Before the start of the 2024 college football season, Kirk Herbstreit made a bold prediction, naming the Clemson Tigers as a team to “look out for” in the ACC. With the Tigers finishing the previous season with five straight wins, it was an easy choice for Kirk to consider them early favorites. But things turned when Kirk landed the Tigers with a harsh remark after their playoff exit. It looks like that wasn’t the intention after all, as he finally breaks the silence over the growing criticism.
Despite his nearly three-decade tenure with ESPN and reputation as a knowledgeable voice in college football, Kirk Herbstreit’s comments have ignited a storm of criticism. Fans have labeled the veteran analyst as “public enemy number one,” accusing ESPN of perpetuating an SEC bias. Now, Kirk Herbstreit is finally coming forward to defend the $24 billion (ESPN) broadcaster.
Now, appearing on the Pure Athlete podcast, Herbstreit said it’s “really tough” handling such massive fan backlashes. However, he ensured to emphasize that his words were intended not just to stir the pot.
As making his stance clear, Kirk Herbstreit says, “I’m a pleaser by nature. I try to be a voice of reason. I try to be fair. In this era of television, there’s a lot of what you see in politics. When you’re watching TV, you see it in sports. There’s a lot of shock jock. There’s a lot of ‘What can I say to try to be trending, to be on social media? What outlandish thing can I say to get out there?’ I’ve never done that. I never will.”
Apart from that, Kirk Herbstreit also shed light on how ESPN has always given him the upper hand and not forced him to take divisive hot takes for attention. As he says, “ESPN’s never asked me to have a side. ‘You need to say this for our sake.’ Never had that one time in 29 years,” Herbstreit claimed. “So, I just really do a lot of work. I talk to a lot of people prepare. I never, I ever try to talk down to the viewers.” But his snub of Clemson tells a different story.
Look, after Clemson’s playoff exit, Kirk Herbstreit not only dismissed the notion of SEC favoritism but also took a dig at Clemson. During the On3 Sports podcast, he emphasized the importance of TV market appeal over football performance, stating, “We could not have paid for a better final four with Notre Dame, Ohio State, Penn State and Texas.”
The comment clearly implied that the selection was based on TV ratings rather than on-field performance.
In an attempt to refute claims of ESPN’s SEC bias, Herbstreit unintentionally widened the gap between powerhouse teams and others. His statement, “If you knew anything about ratings, that’s who you want. You don’t want these small little Clemson’s and small little southern schools when it comes to cheering for ratings. Ratings are big, massive, Big Ten brands. That’s where ratings are,” was seen as a slight against many teams in the playoff race.
However, his list of snubs extends far beyond this incident.
Kirk Herbstreit’s history of “SEC Bias” controversy
Well, Kirk Herbstreit has been facing criticism from fans who are tired of his opinions. One incident that stands out is when he openly stood against Florida State fans for expressing their frustration online after the College Football Playoff committee selected Alabama over Florida State.
However, Herbstreit, known for not shying away from controversy, made his stance clear, saying, “Because Alabama is BETTER!! Period!” Herbstreit wrote on X.
“So is Texas. So is Michigan, So is Washington, So is Oregon, So is Georgia. I watch 10-15 games a week live from September-early December. I think I’m allowed to have an opinion on who I think is BETTER!! If FSU doesn’t like [it is not] ‘The BEST 4’ tell the conference commissioners to change the protocol to ‘MOST DESERVING.’ Until then I and everyone else is certainly is allowed to give an opinion in a subjective discussion!! Don’t like it—change it.”
Yes, Bama is surely deserving, but a 13 straight win record means something, right?
He didn’t stop there. Herbstreit reminded FSU fans that this isn’t the first time a deserving team got left behind. He mentioned the 2000 season when Miami defeated Florida State directly but still didn’t make the BCS title game.
FSU fans didn’t complain back then, at least not to him. “You were big fans of the turnout back then—of course most of you, in this despicable lunatic fringe,” he added, clearly fed up with the backlash.
You’re mistaken if you think Kirk Herbstreit’s war cry ends there. Without delay, he criticized Indiana after their loss to Notre Dame in the first round of the 2024 College Football Playoff. Following Indiana’s 27-17 defeat in South Bend, Herbstreit expressed his doubts on College GameDay, questioning if the Hoosiers deserved to be in the playoffs.
“Indiana was outclassed in that game,” Herbstreit said. “It was not a team that should’ve been on that field when you consider other teams that could’ve been there.” But this reasoning is flawed. Had Indiana won against Notre Dame, no one would have questioned their spot in the playoffs. A loss doesn’t diminish their impressive 11-win record.
Well, all of that doesn’t change the fact that Kirk Herbstreit does have experience and knows what he is saying. So, does that give him the benefit of the doubt?
The post Kirk Herbstreit Breaks Silence on SEC Bias Accusations to Defend $24B Broadcaster Amid Growing Hate From Fans appeared first on EssentiallySports.
