Kirk Herbstreit Backs College Football Powerhouse to Win 2026 National Championship

An insurgent contender could make a run in the College Football Playoff, the veteran ESPN analyst has said.

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The team that just missed out on the College Football Playoff a year ago just could have the firepower to make it back and go all the way this season.

That’s the opinion of ESPN’s veteran College GameDay host and analyst Kirk Herbstreit, who is going outside the box when making his national championship pick for 2026.

Here come the Irish?

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“I like Notre Dame,” Herbstreit said on The Pat McAfee Show this week.

On first glance, you might think taking the Irish offense to go the distance in the postseason would be a sucker’s bet after losing two key skill contributors.

Running backs Jeremiyah Love and Jadarian Price are out of the picture this year, and with them go a ground game that ranked fourth in college football with 38 touchdowns and was third in FBS with 5.69 yards per carry on average.

"I like Notre Dame and Miami..

I think Texas A&M could make a run with Marcel Reed this year" ~ @KirkHerbstreit #PMSLive pic.twitter.com/iaREizIxoW

— Pat McAfee (@PatMcAfeeShow) July 22, 2026

But the return of young quarterback CJ Carr – who finished with 2,741 yards and 24 touchdowns against only 6 giveaways – could prove enough to keep this attack at par, especially when looking at the talent Notre Dame returns at wide receiver.

Chris Ash returns to call plays for an Irish defense that surrendered only 14 touchdowns in the air, was fourth with 21 intercepted passes, and finished 10th nationally in scoring by allowing under 18 points to opponents each week.

Notre Dame also benefits from what appears to be an easier schedule this season, ranking 112th in the country on that metric, with opponents winning 47 percent of their combined games a year ago.

But other teams stick out

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Notre Dame isn’t the only team Herbstreit thinks could make a little run this year.

Herbie also backed Miami, last season’s College Football Playoff runner-up, as a contender to go one step further this season.

Darian Mensah, the dual threat quarterback who helped Duke win the ACC title a year ago, joins the Hurricanes’ offense alongside elite skill inputs like running back Mark Fletcher and wide receiver Malachi Toney.

Texas A&M won 11 games and made its first playoff a year ago, and returning quarterback Marcel Reed and a solid wide receiver corps could be enough to win a national title in Herbstreit’s judgment.

College football national title odds

Lines courtesy of BetMGM

• Ohio State: +600
• Texas: +650
• Notre Dame: +700
• Indiana: +750
• Oregon: +800
• Georgia: +900
• Miami: +1200
• Texas A&M: +1500
• Alabama: +1500
• LSU: +1500

Game odds refresh periodically and are subject to change.

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