For the first time since his coaching career began in 1983, Brian Kelly won’t be patrolling the sidelines with a headset on. The former LSU and Notre Dame coach has joined CBS Sports as a college football analyst for the 2026 season, giving him a front-row seat to the programs he knows better than almost anyone.

Kelly spent four seasons at LSU before his tenure ended in 2025, with Lane Kiffin replacing him. Expectations are high in Baton Rouge, just as they always are. With the No. 1 transfer portal class in the country, Kiffin has the talent to get the Tigers back to the College Football Playoff.

FanDuel Sportsbook has LSU’s regular-season win total set at 8.5, but that won’t satisfy the fans in Kiffin’s first season.

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Before LSU, Kelly spent 12 seasons at Notre Dame, where he became the winningest coach in program history with 113 victories. Marcus Freeman is entering his sixth season in South Bend and has Notre Dame positioned among the teams best equipped to compete for a national championship in 2026.

FanDuel has set the Fighting Irish’s regular-season win total at a lofty 11.5, with the under carrying the juice. Still, Notre Dame’s schedule provides a manageable path to the College Football Playoff.

So, how does Kelly think his former teams will fare in 2026?

Lane Kiffin era begins with a bang

It’s vital the Lane Kiffin era at LSU gets off to a good start in the opener against Clemson, especially with all the attention on the matchup that awaits at Ole Miss. Kelly mentioned new LSU starting quarterback Sam Leavitt could have some rust after missing all of spring practice, and his performance against Clemson could set the tone for the Tigers’ trip to Oxford.

“I think this really comes down to what quarterback plays better,” Kelly said. “If Trinidad Chambliss plays to the level that we all think he can, this could be a game that Ole Miss beats LSU.”

The Tigers then face a quick turnaround with Texas A&M the following Saturday. Kelly said LSU can overcome a split in those two games, and the Tigers should feel good about their outlook if they can come out of that stretch 1-1 before moving into an easier portion of the schedule.

From there, Kelly has LSU beating Alabama at home.

“I think they’ll have great energy and momentum with just the one stumble at this point,” Kelly said. “I think they’ll beat Alabama at home.”

That sets up a mid-November showdown with Texas, marking the first meeting between the Tigers and Longhorns since 2019, when Texas was still in the Big 12.

“This is difficult,” Kelly said. “I think they probably get beat at the end here, and I expect that Texas will win this game.”

Kelly then has the Tigers close the regular season with wins over Tennessee and Arkansas, finishing 10-2. That would give LSU its first 10-win regular season since the 2019 national championship campaign.

Kelly’s confidence in the Tigers comes down to the roster Kiffin has assembled and the offense’s potential.

“I think they’re better on defense. Lane’s done a great job in the portal. And then offensively, Lane and Charlie Weis (Jr.) will have that offense running quite well,” Kelly said. “They’re like every other team. They’ve got to keep their quarterback healthy. If their quarterback’s healthy, then they’re going to be minimally a 10-2 team.”

Can Notre Dame be perfect?

Kelly was fairly confident in picking the Fighting Irish to finish the regular season undefeated for the first time since 2018, but there are a couple of tricky games that shouldn’t be overlooked.

Notre Dame should be heavily favored in every game through the first half of the schedule before it makes the trip out west to face BYU. Provo is always a tough test, especially if kickoff comes late, but Kelly didn’t seem particularly concerned about the matchup with the Cougars.

“I think Notre Dame has done a great job against the marquee teams, and I think they’ll continue to do that at BYU,” Kelly said.

That doesn’t mean BYU should be dismissed. The Cougars could represent Notre Dame’s first legitimate test of the season as a potential top-15 opponent. Marcus Freeman is 16-7 (.696) against AP Top 25 opponents during his Notre Dame tenure, but that record drops to 4-4 (.500) in true road games.

If Notre Dame is going to lose a regular-season game in 2026, the most obvious candidate is a November visit from Miami, which beat the Fighting Irish in last year’s opener. That result ultimately kept Notre Dame out of the College Football Playoff while the Hurricanes went on to reach the national championship game.

But Kelly doesn’t expect a repeat.

“I think everybody has penciled this game as one that Notre Dame could lose,” Kelly said. “I don’t see it happening. I think Notre Dame will win that football game.”

Kelly has Notre Dame winning its final three games against ACC opponents to finish the regular season 12-0.