"Marcus Freeman is the man": Nick Saban makes major playoff prediction for Notre Dame ahead of Texas A&M matchup

Nick Saban has laid all his trust in Notre Dame coach Marcus Freeman as the former Alabama coach made an exciting bet with Pat McAfee on Saturday's 'College GameDay' episode.

Saban was confident when he presented McAfee with his condition. He said:

"I'm saying right now, Notre Dame is gonna get the playoffs...Notre Dame is gonna win out. Marcus Freeman is the man that will bring it home."

McAfee jokingly demanded either a Ferrari or a Mercedes-Benz from Saban.

Although the Fighting Irish already has one loss against a ranked opponent, many hold hopes for Freeman and his squad to win against Texas A&M in Saturday's matchup. It will also be the first home game of the season. While some might think that the game against the Aggies is a must-win, Kirk Herbstreit thinks otherwise.

Kirk Herbstreit thinks Notre Dame & Marcus Freeman's game vs. Texas A&M is not a do-or-die situation

College football analyst Kirk Herbstreit gave his honest opinions about the upcoming Notre Dame vs. Texas A&M game. He believes that although the game is significant, it does not carry must-win playoff stakes so early in the season under the expanded 12-team College Football Playoff format.

“Well, I think with 12 teams, you don’t have to jump to that conclusion in Week 2,” Herbstreit said, as per On3 Sports. “It’s a massive game. Anytime you lose to Miami, and now you’ve got Texas A&M coming to your place, it’s significant. It’ll help their cause and make things a lot easier. But this is a football team that right now doesn’t need to be worrying about the Playoff. They just need to take care of business and win a football game.”

Herbstreit further said that he is optimistic about the talent on Marcus Freeman's team and believes they can overcome Texas A&M at home. Even if Notre Dame loses and finishes with a 10-2 record, they would likely still have a compelling argument to make the playoffs.

Do you think Kirk Herbstreit's analysis or do you think Notre Dame must defeat Texas A&M on Saturday? Let us know in the discussion box.

Edited by Neha Joshi