If ESPN's Bill Connelly is correct, Notre Dame football fans will be in dreamland this time next year, as he believes the Fighting Irish are poised to win it all.
With the college football season officially over now that Indiana has won its first-ever National Title, it's time for analysts all over the country to start predicting how next fall will go. Some of those analysts believe that CJ Carr is the odds-on favorite to win the Heisman. Connelly believes the state of Indiana will continue a rather unorthodox kind of dynasty.
Connelly's latest endeavor on ESPN has him predicting not just who will be in the College Football Playoff bracket but also how things will play out once the playoff games begin. Notre Dame, according to the analyst, will topple Georgia in the finals and take home its first National Title since 1988.
Bill Connelly predicts Notre Dame Fighting Irish will beat Georgia for 2026 title
Connelly has more good news for ND fans:
"I was annoyed that the Fighting Irish were left out of the 2025 CFP, both because of the logic involved -- see the 'physical separation' conversation above -- and because I thought they were good enough to win the national title."
"Throw in the gross new 'Notre Dame is automatically in with a top-12 ranking' rule and a much easier early-season schedule, and you have maybe the single most likely CFP team of 2026."
Connelly is just the latest analyst who believes Notre Dame will reload quite effectively in 2026. Like others, he considers being left out of the playoffs this year, Marcus Freeman and his crew have even more reason to lock in next fall. That their schedule will be much easier lays out a nice path, and according to the ESPN analyst, a team from Indiana will win the title for the second straight year.