Notre Dame rated fifth-highest team in nation by EA Sports College Football 26

On Friday, EA Sports revealed each team’s initial offense, defense and overall rating for College Football 26. Notre Dame ranks fifth in the country with an 88 overall rating, which it shares with six other schools.

Texas, Ohio State, Penn State, Georgia, Clemson and Texas A&M — whom the Irish face Sept. 13 in South Bend — are also rated 88 overall. Only Alabama (89 overall) earned a higher rating.

Notre Dame scored well in both its offense and defense ratings, coming in eighth on offense at 89 and 11th on defense at 90. If those rankings hold, it would be the first time the Irish feature a better offense than defense, relative to the rest of the country.

Additionally, real-life coaches are a part of the flagship EA Sports video game for the first time. Notre Dame head coach Marcus Freeman is the face of the “motivator” coach archetype, one of three — along with “recruiter” and “strategist” — that players can choose for their head coaches in Dynasty mode.

According to leaked (unconfirmed) player ratings, Notre Dame also has the third-highest-rated player in the game in Jeremiyah Love. Love is listed at 95 overall in the leaks, behind only Ohio State stars Jeremiah Smith (98) and Caleb Downs (96).

EA Sports College Football 26: Top 25 overall teams (Notre Dame at No. 5)

1. Alabama (89 overall)
2. Texas (88)
3. Ohio State (88)
4. Penn State (88)
5. Notre Dame (88)
6. Georgia (88)
7. Clemson (88)
8. Texas A&M (88)
9. Oregon (86)
10. LSU (86)
11. Miami (86)
12. Florida (86)
13. Texas Tech (86)
14. Arizona State (85)
15. Michigan (85)
16. Ole Miss (85)
17. Oklahoma (85)
18. Indiana (85)
19. SMU (84)
20. Tennessee (84)
21. Missouri (84)
22. Auburn (84)
23. Duke (84)
24. South Carolina (82)
25. Illinois (82)

Top 25 offenses

1. Texas (91)
2. Penn State (91)
3. Ohio State (91)
4. Arizona State (91)
5. Clemson (89)
6. LSU (89)
7. Alabama (89)
8. Notre Dame (89)
9. Florida (89)
10. Miami (89)
11. Indiana (89)
12. Texas A&M (89)
13. Georgia (87)
14. Oklahoma (87)
15. SMU (87)
16. BYU (87)
17. Baylor (87)
18. Texas Tech (87)
19. Oregon (85)
20. Ole Miss (85)
21. USC (85)
22. Boise State (85)
23. Iowa State (85)
24. Nebraska (85)
25. South Carolina (85)

Top 25 defenses

1. Alabama (96)
2. Texas (94)
3. Penn State (94)
4. Georgia (94)
5. Ohio State (92)
6. Michigan (92)
7. Oregon (92)
8. LSU (92)
9. Texas Tech (92)
10. Clemson (90)
11. Notre Dame (90)
12. Texas A&M (90)
13. Tennessee (88)
14. Indiana (88)
15. Miami (88)
16. Duke (88)
17. Oklahoma (88)
18. Illinois (86)
19. Kansas State (86)
20. Ole Miss (86)
21. Pittsburgh (86)
22. South Carolina (84)
23. Arizona State (84)
24. Iowa (84)
25. Florida (84)