Newsstand: ESPN FPI gives likelihood of Notre Dame winning the national championship
ESPN’s Football Power Index (FPI) updated after conference championship weekend, and Notre Dame ranks as the No. 2 team in the nation according to the metric.
Notre Dame has the third-best odds to make the national championship game at 28.2 percent. Texas (40 percent) and Georgia (31.2 percent) have better odds than the Irish.
Texas has the best chance to win the title per the FPI at 23.9 percent. Notre Dame and Texas have virtually the same odds at 15.9 and 15.8 percent, respectively.
As Blue & Gold Tyler Horka‘s noted in a tweet, the Fighting Irish still only have the sixth-best championship odds on FanDuel though at +850. In other words, a $1 bet would have a total payout of $9.50.
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Notre Dame (11-1) is the No. 5 team in the final rankings and No. 7 seed in the 12-team playoff field, the committee announced Sunday. The Irish have made the CFP for the first time in third-year head coach Marcus Freeman‘s tenure, and they will host No. 10 Indiana (11-1) in the first round in South Bend.
If the Irish are to knock off the Hoosiers, they’ll advance to face the No. 2 seeded Georgia Bulldogs in the Sugar Bowl on Jan. 1 at 8:45 p.m. ET.
Notre Dame tweets of the day
Quote of the day
“When I first went up there for a game day visit, I liked what I saw. After that, they were constantly communicating with me, constantly showing me love and telling me all about the opportunities I’ll have at Notre Dame — while I’m there and after Notre Dame. The life after Notre Dame made me choose them.”
— 2026 four-star cornerback Chaston Smith on committing to ND
Headlines of the day
- Notre ND Football Playoff predictions: How far will the Irish go?
- ‘We can do this’: How Notre Dame men’s basketball kept season alive in win over Syracuse
- The Gold Standard: Backstory on key ND 2025 recruiting storylines
- Why joining a conference is not the answer to Irish CFP selection day snub
- Commit Tracker: ND LB signee Anthony Sacca leads team to another state title in Week 16
- Point/counterpoint: What is ND’s biggest need in the transfer portal?
- Notre Dame 2026 recruiting roundup: Five notable storylines emerge in early December
- Examining the ND Fighting Irish 2024 College Football Playoff outlook
