The national championship is still over 140 days away, but with Week 1 of the college football season here and the first Saturday of the year, it’s only fitting to make some predictions.
This is exactly what the ESPN “College GameDay” crew did at the end of its first show in Baton Rouge, Louisiana.
Nick Saban Predicts National Championship
Former college football icon and seven-time national championship-winning head coach Nick Saban called his shot, and interestingly enough, he held out any bias as he didn’t pick the Alabama Crimson Tide.
Instead, Saban predicted that the Miami Hurricanes, who lost to the Indiana Hoosiers in last year’s national title game, will defeat the Texas Longhorns in the championship game.
“The number of good teams that we talked about today, there’s no magic in who you pick and it’s just your best guess, but I’m saying Miami versus Texas and Miami wins,” Saban said.
🚨 COLLEGE GAMEDAY NATIONAL TITLE PICKS 🚨
🏆 Desmond Howard — Texas over Notre Dame
🏆 Nick Saban — Miami over Texas
🏆 Pat McAfee — Indiana over Ole Miss
🏆 Kirk Herbstreit — Notre Dame over IndianaNot a single one picked Ohio State. 👀🌰 pic.twitter.com/VAo2zLBXq5
— The Buckeye Nut (@TheBuckeyeNut) September 5, 2026
Saban was the only person on the panel to pick Miami to reach the national title game. Kirk Herbstreit and Rece Davis both chose Notre Dame, while Pat McAfee believes Indiana will go back-to-back, and Desmond Howard thinks Arch Manning and Texas will be crowned champions.
Miami’s 2026 Outlook
The Hurricanes, led by Mario Cristobal, brought back some major talent, headlined by running back Mark Fletcher Jr. and wide receiver Malachi Toney. They also brought in one of the top transfer quarterbacks in Darian Mensah to replace Carson Beck.
They took the field for their first game Friday night against the Stanford Cardinals and ended up winning 45-6.
Miami’s first real test to see where it truly stacks up, however, could come in Week 3 at Wake Forest, but more than likely on Oct. 3 when it travels to Death Valley to take on the Clemson Tigers.
Nick Saban Announces His 2026 National Championship Prediction