Kirk Herbstreit’s GameDay Prediction: Notre Dame Fans Will Love This

The longtime ESPN commentator remains all-in on Notre Dame despite the slow start to 2025

Kirk Herbstreit is on stage at ESPN College GameDay ahead of the University of Oklahoma-Michigan College football game on Sep 6, 2025 in Norman. | Steve Sisney/For The Oklahoman / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Notre Dame might have started the year 0-2 but in a way, its been here before. Sure, it started last year 1-1 but after losing at home to Northern Illinois, it had to run off 10-straight wins in order to make the College Football Playoff.

It of course did, made the Playoff, and made noise once it got there, making it all the way to the National Championship Game where it finally fell again to Ohio State.

Can Notre Dame run off 10-straight again and make this year's College Football Playoff, too? The odds may be stacked against it, but Kirk Herbstreit shared complete optimism for Marcus Freeman's program on Saturday's ESPN College GameDay.

Kirk Herbstreit Predicts Notre Dame to Make College Football Playoff

Herbstreit used part of his time on College GameDay on Saturday to try and talk Notre Dame fans down. Sure, the Irish are 0-2 and essentially have no wiggle room the rest of the way, but Herbstreit still sees a massive fall in South Bend.

So much in fact that he's sticking with his preseason prediction as he has Notre Dame still making the College Football Playoff.

After Nick Saban discussed how Notre Dame will need help to get in, check out what Herbstreit had to say about Notre Dame and Marcus Freeman's chances below.

Calling my shot here…@NDFootball will win out@NDFootball will be in the CFP#CollegeGameDay pic.twitter.com/VLk7XX6gzD

— Kirk Herbstreit (@KirkHerbstreit) September 20, 2025

Notre Dame's Remaining Schedule:

Notre Dame's first of 10 remaining games this season is Saturday at home against a Purdue squad it should handle. From there things aren't as rough as the first two games of the season, but certainly isn't a cakewalk, either.

Sept. 27: at Arkansas
Oct. 4: vs. Boise State
Oct. 11: vs. NC State
Oct. 18: vs. USC
Nov. 1: at Boston College
Nov. 8: vs. Navy
Nov. 15: at Pittsburgh
Nov. 22: vs. Syracuse
Nov. 29: at Stanford

What Are Notre Dame's Chances of Winning 10 Straight?

Notre Dame head coach Marcus Freeman celebrates after scoring a touchdown in the first half of a NCAA football game against Texas A&M at Notre Dame Stadium on Saturday, Sept. 13, 2025, in South Bend. | MICHAEL CLUBB/SOUTH BEND TRIBUNE / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

I could sit here and read off ESPN Football Power Index numbers to you and break down the entire slate game by game, but it's actually a whole lot simpler than that.

Notre Dame remains a lot more talented and deeper than any of the 10 teams remaining on its schedule. Can it show some form of a consistent pass rush defensively? And can it start causing turnovers, something it did as well as almost anyone a year ago?

If the answers to those questions are yes, then Notre Dame will almost certainly go 10-0 against its remaining slate. If not? Then we'll be previewing what flavor Pop-Tart is going to get cooked in the Pop-Tarts Bowl in late December, and we won't be talking about the College Football Playoff.