Greg McElroy Has Notre Dame at No. 2, Says 11 Wins Is the Floor

Greg McElroy has Notre Dame No. 2 in his preseason rankings and said the expectation is straightforward: “Anything worse than 11-1 should be a relative disappointment for this football team.” His case starts with continuity. Notre Dame returns more snaps than any team in the country, brings back 14 starters, and has CJ Carr entering year two in Mike Denbrock’s system with, as McElroy put it, the staff now ready to let him “steer the ship.”

McElroy also pointed to the defense as the other big reason he’s so high on the Irish, naming Drayk Bowen, Jaylen Sneed, Boubacar Traore, Christian Gray, Leonard Moore, and Adon Shuler as difference-makers. He noted Jayden Greathouse is “full go” in camp, said right guard is the only real open job, and framed the schedule as manageable enough that Notre Dame probably cannot afford a second loss, especially after last year’s 10-2 finish left the Irish out of the playoff.

• McElroy said Notre Dame returns nearly two-thirds of its snaps, more than anyone else in America.
• He called the offense “a lot further ahead” than it was at this point last August, citing Denbrock’s comments on Carr.
• The only notable camp question he mentioned was right guard, with competition affected by a couple of injury returns.
• On defense, McElroy said Chris Ash’s group now has the flexibility to play man or zone with more confidence.
• His bottom line: Notre Dame has a top-five roster, a favorable schedule, and 11 wins should be the floor in 2026.