Newsstand: Where Notre Dame ranks in On3’s J.D. Pickell’s preseason Top 25

Notre Dame has gotten a lot of love in preseason polls this year. It's no different looking at On3's J.D. Pickell's set of rankings.

MICHAEL CLUBB/SOUTH BEND TRIBUNE / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Just like the media who votes on the actual Associated Press Poll, On3’s J.D. Pickell has Notre Dame ranked as the No. 6 team in the country entering the 2025 season.

“This is not a projection; this is strictly in a vacuum,” Pickell said. “All right? So you’ll notice, if you’ve seen our 12 team College Football Playoff predictions, it’s not going to mirror what I think are the top 25 teams in the country right now. This is a ‘what are you right now’ conversation.”

Here’s Pickell’s full set of rankings:

1. Texas
2. Ohio State
3. Clemson
4. Penn State
5. Oregon

6. Notre Dame
7. LSU
8. Georgia
9. Alabama
10. Texas A&M

11. South Carolina
12. Arizona State
13. Florida
14. Miami
15. Illinois

16. Oklahoma
17. Michigan
18. Tennessee
19. Indiana
20. Ole Miss

21. Baylor
22. Texas Tech
23. SMU
24. USC
25. Georgia Tech

“I think it is kind of a quarterback discussion for them,” Pickell said of the Irish. “Is it CJ Carr? Is it Kenny Minchey? If it’s either one of those guys, how much of an answer do you have at quarterback? Because the longer this thing goes, I think, if you’re a Notre Dame fan, you have what you need at quarterback.

“Outside of that, it’s a national title-caliber roster. Jeremiyah Love is the best back in college football. Defense is loaded. Offensive line is loaded. There are not a lot of questions at Notre Dame outside of that.”

Notre Dame tweets of the day

Practice clips make the world go round until Week 1.

Practice clips of CJ Carr definitely make the world go round until Week 1.

Riley Leonard: Golf guy.

Fighting Irish quote of the day

“There will never be a time where someone’s going to play because they have talent. You will play when you are executing at the exact same or higher level than those four guys that have played.”

Fighting Irish linebackers coach Max Bullough

Blue & Gold headlines of the day

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Chat Transcript: How painful will Notre Dame’s growing pains at QB be?
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Category: General Sports