‘College GameDay’ Announces Guest Picker for CFP National Championship

Marcus Freeman will help ESPN’s ‘College GameDay’ close out the year on Monday night.

Marcus Freeman will be at the College Football Playoff national championship, just not in the role he was hoping to have. | MICHAEL CLUBB/SOUTH BEND TRIBUNE / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

The college football season will come to a close on Monday night with No. 1 Indiana and No. 10 Miami facing off with a national championship on the line.

The game will put a bow on what has been another incredible season, and will also represent the final episode of ESPN’s College GameDay until the fall of 2026.

This year of College GameDay started off with an unforgettable show, which served as a send-off to longtime panelist Lee Corso in the middle of The Shoe at Ohio State.

On Friday, GameDay announced its final guest of the year—Notre Dame coach Marcus Freeman.

Notre Dame head coach Marcus Freeman will be joining GameDay as a guest analyst for the national championship 👏 pic.twitter.com/5pAILNXQwa

— College GameDay (@CollegeGameDay) January 16, 2026

Freeman should be a fascinating guest to close out the year, as his Fighting Irish dropped their first game of the year to Miami in a matchup that proved to have massive implications by the end of the year. Had Notre Dame prevailed in that season opener, it’s possible Freeman and the Irish would be on the field at Hard Rock Stadium on Monday night, and Miami coach Mario Cristobal would be the one joining GameDay.

Kickoff for Monday’s game is set for 7:30 p.m. ET on ESPN, with Indiana currently listed as 8.5-point favorites over Miami.

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