Newsstand: Where Notre Dame ranks in On3's J.D. Pickell's preseason Top 25

Just like the media who votes on the actual Associated Press Poll, On3’s J.D. Pickell has Notre Dame ranked as the No. 6 team in the country entering the 2025 season.

“This is not a projection; this is strictly in a vacuum,” Pickell said. “All right? So you’ll notice, if you’ve seen our 12 team College Football Playoff predictions, it’s not going to mirror what I think are the top 25 teams in the country right now. This is a ‘what are you right now’ conversation.”

Here’s Pickell’s full set of rankings:

1. Texas
2. Ohio State
3. Clemson
4. Penn State
5. Oregon

6. Notre Dame
7. LSU
8. Georgia
9. Alabama
10. Texas A&M

11. South Carolina
12. Arizona State
13. Florida
14. Miami
15. Illinois

16. Oklahoma
17. Michigan
18. Tennessee
19. Indiana
20. Ole Miss

21. Baylor
22. Texas Tech
23. SMU
24. USC
25. Georgia Tech

“I think it is kind of a quarterback discussion for them,” Pickell said of the Irish. “Is it CJ Carr? Is it Kenny Minchey? If it’s either one of those guys, how much of an answer do you have at quarterback? Because the longer this thing goes, I think, if you’re a Notre Dame fan, you have what you need at quarterback.

“Outside of that, it’s a national title-caliber roster. Jeremiyah Love is the best back in college football. Defense is loaded. Offensive line is loaded. There are not a lot of questions at Notre Dame outside of that.”

Notre Dame tweets of the day

Practice clips make the world go round until Week 1.

The Golden Standard ☘️#GoIrish☘️ pic.twitter.com/MDfZL1Kuj0

— Notre Dame Football (@NDFootball) August 13, 2025

Practice clips of CJ Carr definitely make the world go round until Week 1.

Kenny Minchey has gained steam in the Notre Dame quarterback competition but CJ Carr is still very much a QB1 option.

Can’t deny Carr’s fluid throwing motion.

The maturity piece and everything that comes with it takes time. Technical stuff? He’s been mastering that for years. pic.twitter.com/D2nPD1AlYJ

— Tyler Horka (@tbhorka) August 13, 2025

Riley Leonard: Golf guy.

Riley Leonard, rocking a beard and repping a Notre Dame polo, chopped it up with two-time Masters winner Bubba Watson before this week's @livgolf_league tournament in Indianapolis.

Leonard describes himself as a "dude's golfer." No time for a handicap.pic.twitter.com/zAloPRoOe4

— Tyler Horka (@tbhorka) August 13, 2025

Fighting Irish quote of the day

“There will never be a time where someone’s going to play because they have talent. You will play when you are executing at the exact same or higher level than those four guys that have played.”

— Fighting Irish linebackers coach Max Bullough

Blue & Gold headlines of the day

• Hey Horka! Should Notre Dame have acquired another transfer portal quarterback for 2025?
• Lucky Charms: Quarterback recruits to know for Irish in the 2028 class
• NFL legacy recruit from the Southeast excited to visit Notre Dame for Texas A&M game

• Notre Dame contending for coveted North Carolina recruit returning to campus this season
• Singer: Six Irish commits who have my attention this fall
• Practice Intel: Inside the evolution of Notre Dame’s QB competition and how it might end 

• Last call for captains: Predicting who will wear the ‘C’ for Notre Dame football in 2025
• Chat Transcript: How painful will Notre Dame’s growing pains at QB be?
• Notre Dame vs. USC battle brewing for elite DL Marcus Fakatou ahead of rivalry game visit