Kirk Herbstreit Ranks 3 Powerhouses Ahead of National Title Pick Notre Dame After Week 5

Herbstreit's preseason favorite is 5-0, while two of the rival contenders he's wondering about meet Saturday night in Tuscaloosa.

Kirk Herbstreit plays catch with a fan during Pat McAfee’s “Kicking is Easy” Contest at ESPN’s College GameDay | USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect

ESPN analyst Kirk Herbstreit picked Notre Dame to win the national championship before the season, but five weeks in, he's questioning whether Miami, Georgia and Alabama have moved past the Fighting Irish as college football's best teams.

On his Nonstop podcast with former Ohio State receiver Joey Galloway, Herbstreit asked whether they'd still pick Notre Dame "now that we have four games of evidence" before naming Miami, Georgia and Alabama as the teams he'd put in the discussion for the country's best.

"Because for me, it feels like the two best teams right now, I would put Miami in that discussion. I would put Georgia in that discussion. I would put Alabama in that discussion. They're actually playing each other this weekend," Herbstreit said.

Why is Herbstreit doubting Notre Dame?

Notre Dame Fighting Irish head coach Marcus Freeman reacts in the first quarter at Kenan Stadium. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Herbstreit then pressed Galloway on the two highest-ranked teams outside his trio: "Would you put Notre Dame right now in that discussion, even though they haven't been tested? Would you put Texas in that discussion, even though they're the number one team in the country?"

Galloway, who also picked the Fighting Irish as his preseason champion, didn't abandon the pick. "I don't feel as good about Notre Dame as I did when we began the season. That doesn't mean I feel bad about them. That means I don't feel as good," he said.

Notre Dame is 5-0 and No. 3 in the AP poll, and the untested label traces to its schedule. The Irish beat Wisconsin, Rice, Michigan State and Purdue by a combined 169-33 before a 37-26 win at North Carolina, their closest game. CJ Carr has completed 88 of 124 passes for 1,197 yards with 13 touchdowns and one interception.

Still, the opponent-adjusted data favors Notre Dame. The Irish rank first nationally in net expected points added per play, an efficiency measure adjusted for opponent, home field and garbage time, and sixth in adjusted defense. Texas, meanwhile, ranks third in adjusted defense but 49th in adjusted offense.

Notre Dame hosts Stanford on Saturday before visiting No. 8 BYU on Oct. 17.

Miami's statement win at Clemson

Miami Hurricanes quarterback Darian Mensah (10) celebrates a touchdown during the third quarter against the Clemson Tigers at Memorial Stadium. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Herbstreit's comments followed Miami's 41-13 win at Clemson on Oct. 3, which put the No. 4 Hurricanes (5-0, 3-0 ACC) alone atop the ACC. Darian Mensah threw for 227 yards and a touchdown and added a 34-yard scoring run, while Mark Fletcher Jr. ran for 77 yards and two scores as Miami outrushed Clemson 192-55.

Miami ranks sixth nationally in adjusted offensive efficiency. The Hurricanes also visit Notre Dame on Nov. 7, a year after beating the Irish 27-24 in the 2025 opener and taking the final at-large playoff spot over them.

How good is Georgia this season?

Georgia Bulldogs quarterback Gunner Stockton (14) rolls out and runs against the Western Kentucky Hilltoppers | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

No. 2 Georgia (5-0, 3-0 SEC) has scored 257 points through five games, one short of the 1910 team's program record for a five-game start. The Bulldogs beat Oklahoma 41-13 and Vanderbilt 38-14, with Gunner Stockton throwing for 295 yards and three touchdowns against the Commodores.

Georgia's adjusted profile trails its record, though. The Bulldogs rank 31st nationally in net efficiency and 67th in adjusted defense, the weakest marks among the four teams in Herbstreit's discussion. Two weeks into the season, Herbstreit admitted, "We don't know anything about Georgia."

Alabama hosts Georgia in Tuscaloosa

Georgia Bulldogs head coach Kirby Smart and Alabama Crimson Tide head coach Kalen DeBoer greet each other before the game at Bryant-Denny Stadium. | USA TODAY Sports via Reuters Connect

No. 6 Alabama (5-0, 3-0 SEC) scored 49 or more points in each of its last three games, capped by a 56-23 win at No. 16 Mississippi State, in which quarterback Keelon Russell threw three touchdowns and ran for another. Paul Finebaum called the Crimson Tide college football's most complete team after that win, and Alabama ranks second nationally in net efficiency and ninth in adjusted defense.

Georgia at Alabama kicks off Saturday at 7:30 p.m. ET on ABC from Bryant-Denny Stadium. The teams met twice last season: Alabama won 24-21 in Athens, and Georgia won 28-7 in the SEC Championship Game.