Notre Dame football is chasing a national championship—but they can't seem to shake that "OVERRATED" chant.

Let's be real: the Blue-Gold spring game told us next to nothing about the 2026 Irish. Yes, CJ Carr had a rough day. Yes, the offense looked vanilla. But here's the thing—it was a spring game. If we're judging teams by April scrimmages, we might as well make podcast equipment cost a small fortune to thin out the hot takes.

Thankfully, two of college football's sharpest analysts aren't buying the overreaction. Joel Klatt and Josh Pate both came out of spring ball with the Irish ranked No. 2 and No. 1 respectively. Klatt's reasoning? Simple and compelling: "I love a team that's pissed off, and Notre Dame is going to be fired up." That's the kind of edge that turns good teams into great ones.

But while the analysts are bullish, the oddsmakers are hedging. FanDuel Sportsbook now has Ohio State as the national title favorite at +550, with Notre Dame slipping to +700. Texas rounds out the top three at +750. It's a subtle shift, but one that adds fuel to the fire for a program that thrives on proving people wrong.

Off the field, the momentum is building. Recruiting insiders say Notre Dame is one of the programs set to catch fire this summer. If history is any guide, May is just the beginning—and the Irish are already off to a strong start. For a team that's been labeled "overrated" more times than they'd like to count, the 2026 season is shaping up to be one heck of a statement.