College Football National Championship Futures Picks: Back The Fighting Irish

It felt great to see some meaningful football as Week 0 kicked off the official start of the college football season.

Just because it’s September doesn’t mean we can’t look ahead to who could be National Champions in January.

Let’s look at some teams we should be watching to win it all.

*All odds via DraftKings

CFB National Championship Futures Picks

Texas Longhorns (+600)

What would the outcome have been if Texas had a chance to play for the National Championship last season? There were arguments for the Longhorns to be in the 12-team playoff, but they were left out.

The Longhorns had an excellent second half of their season, winning five of their last six games, including wins over No. 9 Vanderbilt and No. 3 Texas A&M.

QB Arch Manning was excellent during that time, throwing 2+ touchdowns in four of his final six games and 300+ yards in three of his final six. He will also have his favorite wide receiver, Ryan Wingo, returning after leading the team with 837 receiving yards and seven receiving touchdowns.

Texas got lucky with their conference schedule, with not having to face Georgia or Alabama. They are in a strong position to reach the SEC Championship, and if they do, the committee will likely select them to the playoff.

Notre Dame Fighting Irish (+600)

Let’s talk about a team that was actually robbed of a playoff spot. Notre Dame finished the season ranked in the top 12, which should have put them in the College Football Playoff, but the committee moved Miami, which had beaten Notre Dame, into their spot. Even the committee felt the Irish were wronged, so they guaranteed Notre Dame a playoff spot if they finished the season in the top 12.

They are coming in with high expectations, ranked No. 4, their highest preseason ranking since 2006.

The Fighting Irish deserve that ranking given their talent. Quarterback C.J. Carr has been getting preseason Heisman Trophy hype. Their wide receiver room looks dangerous, led by last year’s leading receiver, Jordan Faison.

However, what would a Marcus Freeman-led Notre Dame team be without an elite defense? This defensive unit looks stacked, featuring five All-Americans, including at least one on the defensive line, a linebacker and a player in the secondary.

Their schedule is manageable, ranking 55th in strength of schedule according to ESPN, with their biggest challenge at home coming against Miami. Their road matchup against BYU could be a trap game. If they suffer only one loss, they should earn a bye.

Miami Hurricanes (+1000)

The Hurricanes were one of the best stories of the College Football Playoff. Despite two losses and no conference championship appearance, Miami was given a chance to play for the National Championship, and the committee got it right. As the tenth seed, they had their backs against the wall in each matchup, but they made it all the way to the National Championship game.

They have some of their top talent returning, including RB Mark Fletcher Jr. and WR Malachi Toney.

Their defense, especially the pass rush, took a major hit with the departure of their two sack leaders, Reuben Bain Jr. and Akheem Mesidor, both now in the NFL. They signed former Michigan edge rusher Damon Wilson II, who recorded nine sacks for Missouri last season.

Most importantly, they needed to address the quarterback situation after Carson Beck entered the NFL. For the third straight season, they landed one of the top quarterbacks in the transfer portal; this year, it’s Darien Mensah from Duke. He was one of the top passers in the nation last year, ranking second in the country in passing yards (3,973) and passing touchdowns (34).

Their schedule looks manageable, with their only ranked opponent being No. 4 Notre Dame. That game is in South Bend, so if the Hurricanes can get a win in that hostile environment, they could be considered one of the top teams in the country.

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Published Sep 1, 2026, 10:50 AM ETUpdated Sep 1, 2026, 10:55 AM ET