“No. 11, and this will be the last team in the field if this were selection…Notre Dame at No. 11! Did not expect to see this. I thought they’d be much, much higher,” Davis said.
ESPN CFB analyst Joey Galloway responded by saying “Wow.”
Greg McElroy provided his thoughts as to why the Irish are a projected 11th seed.
“I love Notre Dame. If you had to pick them against just about anybody, they’d probably be the team I would have right now above all else,” McElroy said.
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See the best photos from Notre Dame’s 35-13 win over Navy
Notre Dame’s Nolan James Jr. outruns Navy’s Giuseppe Sessi to score a 52-yard touchdown during a game at Gillette Stadium in Foxborough, Massachusetts on Saturday, Oct. 31, 2026.
(Jason Snow / USA Today Network, USA TODAY Network via Reuters Co)
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See the best photos from Notre Dame’s 35-13 win over Navy
Notre Dame’s Nolan James Jr. outruns Navy’s Giuseppe Sessi to score a 52-yard touchdown during a game at Gillette Stadium in Foxborough, Massachusetts on Saturday, Oct. 31, 2026.
(Jason Snow / USA Today Network, USA TODAY Network via Reuters Co)
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See the best photos from Notre Dame’s 35-13 win over Navy
Notre Dame’s Nolan James Jr. celebrates with Ian Premer (No. 24) after scoring a 52-yard touchdown during a game vs. Navy at Gillette Stadium in Foxborough, Massachusetts on Saturday, Oct. 31, 2026.
(Jason Snow / USA Today Network, USA TODAY Network via Reuters Co)
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See the best photos from Notre Dame’s 35-13 win over Navy
A Notre Dame fan cheers during a game vs. Navy at Gillette Stadium in Foxborough, Massachusetts on Saturday, Oct. 31, 2026.
(Jason Snow / USA Today Network)
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See the best photos from Notre Dame’s 35-13 win over Navy
Notre Dame’s CJ Carr warms up before a game vs. Navy at Gillette Stadium in Foxborough, Massachusetts on Saturday, Oct. 31, 2026.
(Jason Snow / USA Today Network)
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See the best photos from Notre Dame’s 35-13 win over Navy
Notre Dame head coach Marcus Freeman smiles before a game vs. Navy at Gillette Stadium in Foxborough, Massachusetts on Saturday, Oct. 31, 2026.
(Jason Snow / USA Today Network)
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See the best photos from Notre Dame’s 35-13 win over Navy
Notre Dame’s Cam Williams leaps up to make a catch during a game vs. Navy at Gillette Stadium in Foxborough, Massachusetts on Saturday, Oct. 31, 2026.
(Jason Snow / USA Today Network)
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See the best photos from Notre Dame’s 35-13 win over Navy
Notre Dame’s Nolan James Jr. celebrates after scoring a 52-yard touchdown during a game vs. Navy at Gillette Stadium in Foxborough, Massachusetts on Saturday, Oct. 31, 2026.
(Jason Snow / USA Today Network)
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See the best photos from Notre Dame’s 35-13 win over Navy
Notre Dame head coach Marcus Freeman leads the team on the field, along with Tionne Gray (No. 0), before a game vs. Navy at Gillette Stadium in Foxborough, Massachusetts on Saturday, Oct. 31, 2026.
(Jason Snow / USA Today Network)
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See the best photos from Notre Dame’s 35-13 win over Navy
Notre Dame’s Micah Gilbert celebrates with Sullivan Ashber after catching an 11-yard touchdown pass during a game vs. Navy at Gillette Stadium in Foxborough, Massachusetts on Saturday, Oct. 31, 2026.
(Jason Snow / USA Today Network)
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See the best photos from Notre Dame’s 35-13 win over Navy
FOXBOROUGH, MA – OCTOBER 31: CJ Carr #13 of the Notre Dame Fighting Irish celebrates a touchdown against the Navy Midshipmen during the first half at Gillette Stadium on October 31, 2026 in Foxborough, Massachusetts. (Photo By Winslow Townson/Getty Images)
(Winslow Townson, Getty Images)
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See the best photos from Notre Dame’s 35-13 win over Navy
FOXBOROUGH, MA – OCTOBER 31: Nolan James Jr. #2 of the Notre Dame Fighting Irish runs past the Navy bench on his way to a touchdown during the first half of their game at Gillette Stadium on October 31, 2026 in Foxborough, Massachusetts. (Photo By Winslow Townson/Getty Images)
(Winslow Townson, Getty Images)
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See the best photos from Notre Dame’s 35-13 win over Navy
FOXBOROUGH, MA – OCTOBER 31: Quarterback CJ Carr #13 of the Notre Dame Fighting Irish celebrates a touchdown run by Nolan James Jr. #2 during the first half against the Navy Midshipmen at Gillette Stadium on October 31, 2026 in Foxborough, Massachusetts. (Photo By Winslow Townson/Getty Images)
(Winslow Townson, Getty Images)
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These are Notre Dame’s five stars at Navy
Oct 31, 2026; Foxborough, MA, USA; Notre Dame Fighting Irish running back Nolan James Jr. (2) celebrates a touchdown against the Navy Midshipmen with teammates during the first half at Gillette Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Eric Canha-Imagn Images
(Eric Canha, IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect)
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See the best photos from Notre Dame’s 35-13 win over Navy
Notre Dame’s Nolan James Jr. outruns Navy’s Giuseppe Sessi to score a 52-yard touchdown during a game at Gillette Stadium in Foxborough, Massachusetts on Saturday, Oct. 31, 2026.
(Jason Snow / USA Today Network)
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See the best photos from Notre Dame’s 35-13 win over Navy
Navy’s Jackson Gutierrez sneaks in for a 2-yard touchdown during a game vs. Notre Dame at Gillette Stadium in Foxborough, Massachusetts on Saturday, Oct. 31, 2026.
(Jason Snow / USA Today Network)
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See the best photos from Notre Dame’s 35-13 win over Navy
Navy’s Jackson Gutierrez drops back to make a pass during a game vs. Notre Dame at Gillette Stadium in Foxborough, Massachusetts on Saturday, Oct. 31, 2026.
(Jason Snow / USA Today Network)
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See the best photos from Notre Dame’s 35-13 win over Navy
The Notre Dame football team played a game vs. Navy at Gillette Stadium in Foxborough, Massachusetts on Saturday, Oct. 31, 2026.
(Jason Snow / USA Today Network)
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See the best photos from Notre Dame’s 35-13 win over Navy
The Notre Dame football team played a game vs. Navy at Gillette Stadium in Foxborough, Massachusetts on Saturday, Oct. 31, 2026.
(Jason Snow / USA Today Network)
The CFP committee, which is led by Arkansas athletic director Hunter Yurachek, selected five SEC teams to be within the top-10 of the rankings.
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Yurachek noted that Notre Dame isn’t higher than No. 11 because “they don’t have that signature win.”
“The committee is very impressed with them,” Yuracheck said. “They wouldn’t be 11th if we were not.”
The Irish (7-1) could get that signature win when they host top-ranked Miami on Saturday.
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