If the season ended today, Notre Dame would be heading to Provo, Utah, to play BYU in the first round of the College Football Playoff. But Irish quarterback CJ Carr isn't looking that far ahead.
After two close losses to start the season, it appeared as if preseason No. 6 Notre Dame could be playing its way out of a CFP berth. The Irish, though, have come roaring back and are right back in the mix to return to the playoff following their national title game appearance last season.
Led by Carr, a redshirt freshman and first-year starter, Notre Dame has won six straight games, all of which by at least two scores, and made its way back into the top 10 for the first time since mid-September. And what a great time to do it, as the CFP committee released its first set of rankings this week.
Carr did not use an appearance on ‘SportsCenter' to advocate for Notre Dame in the playoff race, however. In fact, he said that the team was “not too locked in” to the rankings and shifted the focus back to their next opponent.
“I think kind of the focus for our team right now is beating Navy,” Carr said. “And we know if we focus too much on the things that don't matter, then the things that do matter will slip away. So we're really focused on having a good Monday and reflecting on it and then going into Tuesday and just continuing to get better.”
"How locked in were y'all to the first rankings release?"
"Not too locked in."
Notre Dame quarterback CJ Carr emphasizes that the Irish are keeping their eyes on the next opponent, not the rankings 💪 pic.twitter.com/be4VH6XZ1g
— SportsCenter (@SportsCenter) November 5, 2025
After appearing in just one game and throwing no passes last year, Carr has wowed fans and NFL scouts alike as the Irish's starting quarterback. Through eight games, he has completed 66.5% of his passes for 2,057 yards, 16 touchdowns, and 4 interceptions. He has also rushed for two touchdowns.
Carr has been aided in the backfield by star junior running back Jeremiyah Love, who has rushed for 364 yards and 3 touchdowns over the last two games. Love, who had 1,362 yards and 19 touchdowns from scrimmage last year, already has 1,121 yards and 14 touchdowns in half the games this year.
Notre Dame has four games remaining on its schedule, and one slip-up in any of the four could prove disastrous for the Irish. They host Navy on Saturday before traveling to Pittsburgh to play the Panthers. Notre Dame finishes up its regular season with a home game vs. Syracuse and a road trip to Palo Alto to play Stanford.
