Brian Kelly would very much like Notre Dame football fans to consider him a friend. Barring that, he’d like them to stop openly rooting against him. After all, the former Irish coach did have quite a bit of success in South Bend. The way he left, though, has left him persona non grata in town. However, if his latest prediction for the 2026 season regarding Marcus Freeman and Co. comes true, he might finally get the hero’s welcome he’s long been looking for.
Since Kelly was fired from LSU, he’s had problems finding another job in the coaching profession. And so, at least for one season, he’ll be up in the booth calling the games instead. The former head coach is an analyst with CBS Sports this fall, and leading up to his games, he’s been making predictions about what will happen this fall. Some of those predictions, such as the Texas Longhorns being a national title contender, have gone over like a lead balloon.
His newest prediction will certainly go over well with Notre Dame fans. The ex-Fighting Irish coach took a swing at picking how the Golden Domers’ season will go, game by game. Kelly didn’t go into a ton of detail, but the biggest takeaway was that he believes Marcus Freeman and Co. will go 12-0 in the regular season.
.@CoachBrianKelly gives us a game-by-game look at Notre Dame's 2026 schedule.
— CBS Sports College Football 🏈 (@CBSSportsCFB) August 5, 2026
Do you agree with his predictions? 🔮 pic.twitter.com/UhH3cY5QIL
Brian Kelly predicts undefeated 2026 season for Notre Dame football
Kelly did sprinkle in some reality with his undefeated season prediction, saying that games like North Carolina and even Michigan State will offer the Irish tougher games than people expect. However, he believes Freeman’s squad will win every single game they play and march to the College Football Playoff undefeated.
So how much does Brian Kelly really believe his prediction, and how much is just the former coach wanting to get some kudos from Notre Dame football fans? It feels like it’s probably 50/50. Especially since it’s hardly out of the realm of possibility that ND could go 12-0. In fact, more than a few analysts have said that they’ll need to come pretty close to unbeaten to make the CFP because the schedule isn’t all that rough.
If Brian Kelly gets this one right, he’ll be lauded as someone who might actually know more than he’s often given credit for. Until it happens, though, it doesn’t look much more like the former Notre Dame coach picked his old team to win some favor from a fanbase that’s not exactly his biggest fans.
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