Notre Dame football is five games into the 2026 college football season with a 5-0 record and a No. 3 ranking in the latest AP poll. With a real sample size starting to build, the picture of what head coach Marcus Freeman and the Fighting Irish could become this season is getting much clearer.

As always, early season action brings some overreactions, and the Notre Dame fan base is no different. It feels like the perfect time to play some fact or fiction. Here are some of the bigger takes about this Notre Dame team floating around right now, and where I land on each of them.

The run game is going in the right direction

The conversation around the Notre Dame run game has been a fascinating one through the first five weeks. The Irish are coming off their best overall performance on the ground, rushing for more than 240 yards in the 37-26 victory over the North Carolina Tar Heels.

For the first time this season, the top three running backs (Aneyas Williams, Nolan James Jr., and true freshman Jonaz Walton) all averaged over 5 yards per carry. Walton also posted his first 100-yard game in a Notre Dame uniform. He didn’t start the game, but he certainly finished it in a big way.

Verdict: Fact. The ascension of Walton is huge for this team. His combination of physicality and explosiveness was missing from this unit the first couple of weeks. As long as the staff keeps leaning on him more on early downs, it will only make James and Williams more efficient.

The wide receivers are the best they’ve been in years

I am partially buying this one. It’s hard to argue against what Jordan Faison and Micah Gilbert have done so far.

Faison has 25 catches for 371 yards and four touchdowns. He has been exactly what most expected, the known commodity and top pass catcher for this team. Not far behind is Gilbert, who has 368 yards and two touchdowns on just 18 receptions. That’s an average of more than 20 yards per catch, and his ascension has been a great talking point.

Verdict: Half fact. The depth of the wide receiver room is still an area of concern. The slot position, led by Jaden Greathouse and Mylan Graham, has not taken the steps many thought it would. This passing attack is buoyed by the duo at the top. Just how good the overall quality of that room is remains a question that needs to be answered.

This is the best defense in college football

Even though the Notre Dame secondary did not have a great showing against North Carolina, I believe this one.

The defensive line, led by Boubacar Traore, Bryce Young, and transfer defensive tackles Tionne Gray and Francis Brewu, is the deepest and most talented group up front that we’ve seen in South Bend in quite some time. Add talented linebackers like Kyngstonn Viliamu-Asa, and the front seven is loaded.

The talent in the secondary is well known. When healthy, Leonard Moore is the best cornerback in college football and an All-American. With the ascension of DJ McKinney and the presence of safeties Adon Shuler, Luke Talich, and Brauntae Johnson when he returns from injury, this is a deep group from front to back.

Verdict: Fact. I’m not sure there’s a more well-rounded defense in college football right now.

Notre Dame is a legitimate national championship contender

No team in college football has separated itself as head and shoulders above everyone else yet. Notre Dame has every chance to be part of that conversation when the schedule gets tougher.

That defense, along with quarterback CJ Carr and a coaching staff that is as good as we have seen in quite some time, gives the Irish everything they need.

Verdict: Fact. This team looks ready to make a deep playoff run and potentially win its first national championship since 1988.

The secondary is overrated

This is a fictional narrative that popped up after the North Carolina game. The sample size over the last couple of years tells you this secondary is outstanding, yet some will point to one game and assume it’s an overstated group.

You don’t have a potential top-10 draft pick and upwards of five to six players in the back end who could be drafted in the 2027 NFL draft without being an elite group.

Verdict: Fiction. This secondary is deep, incredibly versatile, and the best in college football. Do not let a one-game sample size change your mind on that.

CJ Carr is an elite passer in college football

This might surprise some folks, but I’m calling this fiction as of today. That’s no shot at Carr.

The 6-foot-2, 215-pound passer has played really well and has been one of the more efficient quarterbacks in the country. However, a couple of passers are playing at a higher level right now. When I hear the word elite, I think of a player who has a strong case to be the best at his position, or very close to it. I’m just not sure Carr is the class of college football at quarterback yet.

Verdict: Fiction, for now. Carr is a quarterback who can win a championship, and he is one of the better quarterbacks in college football. I’m just not ready to put the elite label on him until he has a massive game against the biggest competition on the schedule.