The hype around Notre Dame as a national title contender hasn’t been this high in 2026, maybe since the last time they actually won one. But when it comes to national analysts endorsing a team, can there sometimes be too much hype? Is there a chance that, rather than analysts hopping on the bandwagon and being right, it can act as a jinx? ESPN’s Craig Herbstreit and Joey Galloway just tested that idea earlier this week.
The pair discussed who they thought would make the College Football Playoff Final Four this year, and how that Final Four would play out. Both were very high on Notre Dame. While each had different picks for who Marcus Freeman’s squad would face, they both predicted the Fighting Irish as winners and national champions.
“Give me Notre Dame, give me Ohio State, Miami and give me Indiana,” Galloway said before switching out the Hoosiers and deciding that Georgia would be in his Final Four instead. He then picked the Buckeyes to beat the Bulldogs in one semifinal and the Fighting Irish to take down the Hurricanes.
The ESPN analyst lined up a rematch of the 2024 national title game between Notre Dame and Ohio State, but this time Galloway picked the Irish to win and claim their first title since 1988.
Our NATIONAL CHAMPION predictions… 🏆👀
— Kirk Herbstreit (@KirkHerbstreit) August 25, 2026
Who you got winning it all?#nonstop pic.twitter.com/00HQa90kNO
Kirk Herbstreit and Joey Galloway pick Notre Dame football to win national title
Then it was Herbstreit’s turn, as he chose Ohio State to take on Indiana in the semifinals and Notre Dame to beat the Bulldogs in another rematch from the 2024 College Football Playoff. Herbstreit then picked the Irish to beat the Hoosiers in an all-Indiana national title game, once again giving ND its first title in almost 30 years.
After both ESPN analysts realized they were unanimous on who would win the title this winter, they also realized they might have just given Marcus Freeman’s squad the ultimate jinx.
“Sorry, Marcus Freeman, we apologize you got no shot,” Galloway joked before Herbstreit said he’d have to shoot Freeman a group text so they could both apologize for ending the Irish chances.
The two media personalities do have a point. The hype surrounding Notre Dame at this point feels like everyone has to be wrong just to balance the harmonics of the universe. More than a quarter-century without winning the whole thing can certainly make fans feel cursed. If such a thing exists, Kirk Herbstreit and Joey Galloway just invoked it once more.
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