NBC Sports Analysts Project Notre Dame as National Champs Ahead of Season Opener

As the college football season commences, Comcast Corporation subsidiary NBC Sports is generating significant buzz regarding the College Football Playoff (CFP). Two of the network’s prominent analysts, Nicole Auerbach and Joshua Perry, have released their full brackets, with both forecasting a national championship victory for the Notre Dame Fighting Irish.

Entering the new campaign ranked inside the top five, Notre Dame is positioned to secure one of the twelve coveted spots in the expanded playoff format. Auerbach and Perry see the Irish not only making the tournament but excelling deep into January. Auerbach slotted Notre Dame as the No. 1 overall seed, granting the team a first-round bye. Her projection has the Irish navigating past Ohio State in the quarterfinals, defeating Oregon in the semifinals, and ultimately beating Indiana to claim the title.

Perry, a former Ohio State linebacker, offered a slightly different path but arrived at the same conclusion. He projected Notre Dame as the No. 2 seed. In his scenario, the Irish avenge a loss to Miami in the quarterfinals, defeat his alma mater in the semifinals, and top Georgia in the championship game. These predictions add NBC’s voice to a growing list of national media picking the Blue and Gold to end their drought dating back to 1988.

For Comcast, the hype surrounding a potential Notre Dame championship run is noteworthy. The company holds media rights to Notre Dame home football games, meaning a deep playoff run would likely drive significant viewership and engagement across its Peacock streaming platform and linear television networks. Shares of Comcast were trading at $26.41 on Thursday, up roughly 0.11% from the previous close.

What to watch

• Upcoming Schedule: Notre Dame begins its season this weekend.
• Media Impact: Monitor viewership numbers for NBC’s broadcast schedule as the Irish progress through the season.
• Playoff Expansion: The new 12-team format structure will dictate broadcast inventory and advertising revenue potential for rights holders.

Source: original release