Kirk Herbstreit sets major expectations for Notre Dame

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The college football season is roughly a month away, and the race for the national championship is about to begin. Indiana enters the season as the defending national champion, while another in-state program, Notre Dame, will look to return to the College Football Playoff.

Notre Dame fell short of a national title in 2024 and missed last season’s playoff field. Now, the Fighting Irish have a strong chance to return, with their postseason fate largely in their own hands. One prominent college football analyst said he believes they will.

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Kirk Herbstreit joined “The Pat McAfee Show” to discuss the top contenders entering the season. When asked to name his number one favorite, Herbstreit didn’t hesitate to pick the Notre Dame Fighting Irish.

“I’m going Notre Dame. … [quarterback] CJ [Carr] is the real deal,” Herbstreit said. “I like Notre Dame.”

Notre Dame will try to follow Indiana’s lead and bring another national championship to the state. The Fighting Irish defeated Indiana at home during the 2024 CFP before falling to the Ohio State Buckeyes in the title game.

Fighting Irish among college football elite

On paper, Notre Dame enters the season as one of the nation’s strongest preseason favorites.

The Fighting Irish rank third in ESPN’s Football Power Index (FPI) and own the highest probability of running the table during the regular season at 32.7 percent.

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They also have a 74.4 percent chance of making the CFP, which ranks second only to Ohio State. ESPN’s FPI also projects the Fighting Irish to rank third in both national championship game appearance probability and national title odds.

Of course, championships aren’t won on preseason projections. While Notre Dame benefits from a favorable schedule, the Fighting Irish will still have to prove themselves on the field and navigate another playoff run.

Head coach Marcus Freeman should give the Fighting Irish an edge against most opponents on the schedule, with perhaps only Georgia, Indiana and Ohio State matching the program’s combination of talent and coaching. He also returns a roster that still features key contributors from the team’s last deep playoff run.

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