Former Notre Dame head coach Brian Kelly, now rocking the media booth, just threw out his pick for the 2026 College Football Playoff winner, and hold up a sec: he thinks Ohio State is taking home the trophy this fall.
Brian Kelly’s Bold Buckeye Call
You know Brian Kelly, right? The guy Notre Dame fans are pretty much done with, but he’s everywhere now that he’s calling games. Well, he laid out his reasoning for the Buckeyes: they’ve got a veteran quarterback back under center, their defense, led by Matt Patricia, is supposedly “elite,” and he pointed to their late-season performance as a key factor. He made his choice on Tuesday, right as everyone else is solidifying their picks with the season “officially” kicking off in the coming days.
The Numbers Are Not Adding Up, Brian
But let’s be real, Brian. Is anyone else scratching their heads here? When Kelly talks about “late-season performance,” is he forgetting how Ohio State actually finished last year? Yeah, they went undefeated through the regular season, absolutely. But then they dropped the Big Ten title game to eventual national champ Indiana. And if that wasn’t enough, they got bounced by Miami in the CFP quarterfinals, even after snagging a first-round bye! That ain’t what I call “finishing on a high note,” my dude. It’s almost like he gave them the kiss of death.
Notre Dame and Neuheisel Make More Sense
Honestly, if you’re looking at teams with veteran QBs and top-tier defenses, you could make a pretty strong case for Notre Dame themselves. They’ve got CJ Carr, who’s a veteran, and their defense, with Chris Ash leading it, is seriously stout. The Irish should absolutely be in the conversation for a title contender this fall. In fact, another guy on the panel, former UCLA quarterback and head coach Rick Neuheisel, actually picked Notre Dame to go all the way. Now *that’s* a take that makes a bit more sense given what we saw last year.
So, who’s right here? Is Kelly putting the jinx on Ohio State, or is Neuheisel onto something with the Irish hoisting that CFP trophy? The season’s kicking off soon, and we’ll see if Kelly’s media hot takes actually hold up when it counts.
This article was created with AI assistance and published under Seattle On Tap’s editorial standards. See our Editorial Policy.
Originally reported by Yahoo Sports.
Leave a Reply