Notre Dame Tops Analyst's Bold 2026 Playoff Forecast
College football analyst Joel Klatt has released his preseason predictions for the 2026 College Football Playoff, forecasting conference champions across the Power Four, a full 12-team bracket and a national title winner. His headline call: Notre Dame wins it all, beating Georgia in the championship game after also defeating both Oregon and Miami along the way.
Klatt's bracket places Oregon as the No. 1 overall seed on the strength of a Big Ten championship, followed by an undefeated Notre Dame at No. 2 and Miami at No. 3 after an ACC title. Texas rounds out the top four, edging Ohio State on a tiebreaker built around an SEC Championship win over Georgia. Ohio State (No. 5) and Indiana (No. 6) follow, with Indiana projected to lose to Ohio State despite an 11-2 record as the defending national champion. Georgia (No. 7) and Texas Tech (No. 8) fill out the automatic bids, while USC, LSU, Alabama and Boise State claim the remaining at-large and Group of Five slots. futsal live odds
Klatt was explicit that Ohio State, ranked atop the AP Top 25 preseason poll, faces the toughest road of any Big Ten contender, with true road games against Texas, Iowa, USC and Indiana. He expects that gauntlet to keep the Buckeyes out of the Big Ten title game in Indianapolis, opening the door for Oregon under coach Dan Lanning. In the SEC, Klatt backed Steve Sarkisian's Texas program to break through past Kirby Smart's Georgia, calling quarterback Arch Manning's supporting cast strong enough to carry an SEC title push. He tabbed Texas Tech as the clear favorite in the Big 12 given a lighter schedule, and picked SMU over Clemson, Virginia Tech and Louisville to reach the ACC Championship Game opposite Miami.
In the bracket itself, Klatt projects Ohio State to defeat Texas in a rematch of prior meetings, Indiana to fall at home to Ohio State despite a strong rushing attack, and Oregon to eliminate Ohio State behind superior depth. Notre Dame is picked to beat Georgia in the semifinal round before facing Miami, which Klatt has upsetting Oregon, in the national championship. Klatt acknowledged the risk in his top pick, noting his 2025 preseason champion, Clemson, fell short of the mark.
