Kirk Herbstreit joined Pat McAfee and discussed Notre Dame's staying power as a college football force after national championship game defeat.

ESPN analyst Kirk Herbstreit believes that Notre Dame will continue to achieve immense success under head coach Marcus Freeman despite losing to Ohio State in the CFP National Championship

Kirk Herbstreit grew up respecting Notre Dame, but the former Ohio State quarterback from near Dayton also wanted to beat the Fighting Irish.

When the Notre Dame Fighting Irish take the field against the Ohio State Buckeyes in Monday night's national championship game, the Irish will be more than an eight-point underdog in the matchup. Ohio State has one of the sport's best rosters,

Jan 18, 2025; Atlanta, GA, USA; Notre Dame Fighting Irish quarterback Riley Leonard (13) talks to the media during 2025 CFP National Championship Media Day at Georgia World Congress Center, Building A. / Brett Davis-Imagn Images

While Herbstreit does his best to stay objective, there certainly has to be a part of him that is absolutely thrilled about the win. The Centerville, Ohio native played quarterback at Ohio State from 1989-93, while two of his sons Jake and Zak walked on at Ohio State.

The ESPN analyst believes Ohio State will challenge Notre Dame's man-to-man defense right away. How will it play out?

ESPN “College GameDay” personality Kirk Herbstreit won’t be making a national championship prediction. The national championship is between the Ohio State Buckeyes and Notre Dame Fighting Irish on Monday, Jan. 20 at 7:30 p.m. ET.

After getting emotional on camera during the National Championship broadcast, Kirk Herbstreit revealed why the tears started flowing

ESPN broadcaster Kirk Herbstreit felt all the emotions during his postgame debrief with Scott Van Pelt and Chris Fowler after his Ohio State Buckeyes won the College Football Playoff national title.

When asked about the Buckeyes’ 34-23 win over Notre Dame, the ESPN analyst, who also quarterbacked Ohio State from 1989-93 and has a son currently on the team, became emotional and wiped away tears during the network’s postgame show at Mercedes-Benz Stadium.

Notre Dame may have lost to Ohio State 34–23 in the national championship game on Monday night, but ESPN football analyst Kirk Herbstreit thinks this won't be the last college football fans see of the Fighting Irish in the College Football Playoff in upcoming years.