The expanded 12-team College Football Playoff has opened up potential matchups that fans don't get to see very often. It makes for plenty of intriguing trash talk among the most passionate fan bases in the country.
As the start of the 2025 season quickly approaches, media members are making their picks for this season's CFP. In his prediction, FOX Sports' Joel Klatt has a first round CFP matchup that would send the college football world into a frenzy: LSU at Notre Dame.
Klatt predicts that LSU will be the No. 10 seed and Notre Dame will be the No. 7 seed. That means the Tigers would head north to South Bend to battle the Irish at Notre Dame Stadium in the first round. It would also bring Brian Kelly back to South Bend for the first time since his departure from Notre Dame in 2021.
FOX Sports’ @joelklatt has LSU at Notre Dame in the first round of the College Football Playoff.
— Tyler Horka (@tbhorka) August 21, 2025
The game everyone but BK wants and needs.
“That place would be on fire. There is zero chance that LSU could go to Notre Dame and win with Brian Kelly on that opposite sideline.” pic.twitter.com/GOHugCt002
Kelly's return to South Bend would be appointment television
Kelly spent 12 seasons at the helm of the Notre Dame program from 2010-2021. He most notably took the Irish to the BCS National Championship Game in 2013, ultimately falling to Nick Saban and Alabama 42-14. For the 2012-13 season, Kelly earned several national recognitions, including AFCA Coach of the Year, AP Coach of the Year, Bear Bryant Coach of the Year, and Walter Camp Coach of the Year. He also won the AP Coach of the Year Award in 2018.
Following the 2021 regular season, Kelly left Notre Dame to take over at LSU. The move sent shockwaves around the college football world, and his potential return to South Bend would be a massive spectacle and create one of the richest storylines in CFP history.
As Klatt describes, Kelly's return to Notre Dame would create a raucous environment. However, Klatt makes a statement that LSU would have "zero chance " to pickup a win in that kind of environment. That's just silly.
LSU plays road games at No. 4 Clemson, No. 8 Alabama, No. 18 Oklahoma, No. 21 Ole Miss, and Vanderbilt this season. Those will all be wild environments that present plenty of challenges. While Vanderbilt may not have an environment like the rest of the SEC, the Commodores defeated then-No. 1 Alabama in Nashville last season. LSU can't be caught sleeping.
In Klatt's scenario, LSU is the No. 10 seed in the CFP. That means they will have likely won most of - if not all - of their road games this season. That creates a battle-tested road résumé that would have the Tigers ready to roll in South Bend. Not to mention that LSU has one of the most experienced quarterbacks in the country in Garrett Nussmeier. He won't be phased by any road environment.
Yes, there may be a little extra juice in the crowd given Kelly's standing with Notre Dame. But, saying LSU would have zero chance at winning is a bit unreasonable.