Notre Dame Remains No.
Notre Dame · RiceMarcus Freeman’s squad solidified their elite standing with a relentless shutout of Rice, while CJ Carr’s four-touchdown performance anchored a weekend of chaotic shifts across the national rankings. The Irish hosted the now 1-1 Rice Owls in their home opener and dominated them from start to finish.
Junior quarterback CJ Carr completed 16 of his 20 passes for 253 yards and four scores. The depth on both sides of the ball was on full display and the Irish handed the Owls their biggest margin of defeat since their season opener in 2022 against USC (66-14).
This was an absolutely dominant win for the Irish. Is it going to make a lasting impression on the College Football Playoff Committee in November?
No, but it's a major step in the right direction for Freeman who needed to keep his team and program focused on the main goal of the 2026 season. We've seen the Irish drop games like this in year's past, and now they were able to conquer an inferior opponent at home in September the way a premier program should.
KEY POINTS
- Notre Dame Remains No. 3 By The Top 25 Associated Press.
- For the first time since 2022, Notre Dame and head coach Marcus Freeman shut out an opponent inside of Notre Dame Stadium leading them to be ranked No. 3 in the country by the Associated Press.
- Notre Dame's defense kept Rice out of the end zone for the entire contest and didn't allow the Owl's offense to cross the 50-yard line until their final offensive possession of the game that ended in a fumble recover by freshman Rodney Dunham .
- Notre Dame's offense lit it up through the air throwing for 360 yards and four touchdowns as a team.