Notre Dame Is About To Make College Football Fans LIVID, And It's Not For The Reasons You Think
Okay, listen up, Emerald City! You know we live and die with our Seahawks, our Kraken, our Mariners, and our Sounders. We're all about that green and blue, the roar of Lumen Field, the crack of the bat at T-Mobile Park. But sometimes, a national story just hits different, even if it's not happening here in the 206.
And let me tell you, CBS Sports bowl expert Brad Crawford just dropped some absolute BOMBSHELLS for the 2026 College Football Playoff that we HAVE to talk about. This dude isn't making casual guesses, he's throwing down ten straight-up guarantees for the fall season, based on roster depth, trends, quarterback leadership, and killer schedules. And the biggest takeaway? Notre Dame is about to become the most hated team in America, and the ACC is sneaking two teams into the party. You heard it here first, folks!
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The Irish Are Ready to Be the Bad Guys (And Everyone Hates It)
Forget everything you thought you knew about Notre Dame. Crawford is calling it: the Fighting Irish are embracing the villain role, and college football fans are not going to be ready. Why? Because they're legitimately positioned as a national championship contender. We're talking a top-end roster, a favorable path to the playoff, and the kind of preseason hype that slaps a bullseye right on their backs.
Fans love an underdog, sure, but they absolutely LIVE to root against the perceived blue bloods. And then there's that whole "independent" thing. While the big-money conference programs are beating each other senseless through nine-game league schedules, Notre Dame just floats along, making sure everyone knows it. Fans from the SEC and Big Ten are already screaming it's unfair, arguing the Irish get a huge benefit by avoiding that conference grind while still grabbing premium playoff consideration.
With the new CFP rules, it's going to take at least two losses, probably even three, to keep Notre Dame out of the final top 12, especially after last season's super public omission. They aren't the program that gets mocked for just making a major bowl anymore. They are a consistent playoff participant with a roster built to beat anyone. When you're consistently winning double-digit games and recruiting at an elite level, people stop feeling sorry for you. They start actively rooting for your downfall. Get ready for some serious hate, Irish fans!
The ACC Is Sneaking Two Teams Into the Playoff, And It's Not Just Miami
And while everyone's focused on Notre Dame's heel turn, the ACC is quietly making moves to flex its muscle with a second CFP entry. Look, Miami is the clear frontrunner for the conference, no doubt there. But Crawford is pointing to SMU and Louisville as the next two programs poised to absolutely crash the playoff conversation.
SMU, in particular, has got some serious swagger brewing. They've got quarterback stability with multi-year starter Kevin Jennings leading the charge. And the roster around him? It's built to win double-digit games, assuming they handle the league's tough upper-middle class. Get ready for some surprises from the ACC this fall!
So, there you have it, folks. Brad Crawford has laid out his guarantees, and the college football world is about to get spicy. While we'll be locked in on our own teams doing their thing, these national storylines are impossible to ignore. Get ready for some wild Saturdays, because the fall of 2026 is going to be one for the books!
This article was created with AI assistance and reviewed by Seattle On Tap editorial staff. Always verify information with official team sources.