Notre Dame is already drawing plenty of attention before the 2026 season even kicks off, and Josh Pate just turned the volume up a lot higher.
The college football analyst went on “The Herd with Colin Cowherd” and made the kind of statement that will light up every corner of the sport. Asked whether the Fighting Irish could win a national title, Pate took a different route and said he would go even further if Notre Dame were dropped into the SEC.
“If they played in the SEC, I think I'd pick them to win the SEC this year," Pate said. "And I say that because it'll stir some people up where I'm from.
But I also say it because people are going to mistakenly look at their schedule and discount them. This is a team that could stand up against any schedule in the country this year."
That schedule, at least on paper, doesn’t exactly scream brutal. Notre Dame opens the year against Wisconsin at Lambeau Field, hosts Rice in Week 2, and later faces BYU on the road.
Miami also comes to South Bend in November. Earlier this month, Notre Dame and USC added another layer to the program’s future by renewing their rivalry with a four-game series beginning in 2030.
Pate also pointed to Marcus Freeman as one of the reasons Notre Dame is sitting in such a strong place.
“Marcus Freeman's a heck of a coach,” Pate said. “So you deserve credit for looking inside your building and realizing your guy's already there.”
He didn’t stop there. Pate said, “I don't know when you would have ever looked over an upcoming five-year period and felt better about the future of Notre Dame football than you do 2026 through 2031,”
The backdrop helps explain why Notre Dame is getting this kind of buzz. The Irish open 2026 at No. 5 in the preseason coaches poll after going 10-2 last fall, missing the College Football Playoff by one spot and then withdrawing from bowl consideration. Freeman has gone 43-12 at Notre Dame and reached the national title game in 2024.
Pate also brought Brian Kelly into the discussion, saying Kelly left because you have to go to LSU to win the biggest prize. LSU fired Kelly in October 2025, midway through his fourth season.
At the same time, Pate was just as direct about the SEC itself. Georgia was picked to win the league at SEC media days with 88 of 164 votes, ahead of Texas with 57 and Ole Miss with six. Pate backed the Bulldogs too.
“Why overthink the room? This is Georgia's league, this has been Georgia's league,” he said.
Georgia has won the last two SEC titles under Kirby Smart, but the conference has not claimed a national championship since the Bulldogs went back-to-back in 2021 and 2022. No SEC team has reached the title game since then, while the Big Ten has won three straight with three different schools. Indiana finished 16-0 last season, and Ole Miss was the only SEC team to reach a semifinal a year ago, doing it after losing Lane Kiffin to LSU.
Put it together, and Pate’s Notre Dame take comes from the same place as his Georgia pick: he sees a program peaking and a conference that no longer looks as imposing as it once did.
In Other News...
Indiana Gets Pulled Into A Notre Dame Title Hype Debate
Kirk Herbstreit is already looking well beyond the coming season, and he has put Notre Dame squarely in the national title conversation for 2026. The ESPN analyst pointed to the Irishs returning talent and quarterback CJ Carr as the reasons he believes the roster has the kind of foundation that can carry a championship run, while also recognizing that teams such as Miami and Indiana will be part of the wider debate.
For Notre Dame, the appeal is familiar and the caution is obvious. The program has lived through plenty of preseason buzz before, only to come up short when the games mattered most, but this group feels different under Marcus Freeman because of the balance of talent and coaching around Carr. Herbstreits view is not the final word, of course, but it is another sign that the Irish are being discussed as more than a usual early-season favorite, even if the real proof will have to wait. [Read more 🡒]
Notre Dame Has An Intriguing New Name In Its Receiver Battle
Matt Jeffery has spent much of his Notre Dame career standing out in two different arenas, earning recognition for his work in lacrosse while also developing as a third-year football player. Even with limited production on the football side so far, his name is becoming harder to ignore as the Irish work through a receiver battle that still has several moving parts heading into the season.
Jefferys appeal is obvious for a team looking for dependable options at receiver: he is an experienced athlete who has already shown he can handle the demands of competing at a high level in more than one sport. With other players also pushing for playing time, his potential rise adds another layer of intrigue to a position group that will be watched closely as Notre Dame sorts out who can carve out a real role. [Read more 🡒]
CJ Carr Is Giving Notre Dame Fans Real Reason To Dream
CJ Carr is heading into Notre Dames 2026 fall camp with a different kind of weight on his shoulders now. The Saline, Michigan native is no longer just the promising young quarterback in the room. After a strong 2025 season, hes taking on more leadership responsibilities, and the confidence he gained last fall seems to be carrying into this next stretch for the Irish.
Carr has pointed to the chemistry built across the roster and the experience the team picked up a year ago as key reasons he feels good about where the offense is headed. He also likes the talent around him and the hunger to clean up what fell short last season, which makes this a meaningful camp for Notre Dame even before the pads come on. Theres a sense that the Irish are expecting more, and Carr is right in the middle of why. [Read more 🡒]