Notre Dame Named Title Favorite by ESPN Power Index

ESPN's Football Power Index projections now list Notre Dame as the team most likely to win the national championship.

Updated on Oct. 11, 2026 in Football

Notre Dame Named Title Favorite by ESPN Power Index

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Following an undefeated 6-0 start to the season, ESPN's Football Power Index has projected Notre Dame to win the college football national championship. The team currently holds a top-five ranking as it aims to secure its first title since 1988.

Why it matters

The Football Power Index provides projections by running 20,000 simulations of the remaining schedule to determine team strength. This data highlights the significant momentum currently surrounding the Notre Dame football program.

The Football Power Index utilizes 20,000 simulations based on team performance and remaining schedules to generate its projections. Notre Dame currently holds a 6-0 record, while defending champion Indiana is assigned a 9.4 percent chance to repeat as national champion.

The players

Notre Dame

The football program based in South Bend is currently 6-0 and seeking its first national title in 40 years.

ESPN

The media network operates the Football Power Index used to calculate college football championship probabilities.

Indiana

The defending national champion holds a 9.4 percent chance to win the championship according to the current FPI projections.

The details

The projection models the remaining season schedule against the performance metrics teams have demonstrated to date. Notre Dame has remained in the top five rankings throughout their current six-game winning streak.

1988: The last year Notre Dame won a national championship.
2026-10-11
The date the projections were published.

Season Trajectory

This projection positions Notre Dame as the team to beat for the rest of the season, significantly altering the national championship narrative. It places the program in direct competition with defending champion Indiana as they both navigate the remaining conference schedule.

Notre Dame maintains a perfect 6-0 record, keeping the team firmly in control of its own destiny for a playoff berth. The FPI projection serves as a benchmark for fans tracking the statistical probability of the team finishing the season atop the rankings.

The takeaway

Statistical projections offer insight into potential season outcomes based on thousands of simulated games. Fans should track team performance against remaining schedule difficulty to see if the current favorability holds.