Rece Davis releases his preseason college football top 10 for 2026, with Notre Dame No. 1

Rece Davis, the ESPN college football expert and long-time College GameDay host, has published his preseason top 10 rankings ahead of the 2026 season. In the first place spot, Davis has Notre Dame listed as the No. 1 team entering the year, a placement that immediately frames the Irish as the early standard in his evaluation of title-level contenders.

Davis is known for coupling film-and-scheme judgment with the practical lens of what teams will need to survive a full season. His rankings carry a particular weight in the national conversation because Davis is also a voter in the AP Poll, meaning his preseason thinking is not simply an analyst exercise, but part of the broader weekly ecosystem that shapes the conversation around teams as the year moves forward.

The release also functions as a baseline for the 2026 storylines that typically define preseason ranking lists, including which programs have built sustained quality at the quarterback and front-line positions, how each roster handles turnover and youth, and whether the schedule’s sequence might force teams to peak earlier than expected. For viewers who follow College GameDay from week to week, the rankings give a preview of which programs Davis is likely to emphasize when the season begins producing results.

Still, preseason top 10 lists are inherently speculative. They tend to rest on projections, spring-summer training camp information, and what coaches and players have shown previously, rather than the kind of in-season evidence that later clarifies roles and problem areas. Davis’s list therefore should be treated as an early assessment that will be stress-tested quickly once teams face nonconference opponents and the rhythm of conference play begins.

Notre Dame’s No. 1 placement will be especially significant for how the national race is discussed. When a team is placed at the top before a single snap has been played in the regular season, every subsequent movement in polls and rankings becomes more consequential for both that team and its primary challengers, as analysts and fans look for proof that the top spot was earned or for reasons it was premature.

The next test for Davis’s preseason ranking will come after the first wave of games, when the rankings turn from “who looks best on paper” into “who performs best under game conditions.” Watch how quickly the Irish can translate preseason expectations into repeatable production, and how the rest of Davis’s top 10 responds as matchups begin to separate early consensus from late surges.