WWE star Sheamus makes his CFP national champion prediction for 2024 known

College football is back, and the first game of the season is being held in Dublin, Ireland. "College GameDay" was there, and the iconic pregame show was held internationally for the first time.

The show also had Irish WWE star Sheamus on it. Sheamus joined the usual team, which included part-time WWE commentator Pat McAfee, and made his predictions for the season.

One of those predictions was who would be the national champions. He made a pick that was very on-brand for the Irish man.

Expand Tweet

Sheamus chose the Notre Dame Fighting Irish for his pick.

The Fighting Irish is generally associated with Ireland, despite being based in Indiana and having a French name. Notre Dame means "Our Lady" and is a common sight in Catholic churches in Ireland.

This, paired with the leprechaun as a mascot and the team's strong name recognition, makes it no surprise that Notre Dame is big in Ireland.

The Sheamus character in the WWE is almost a representation of Irish mythology, history and its stereotypes. It is part of the character for him to pick the Fighting Irish to win the national championship.

Will Sheamus be right? Can the Notre Dame Fighting Irish win the national championship this year?

While many fans, including Sheamus, want Notre Dame to win the national championship this season, how likely is it?

Coming into the season, the Fighting Irish have been ranked as the seventh-best team in the AP preseason poll.

They have a new quarterback, with Riley Leonard replacing Sam Hartman, and have a strong squad that is usually associated with the Fighting Irish program. While they have some weak spots and questionable players, these should be ironed out throughout the year.

The main benefit for Notre Dame this season is the expanded 12-team playoff. They do not have a conference, which makes them ineligible for the automatic berth for winning a conference. But all they have to do is be one of the top 12 teams in the country and they will be in.

From there, they are good enough to be a threatening opponent to the larger programs from the SEC and Big Ten.

If they can stay consistent and defeat some big teams, a national championship could be theirs.

About the author

Ben Tredinnick is a journalist who covers college football and college basketball at Sportskeeda who is currently studying for a masters in Data Science. His degree in Psychology has helped him gain an in-depth understanding of the minds of coaches.

Ben has been involved in sports writing since 2022 and covered the NFL previously. His strengths include providing in-depth profiles of athletes and coaches, with a particular focus on development, and looking at which teams could be in the hunt for today's college stars.

Ben enjoys following college sports more than the NBA or NFL because there is more variation in terms of playstyles. The tournaments are often more competitive than the major leagues, and due to the constant turnover of players, there are rarely any "superteams" in college sports.

He prioritizes research, looks at multiple sources and publications to make sure he gets the full picture of the story before writing. He tries not to write from a one-sided perspective to allow the reader to be able to make their mind up on their own.

A Texas Longhorns fan, as well as a massive New York Giants fan, some of his favorite college players of all time are Arch Manning, Tim Tebow and Reggie Bush.

When he is not working, Ben enjoys watching films (especially Godzilla) and spending time with his cat.

Know More

Notre Dame Fans? Check out the latest Notre Dame depth chart, schedule, and roster updates all in one place.

Edited by Glen Danquah