Notre Dame has spent nearly four decades waiting for another national championship, and the 2026 team has given people plenty of reasons to start imagining one. Marcus Freeman would rather his players keep their imaginations out of it.
During an appearance on “The Triple Option,” Freeman was asked what people are overlooking about a Notre Dame team carrying serious title expectations into the season. His answer was less prediction than warning: wanting the trophy is not the same thing as doing the daily work required to reach it.
Marcus Freeman Wants Work, Not Wishful Thinking
“People always talk about expectations and outside expectations. Listen, nobody in this building has lesser expectations than what outsiders do,” Freeman said. “But we got to continue to focus on the work that we have to do to be that thing we all aspire to be.”
PREDICT THE CFB SEASON: PFN’s Free CFB Playoff Predictor
Freeman then distilled his approach into a simple choice.
“You can talk about being a thing, or you can work to try to be that thing,” he said. “And that’s what we have to do.”
The headline line followed when Freeman explained why he does not want championship conversation becoming a daily distraction.
“It’s not daydreaming about these lofty expectations. It’s taking advantage of what you have, and that’s right today,” Freeman said. “That’s the work that must be put in, the intentional work.”
He carried the point into the weight room, comparing improvement to choosing heavier weight rather than repeating something comfortable. Freeman said the program has to “challenge everything,” whether that happens at practice, in meetings, or during a walkthrough.
That mentality has a little more urgency after the way the last two seasons ended. Notre Dame reached the national championship game following the 2024 season before losing to Ohio State, then went 10-2 in 2025 and missed the College Football Playoff.
Notre Dame Has Plenty of Reasons to Dream Anyway
The outside expectations Freeman is trying to tune out are not coming from nowhere.
Notre Dame finished 2025 with an 87.9 Offense Impact grade, No. 8 nationally, while its defense also ranked No. 8 with an 87.7 mark. PFN has the Fighting Irish No. 4 in its preseason rankings, with returning quarterback CJ Carr and star cornerback Leonard Moore helping anchor another loaded roster.
The schedule has added fuel to the optimism. Notre Dame opens Sunday against Wisconsin at Lambeau Field before a home slate that includes Michigan State, Miami, and SMU. CBS Sports has identified Freeman’s team among the leading national championship contenders, while former Irish coach Brian Kelly recently predicted a 12-0 regular season.
START PREPARING: PFN’s Free College Fantasy Simulator
Notre Dame’s last national championship came in 1988, when Lou Holtz’s team finished 12-0. Freeman knows exactly what ending that drought would mean.
His message entering Week 1 is that talking about 1988, January, or the trophy itself cannot help Notre Dame on Sept. 1. The only useful expectation is making Tuesday harder than Monday.
