College football analyst Kirk Herbstreit won’t have any say as to who makes the 12-team field for the 2025-26 College Football Playoff, but very few people are as plugged into the proceedings as the ESPN and Amazon Prime broadcaster.
During his most recent broadcast on Saturday — the SEC Championship Game between Georgia and Alabama — Herbstreit predicted that the Bulldog’s blowout victory over the Crimson Tide will ultimately prove bad news for the Notre Dame Fighting Irish.
“I personally think Miami is gonna be in, because I think BYU’s loss the second time to Texas Tech could ultimately impact them,” Herbstreit said. “I think the discussion is gonna be [Alabama] and Notre Dame.”
BYU lost for the second time this year in the Big 12 Title Game.
Texas Tech bested the Cougars by 27 points on a neutral site Saturday after defeating BYU by 22 points in Lubbock, Texas on November 11. The CFP rankings coming into championship week had Alabama at No. 9, Notre Dame at No. 10, BUY at No. 11 and Miami at No. 12.
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“I think BYU could slip beneath Miami, which would put Miami and Notre Dame together,” Herbstreit continued. “And that’s when the head-to-head would come in and favor Miami over Notre Dame.”
The Hurricanes bested the Fighting Irish 27-24 in South Florida in each team’s opening game of the season. Miami has lost twice since to unranked opponents and failed to earn a spot in the ACC Championship Game. Notre Dame lost again the following week to the now No. 7-ranked Texas A&M Aggies, who will be part of the CFP field at 11-1.
Herbstreit projected that BYU will slip after its big loss to Texas Tech, while Alabama will probably slot in next to Notre Dame in the rankings following the Crimson Tide’s 21-point defeat to Georgia Saturday. Alabama beat the Bulldogs in Georgia by three points back in late September.
“The only team that was in between [Alabama and Notre Dame] was BYU. And I don’t think teams should ever be punished for playing a conference championship game,” Herbstreit continued. “I just wonder [does the committee] punish BYU for playing that second game in the conference championship? I don’t know. That’s what they have to figure out.”
Notre Dame earned a berth in the CFP last season and played its way into a spot in the title game, where the Fighting Irish fell to the Ohio State Buckeyes.
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