an initial round.
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Freshman quarterback CJ Carr has been incredibly efficient leading the Notre Dame offense, while junior running back Jeremiyah Love continues to pile up yardage and prove his bona fides as one of the best running backs in the country.
Notre Dame came into this season with high expectations, fresh off an appearance in the National Championship game, where they came up just a bit short to national champ Ohio State. But after close losses to ranked opponents Miami and Texas A&M, the Fighting Irish have rattled off six straight wins and clawed their way back into contention for a playoff spot.
To build that record, Notre Dame has piled up wins including a blowout of Arkansas, a decisive win against Boise State, and a 10-point win against a resurgent USC. The Irish finish out the season with a game on November 8 against Navy at 7:30 p.m. on NBC and Peacock; a road game at Pittsburgh; a home game against Syracuse; and then they end the regular season with a road game at Stanford.
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If Notre Dame manages to win out and finish with a 10-2 record, the Irish would be in strong position to land one of the seven at-large spots.
In other polls, voters have shown quite a bit of respect for Notre Dame’s win streak, placing them will in the mix as a playoff contender. The team is up to No. 10 in both the Associated Press Top 25 poll, and the Coaches Poll.
The full College Football Playoff Rankings (November 4, 2025)
1. Ohio State (8-0)
2. Indiana (9-0)
3. Texas A&M (8-0)
4. Alabama (7-1)
5. Georgia (7-1)
6. Ole Miss (8-1)
7. BYU (8-0)
8. Texas Tech (8-1)
9. Oregon (7-1)
10. Notre Dame (6-2)
11. Texas (7-2)
12. Oklahoma (7-2)
13. Utah (7-2)
14. Virginia (8-1)
15. Louisville (7-1)
16. Vanderbilt (7-2)
17. Georgia Tech (8-1)
18. Miami (6-2)
19. Southern California (6-2)
20. Iowa (6-2)
21. Michigan (7-2)
22. Missouri (6-2)
23. Washington (6-2)
24. Pittsburgh (7-2)
25. Tennessee (6-3)
See if Notre Dame can keep up the win streak against Navy, exclusively on NBC and Peacock at 7:30 p.m. on Saturday.
