Kirk Herbstreit is sticking with Notre Dame as his preseason national championship pick, even with Ohio State sitting atop the AP poll and Indiana coming off a perfect title run.
During Saturday’s first College GameDay broadcast of the season, Herbstreit said the Fighting Irish will win the 2026 national championship. If that call hits, it would give Notre Dame its first title since 1988. That’s a bold swing for a team that missed the College Football Playoff entirely last season despite going 10-2, but Herbstreit has been on this train all offseason.
He first picked Notre Dame on The Pat McAfee Show, then went even deeper on his Nonstop podcast with former Ohio State receiver Joey Galloway, laying out a full Playoff bracket. In that projection, Notre Dame came in as the No. 3 seed, beat Texas in what Herbstreit described as "a coin-flip for me," knocked off Georgia in the semifinals and then met Indiana for the championship.
At the center of Herbstreit’s belief is quarterback CJ Carr. In his first season as a starter, Carr threw for 2,741 yards, 24 touchdowns and six interceptions while guiding Notre Dame to a 10-2 record.
Herbstreit has also pegged Carr as his preseason Heisman Trophy favorite, and he’s pointed to Notre Dame’s recruiting and its experience at wide receiver as reasons he thinks this team is built for more than last year’s finish. ESPN’s Rece Davis has also gone with Notre Dame to win it all.
Indiana’s path, at least in Herbstreit’s bracket, is just as notable. The Hoosiers went 16-0 last season, won the Big Ten and beat Miami for the national championship.
Quarterback Fernando Mendoza won the Heisman Trophy before going first overall in the NFL Draft, and Curt Cignetti now turns the offense over to TCU transfer Josh Hoover. Even with the title defense, Indiana opened this season at No. 6 in the AP poll, behind Ohio State, Oregon, Georgia, Notre Dame and Texas.
Herbstreit still sees Indiana getting back to the title game. On his podcast, he projected the Hoosiers would get there by beating Oregon and Ohio State, which would give them a fourth straight win over the Ducks in that rivalry.
Notre Dame opens the season against Wisconsin at Lambeau Field on Sept. 6.
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