RESOLVING THE LEDGER
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Every August, confident college football forecasts emerge about who will be playing for a championship in January, and most of them evaporate by October.
Kirk Herbstreit is willing to stake his reputation on Notre Dame anyway. The ESPN College GameDay analyst believes the Fighting Irish will beat Indiana in the College Football Playoff National Championship this season, giving Notre Dame the edge over a Hoosiers team that just won it all a year ago.
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Notre Dame beats Indiana in Herbstreit’s title pick
The prediction came on The Pat McAfee Show , where Herbstreit said Ohio State and Georgia would also reach the four-team semifinal round. He has Notre Dame beating Indiana for the championship .
“I’ve got Notre Dame playing Indiana in the national championship,” Herbstreit said. “I got Notre Dame winning it all over Indiana in a national championship. I got Ohio State and Georgia both getting into the playoff, in the final four. But I got Notre Dame and Indiana advancing.”
Pat McAfee pointed out that Herbstreit is not alone in that pick. Fellow ESPN analyst Rece Davis has also picked Notre Dame to win the national championship this season.
An FBS independent, Notre Dame does not have a conference championship game to navigate in December. Herbstreit said that path works in the Fighting Irish’s favor.
“They got three games, and they don’t have a conference championship game,” Herbstreit said, implying Notre Dame only faces three competitive opponents this season. “They’re going to walk at least into the playoff.”
CJ Carr and a talented roster fuel the pick
Notre Dame Fighting Irish quarterback CJ Carr (13) looks to pass against the Navy Midshipmen during the first half at Notre Dame Stadium. A Heisman Trophy prediction came next. Herbstreit said Notre Dame quarterback CJ Carr will win the award this season after taking over the starting job in 2025.
“That guy right there is going to win the Heisman Trophy,” Herbstreit said, referring to Carr. “So I’m all in on Notre Dame this year. I think this is the year that they’ve recruited well. They’ve got some experience at receiver.”
Junior cornerback Leonard Moore, who I have ranked as the No. 3 most important college football player in 2026, was one of the players Herbstreit pointed to as giving Notre Dame an advantage, even as he referenced the team’s overall talent level across the roster. Moore is coming off a unanimous All-American season in 2025 and enters the year as one of the top returning defenders in the country.
“This is a very talented team,” Herbstreit said. “And I think they got a bit of a chip on their shoulder from what happened to them a year ago. So I think it’s a real deal.”
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A favorable schedule backs the Notre Dame pick
Fighting Irish cornerback Leonard Moore (15) returns an interception for a touchdown against the Syracuse Orange during the first half at Notre Dame Stadium. Notre Dame missed the Playoff a year ago despite finishing the regular season with a strong record, a decision that Fighting Irish athletic director Pete Bevacqua has since called controversial . That will not be a concern in 2026. Notre Dame secured a guarantee from the Playoff selection committee that it will earn an automatic bid if it finishes inside the top 12 of the final rankings.
Part of the 2026 schedule includes road trips to Purdue, North Carolina and Syracuse along with home dates against Michigan State, Miami and Boston College. Notre Dame also plays SMU and travels to BYU on Oct. 17.
McAfee agreed that the BYU game stands out as a key matchup. “BYU is a big one,” McAfee said.
A neutral-site game against Navy closed out Herbstreit’s breakdown. “And Navy is a little bit of a tricky game,” Herbstreit said.
Notre Dame opens the season Sept. 6 against Wisconsin at Lambeau Field, the first step in the schedule Herbstreit says sets up a run to the championship.
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