Notre Dame has entered the midway point of the 2026 season and the Irish are riding a hot streak. In fact, Notre Dame has not only started this season undefeated at 6-0, it has won 16 straight games, and all 16 of those games are by double digits. Notre Dame will need to be even better in the final six games due to the schedule ramping up. Notre Dame plays three teams currently ranked in the Top 25 in the final six games, including a matchup against No. 8 BYU this weekend.

Before we get to the final six games, let's take a look at where Notre Dame ranks and how it has performed through the first half of the season. We'll begin with a look at Notre Dame's offensive statistics and where they rank nationally on offense.

There is no question that Notre Dame has not reached its full potential, or its peak, on offense so far this season. There have been flashes, but even some of the dominant moments have been more about out-talenting the opposition than it is executing at an elite level. That critique, however, is compared to what this unit could and should be. When looking at its statistics compared to the rest of the country shows that the offense is still quite good.

There has been some really good and some question marks when it comes to offensive coaching the first six games. My biggest frustration is that the offensive staff didn't have a better handle on the talent of this roster before games started. Notre Dame clearly thought its run game and pass game would thrive with a certain type of scheme, mainly Midzone/Outside Zone in the run game. That didn't work, at all, and the run game was putrid through the first three games. In fact, the only success we saw from the run game - which came late in the game against Wisconsin and Michigan State - was largely built around gap schemes. 

Where I will praise the staff is that it has not remained stubbornly stuck on what it thought the offense should be and it has adapted. Notre Dame has been more focused on balance between gap schemes and zone concepts in the last two games, and it has also focused more on building around the arm talent of CJ Carr in the most recent games. The result is Notre Dame scoring 45.7 offensive points per game (48.0 PPG as a team) in its last three wins, all of which came against Power 4 opponents. 

Tinkering too much with the offensive line early in the season, and the unwillingness to develop the wide receiver depth chart, are two more areas of frustration. Hopefully, in the final six games, we'll see this start to be improved upon. If it is the offense will have a tremendous chance to play its best football as the schedule toughens up.

Junior quarterback CJ Carr has been quite good to start the season, but like the rest of the offense there is even better football to be played by him. Carr ranks 4th in the country in passing touchdowns (16), 4th in total touchdowns (19), 4th in QBR (89.0), 7th in passer rating (186.49), 8th in yards per attempt (9.6) and 12th in completion rate (70.8%). Notre Dame's 16-1 TD-INT ratio is as good as there is in the country. The issue, however, is that the staff seemed more determined to focus on the run game than allowing Carr's arm talent to be the focal point. Carr ranks just 44th in passing yards per game (229.7) and is 94th in attempts per game (24.0). Notre Dame blowing teams out plays a role in that, but being 94th is primarily about him not throwing as much as he probably should.

With the schedule ramping up in the final six games expect to see Carr be asked to do more with his arm as the Irish continue their quest to making the College Football Playoff.

The running back position has taken a lot of heat this season, but the group has found its groove in the last three games. Freshman Jonaz Walton has broken out the last three games, rushing for 362 yards and two scores in the last three games while averaging 8.4 yards per carry. He hasn't been alone, with starter Nolan James Jr. rushing for 138 yards (7.3 YPC) in the last two games. James also pounded Michigan State, rushing for 121 yards on 26 carries. James has reached the end zone eight times this season, with five coming on the ground and three through the air. Aneyas Williams entered the season as the starter, but he struggled early and is now battling for the No. 2 spot. Williams hauled in a 70-yard touchdown catch against Stanford and also had the team's longest run against North Carolina. Freshman Javian Osborne also showed flashes in the win over Stanford as well.

This group is loaded, and after a rough start (which included bad OL play) they are finally coming into their own. Of course, the group will be tested to a far greater degree in the final six games, but the unit is rounding into form.

The wide receiver production has been a bit up-and-down, but overall the unit has played well in most areas this season. I want to see this group do a bit better in contested catch situations and blocking needs to be a bit more consistent, especially in the boundary, but the unit has put in work making plays on limited opportunities this season. Jordan Faison leads the Irish with 28 catches, 387 yards and four touchdowns. Micah Gilbert was quiet in wins over North Carolina and Stanford, but he caught 10 passes for 253 yards in wins over Michigan State and Purdue. Jaden Greathouse is also starting to connect with Carr, scoring a touchdown in each of the last two games. Blocking has been erratic, but it has certainly improved in the last two games. This group is starting to come into its own and the ball is being spread around a bit more in recent games.

Notre Dame going with such a short rotation has been another frustration with the wide outs. Marcus Freeman spoke in camp about how deep the unit was, and now we are halfway through the season and the number of players who have "earned the trust" of the coaches is limited to primarily three players, with two others occasionally getting limited snaps. Sophomore Elijah Burress has flashed when given chances, and freshmen Bubba Frazier and Brayden Robinson are the most explosive wideouts on the roster. Finding ways to incorporate some of these talented young wideouts could give this group a bit more juice down the stretch. Figuring out how to get Mylan Graham going could also give the receiver room a bit more juice, but Graham doesn't look overly comfortable playing in the slot.

Notre Dame entered the season with a talented tight end room, but one that was relatively inexperienced at the top. Cooper Flanagan and James Flanigan have turned into impact blockers that only need to add consistency to become even more dominant. Their impact in the pass game has been minimal, with the group mainly used as blockers and goal line targets in the pass game. Finding a bit more run game consistency will be key in the final six games, and trying to get more pass game action would be ideal. I don't necessarily need to see more from a pure volume standpoint, but I do believe Notre Dame is missing some big play opportunities from the tight end position with its play-action game and some well-designed and well-called deep shots.

Using junior Jack Larsen and elite freshman Ian Premer more would certainly help the pass game be more effective. Getting them going in the run game would be needed, as they can't be giveaways that they are throwing, but those two are the most dynamic pass catchers at the position.

This has been a tale of two halves in the first half. In the first half of the first half of the season the offensive line largely struggled. Their inability to get anything going on the ground kept the offense from really getting going, and while they didn't give up a lot of sacks, there were still too many pass game mistakes. Part of the lack of pressures allowed early on was more about playing teams that simply weren't all that good at getting pressure on the quarterback.

Things started to change in the fourth quarter against Michigan State, and progress was made in the win over Purdue. Heading into the North Carolina matchup, the offensive line was without question the biggest question mark on the offense. In that victory the offensive line finally showed its potential, dominating UNC on the ground and giving Carr time to throw against the best defensive line the Irish had played up to that point of the season. Even in the third quarter, when rain made it obvious that Notre Dame was going to run, the Irish line pushed the UNC defense around and opened up plenty of room to run. The same offensive line that could muster just 118 rushing yards and 3.7 yards per carry against Rice pounded Stanford to the tune of 361 yards and 7.7 yards per carry in the most recent win.

So which version will we get in the final six games? That will ultimately determine just how good Notre Dame will be down the stretch. If Notre Dame plays the final six games the way it did the last two the Irish are going to run the football, score a lot of points and the team will be hard to beat. If it reverts back to what we saw the first three games, and part of the fourth game, it will continue to be inconsistent, which will make the offense as a whole far more inconsistent.

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