Brian Kelly reveals game-by-game predictions for LSU, Notre Dame ahead of 2026 season
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- Brian Kelly joined CBS Sports as a college football analyst for 2026, his first non-coaching role since starting his career in 1983, and offered game-by-game predictions for both of his former programs
- LSU has the No. 1 transfer portal class under Lane Kiffin, who replaced Kelly in 2025 after his four-year tenure; FanDuel set the Tigers' regular-season win total at 8.5, but Kelly projects a 10-2 finish
- Kelly's LSU projection includes a loss at Texas in mid-November — their first meeting since 2019 — plus a likely split of the opening Clemson/Ole Miss stretch, with Sam Leavitt starting at QB after missing all of spring practice
- Notre Dame comes in with a FanDuel win total of 11.5; Kelly predicts Marcus Freeman's team goes 12-0, including a November win over Miami, who beat the Irish in last year's opener and kept them out of the CFP
- Freeman is 16-7 against AP Top 25 opponents during his Notre Dame tenure but just 4-4 in true road games — a split Kelly flagged when discussing the BYU trip to Provo as the Irish's first potential top-15 test
- Kelly spent 12 seasons at Notre Dame (becoming its winningest coach with 113 victories) before his four-year LSU stint, giving him rare inside knowledge of both rosters heading into the 2026 season
Why it matters: Kelly's insider view of both rosters adds weight to early projections: a 10-2 LSU finish would match their best regular season since 2019's national championship run, while Notre Dame clearing FanDuel's 11.5 win total with a 12-0 record would likely secure a top College Football Playoff seed.
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