On Wednesday, Notre Dame cornerback Leonard Moore uttered six words to ESPN’s Heather Dinich that will define the Fighting Irish’s 2026 season.
"We're on a revenge tour now," Moore said.
The phrasing is not new—then-Michigan defensive lineman Chase Winovich popularized it in 2018, referring to the Wolverines’ drive to bounce back after losing to three of their biggest rivals the previous season. Moore and his team seem to be feeling similarly, because of a) the lingering ill will from Notre Dame being left out of the CFP in December, and b) the fact that the Fighting Irish have a chance to rectify the perceived snub’s main cause.
Let’s check in on the state of Notre Dame as it prepares for its spring game on April 25.
Flashback: What kept the Fighting Irish from the CFP in 2025?
Much was made of Notre Dame’s frontloaded schedule in `25—the Fighting Irish opened their season with Miami and Texas A&M back-to-back. As it turned out, it cost them.
The Hurricanes opened a two-touchdown lead on Notre Dame midway through the third quarter on Aug. 31, and held on to win 27–24 on a late 47-yard field goal by kicker Carter Davis. A little under two weeks later, the Aggies clipped the Fighting Irish in a 41–40 shootout, taking the lead for good on tight end Nate Boerkircher’s 11-yard touchdown catch with 13 seconds left.
Notre Dame won its next 10 games, but the damage was done. The strength of both Miami (13-3 Cotton and Fiesta Bowl champions) and Texas A&M (11-2 CFP qualifiers) put a soft ceiling on how high the Fighting Irish could rise in the polls—and in the final week of the season, the CFP committee vaulted the Hurricanes over Notre Dame to take the final at-large spot in the field. Incensed, the Fighting Irish decided to skip bowl season entirely, staying home for the holidays for the first time since 2016.
“Watching that tape, it was probably the worst first half of football our offense played all year, and to be in that game in the end and the second half we put together was special," Notre Dame quarterback CJ Carr told Dinich of the Miami game. "It's hard to watch. ... There was some resilience shown in that game that's going to help us this year.”
How the Fighting Irish’s schedule shapes up in `26
To a degree, Notre Dame will be able to ease into the season in a way it wasn’t a year ago. It’ll play Wisconsin on the road, Rice, Michigan State, and Purdue on the road—four games with blowout potential.
The tests begin in earnest on Oct. 17. The Fighting Irish will visit BYU—sure to be energized this season after keeping coach Kalani Sitake from moving to Penn State—for the first time since 2004. Miami follows at home three weeks later, and SMU could pose a challenge Nov. 21 as well.
The bottom line: Notre Dame’s “revenge tour” is there for the taking, provided the Fighting Irish beat the teams they’re supposed to beat.
“You've got to focus on the task right at hand,” Fighting Irish coach Marcus Freeman told Dinich. “It's my job to make sure I'm directing the focus where it needs to be. That's an everyday message, an everyday reminder to struggle. Struggle has to be hard mentally and physically and to sacrifice and put Notre Dame in front of yourself.”
The return of an old rule in a new form will help the Fighting Irish
As the last holdout among college football’s once-plentiful crop of independents, Notre Dame has in the past enjoyed most-favored-nation status in several postseason systems. For instance, the Fighting Irish at one time had a rule granting them an automatic berth in the Bowl Championship Series if it finished in that system’s top eight.
In 2026, Notre Dame will regain similar rights in the CFP. If the Fighting Irish finish in the top 12 of the CFP standings, they will automatically receive a CFP berth. That would’ve come in handy last year, where Notre Dame—No. 11 in the final rankings—would’ve supplanted the Hurricanes.
Luckily for Michiana and beyond, the Fighting Irish don’t seem eager to leave that to chance.
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as Notre Dame Vows a 'Revenge Tour': How the Fighting Irish Stack Up in 2026 CFP Race.
