Jokes aside, the college football crew is excited to bring you a weekly Top 25 throughout the 2025 season. Our familiar cast of characters—David Kenyon, Adam Kramer, Joel Reuter and Brad Shepard—each submitted a ballot. A first-place vote was worth 25 points, 24 for second place and so on.

Part 3 of the preseason analytics journey takes us to opponents’ defenses. More specifically, the average points scored by opponents per game during the 2024-25 season. Of Notre Dame’s 2025-26 opponents, Navy, Texas A&M and Boise State had the best recent defensive performances last season.