Notre Dame: Kirk Herbstreit predicts 12-team College Football Playoff bracket, nat…
Notre Dame · Navy · Ohio StateHerbstreit, the popular ESPN and Amazon Prime analyst, made his Playoff predictions during Friday night's "Herbie Awards: Preseason Special" on ESPN. But now he's diving deeper into how the Fighting Irish get it done.
Herbstreit starts off his Playoff prediction with a bit of a surprise as he picks a service academy, Navy, to earn the CFP's Group of Six bid in 2026. Of course, their prize is a first-round matchup with 2024 national champion Ohio State in Columbus.
To little surprise, Herbstreit expects the Buckeyes -- which secures the coveted No. 5 seed as his projected Big Ten runner-up -- to sink the upstart Midshipman and easily move on to their second straight CFP quarterfinals. Hopefully with better luck than a year ago, when Ohio State fell to 10th-seeded Miami.
Herbstreit's next Playoff game could be a true offensive barnburner featuring two programs with high-powered offensives led by elite veteran quarterbacks. Week 1 of the 2026 college football season is officially upon us.
KEY POINTS
- ESPN's Kirk Herbstreit revealed his projected 2026 College Football Playoff 12-team bracket, as well as his pick to win it all this season.
- But, ahead of Saturday’s first ESPN College GameDay of the year, Kirk Herbstreit unveiled his prediction for how this year’s College Football Playoff 12-team bracket will play out.
- Of course, Herbstreit has already revealed his national champion prediction that Notre Dame will win it all this season after not even qualifying for the 2025 Playoffs.
- So, without further ado, let’s dive into Kirk Herbstreit’s 2026 College Football Playoff predictions.