‘Channeling His Inner Lou Holtz’ — Brian Kelly’s Notre Dame Prediction For 2026 Wins No Fans

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Many Notre Dame fans still haven’t moved past Brian Kelly’s decision to leave for LSU, and so even when he speaks positively about the Irish, it doesn’t sit well with a large section of the fanbase. His game-by-game predictions for Notre Dame’s 2026 season have become another example of that sentiment.

Brian Kelly Faces Backlash After Forecasting Perfect Notre Dame Season

Notre Dame will kick off the 2026 season against Wisconsin at Lambeau Field, and Kelly is confident the Fighting Irish will start the season with a win. He also doesn’t expect Rice to pose much of a threat when the teams meet in South Bend in Week 2.

Kelly sees the Week 3 matchup against Michigan State as a “very competitive” game but still predicts Notre Dame will come out on top. He also picked the Irish to beat Purdue, North Carolina, Stanford, BYU, and Navy, giving them an 8-0 start.

Many believe Miami can hand Notre Dame a loss, but Kelly expects the Irish to handle the Nov. 7 rematch with last season’s national runners-up. He also projected wins over Boston College, SMU, and Syracuse, finishing the regular season with a perfect 12-0 record.

However, Kelly’s bold prediction favoring Notre Dame did not receive much support from fans.

“He must be channeling his inner Lou Holtz!!!” a fan said.

“I agreed never to listen to him again after celebrating his leaving ND,” one wrote.

“Brian Kelly thinks Notre Dame will go 12-0, but is concerned whether the Fighting Irish can handle the snow inside the Carrier Dome in late November,” Reddit CFB wrote.

Kelly coached Notre Dame from 2010 through 2021, going 113-40 on the field, a mark that adjusts to 92-40 once you account for the 21 wins the NCAA vacated from the 2012 and 2013 seasons. He earned ACC Coach of the Year honors in 2020 from both the league office and the Associated Press. Kelly also knows the terrain here. He coached Notre Dame’s last 12-0 regular season in 2018 and its last undefeated one in 2020.

Kelly passed Knute Rockne on the field to become the winningest coach in Notre Dame history, though the vacated wins leave his official total short of Rockne’s 105. He then chose to continue his career at LSU rather than extend his legacy with the Irish.

While many Notre Dame fans remain upset over Kelly’s departure, LSU fans were also disappointed because of the Tigers’ lack of postseason success under him. That made it difficult for his game-by-game Notre Dame predictions to receive much positive feedback.

“This coming from coach who got fired in 2025 after getting blown out ! Who cares !!!” a person wrote.

“Brian Kelly just described how he could take this roster and go nine and three,” one said.

“ND has to have the easiest schedule of any top 40 team. They are gifted a trip to the playoffs,” one wrote.

Kelly will not return as head coach during the 2026 season, but he isn’t leaving the sport. Front Office Sports reported he’ll call Mountain West games for CBS as part of a three-man booth and work as an analyst on CBS Sports Network’s “Inside College Football.”

This article originally appeared on Pro Football Network.

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