​The first preseason major poll is set to release later today, as we will all find out how favorable the US LBM Coaches Poll views Notre Dame. The Irish enter the season with major expectations, many of them revolving around a deep run in the College Football Playoff. There is always an argument to be made if these polls should happen this early in the season, but they’re still here and definitely help shape many people’s view of teams. For Notre Dame, they’ve often been looked at as an overrated program, one that isn’t quite good enough to win it all. It very much seems like that idea of the Irish is changing, as this could be the most talented team in South Bend in quite some time. Quarterback CJ Carr returns for his second-year as the starter, one that many believe could be a Heisman-level type output. The defensive has stars at every level, with cornerback Leonard Moore being the brightest one. Head coach Marcus Freeman has surrounded himself with one of the best coaching staffs in the country, and for the first time in his tenure both coordinators will return. Sure, the Irish have a few questions like who will emerge at wide receiver and if running back Aneyas Williams can make us sort of forget Jeremiyah Love and Jadarian Price. With so few of them, it puts Notre Dame in a unique spot, one that should have them ranked among the top teams in the country. Add this up and it still looks like the Irish will fall short of the preseason No. 1 spot, but that might be the best news, as those teams typically don’t live up to the hype. If I had to guess it’s Ohio State or Texas followed by Notre Dame at No. 3. Part of this is building the matchup between the Buckeyes and Longhorns, so there can be early drama during Week 2 having a top-2 matchup. We will all find out this afternoon with the first Coaches Poll of the 2026 season. At the end of the day, college football will work its way out, there will be upsets along the way, some surprise teams and hopefully Notre Dame standing alone at the end. There’s a new twist to the US LBM college football preseason coaches poll rollout. The USA TODAY Sports YouTube channel gets its first – so tune in at Noon on Tuesday, August 4 for the results. ⤵️🔗: https://t.co/doO6cBNLcJpic.twitter.com/eaKKrftKHB— USA TODAY Sports (@usatodaysports) August 3, 2026Contact/Follow us @IrishWireND on X (Formerly Twitter), and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Notre Dame news, notes, and opinions.Follow Mike on X: @MikeFChenThis article originally appeared on Fighting Irish Wire: Predicting Notre Dame’s rank in today’s preseason US LBM Coaches Poll