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

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

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.

Kirk Herbstreit reached for a tissue and got emotional when talking about the Buckeyes' win on ESPN on Monday night.

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.

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.

While recapping the game with Herbstreit and Scott Van Pelt, Fowler made a bold claim that Notre Dame's first possession was the best opening drive he'd ever seen. He acknowledged how solid of a defense the drive came against and how much time it chewed.

During an appearance on The Pat McAfee Show following the showdown, Herbstreit elaborated on why he’s all in on Notre Dame moving forward, explaining why he sees the Fighting Irish establishing themselves as a power in the college football world for many years to come.