Kirk Herbstreit reveals CFP national championship prediction after Week 11

Analyst Kirk Herbstreit speaks during the ESPN College GameDay live broadcast on the Texas Tech University campus | Mateo Rosiles/ Avalanche-Journal / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

On Monday morning following a terrific Week 11 slate of college football, ESPN analysts Kirk Herbstreit and Joey Galloway convened to discuss the state of the playoff picture. Towards the middle of their livestream on YouTube, one fan wrote in to ask what their championship prediction would be at this stage in the season.

Herbstreit proceeded to flash up a graphic of his current college football top-five and explained that he believes there's a decent list of squads still possessing a very real shot at making the title game come late January. Those teams:

“I think Ohio State, A&M, Indiana would probably be the three that a lot of people would focus on because they’re up at the top," he said, then adding a few others. "Don’t sleep on Alabama and Georgia right now, Ole Miss even. Texas Tech is a team that could be in the discussion; you could make a case for them being as complete of a team as anybody."

Herbstreit's official top five, to this point in the year, was... 1.) Ohio State, 2.) Indiana, 3.) Texas A&M, 4.) Alabama, and 5.) Georgia. However, he didn't necessarily have the two undefeated Big Ten powerhouses coming together to play for a championship.

“I would probably give Ohio State-A&M — as we sit here Nov. 10, I think those would be the two teams," Herbstreit shared. "I would probably give Ohio State, because of the firepower, the nod there over A&M.”

Joey Galloway gives his Ohio State-Texas A&M title pick

Texas A&M Aggies quarterback Marcel Reed (10) | Jay Biggerstaff-Imagn Images

Not exactly shocking to see Kirk Herbstreit stick with current consensus No. 1 and 2024-25 champion OSU, but his confidence in Texas A&M is notable. His partner Joey Galloway is even higher on these Aggies.

“If they were to play Texas A&M, right now, on a neutral site, I don’t know that I’m picking them to beat Texas A&M right now," Galloway said of Ohio State. "I would have to really dig deep and really sit down and think that one through. If you say: Where am I leaning? I’m going to lean A&M.

Kirk Herbstreit and Joey Galloway both like Ohio State to meet Texas A&M, who's still the class of a deep SEC through two November weekends. Herbstreit gives the Buckeyes the benefit of the doubt on the heels of another dominant conference victory, this time over Purdue, while A&M likewise just stacked up another ranked win by jumping on Missouri on the road early and never relenting.