ESPN senior analyst Heather Dinich has sparked conversation across college football by announcing her pick for the 2026 national championship game.
Texas as the Favorite
According to Dinich, the Longhorns enter the upcoming season as the clear favorite, largely because they will retain quarterback Arch Manning, who guided Texas to an 11‑2 record in 2025.
Manning’s return adds continuity to a program that finished the year strong, positioning the team to sustain its momentum into the next cycle.
Notre Dame’s New Direction
On the other side of the equation, the Fighting Irish will be led by quarterback CJ Carr, who steps into the starting role after Riley Leonard’s departure for the NFL.
Carr’s ascent follows a promising freshman campaign and is viewed by many analysts as the catalyst for Notre Dame’s push toward a title run.
Dinich’s projection aligns with ESPN Analytics’ internal rankings, which list both Texas and Notre Dame among the top contenders to reach the championship game in Atlanta.
The forecast comes despite a mixed record for Dinich herself; her earlier picks have often missed the mark, including a 2022 selection of Ohio State over Georgia and a 2024 reversal that favored Georgia over Ohio State.
Perhaps most striking was her 2025 preseason list, which omitted Indiana despite the Hoosiers completing an undefeated season and capturing the national championship.
Nevertheless, the analyst remains confident that the Longhorns will ultimately prevail, setting the stage for a highly anticipated showdown between two of college football’s rising powers.