Kirk Herbstreit Is Officially Fed Up With Accusations Against ESPN

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We're still a few weeks away from the final College Football Playoff rankings being released, and yet, ESPN analyst Kirk Herbstreit has already reached his breaking point.

Herbstreit is not a stranger to dealing with critics. The top college football analyst for ESPN has been accused of favoring certain programs, including his alma mater Ohio State, over the past few seasons.

This time around, Herbstreit is under fire for apparently being biased toward the SEC. He addressed that claim on his "Nonstop" podcast. Let's just say he has lost his patience with college football fans.

"[Texas] A&M, Georgia, Ole Miss. Bama would be the fourth, potentially fifth team, in these rankings for the SEC. We’re not trying to, these idiots that say, ‘How much do people pay you to say this bull—?’ F off," Herbstreit said, via Sports Illustrated. "We’re talking about the sport. We’re talking about what we care about. I don’t give a s— about the SEC. I give a s— about how are they gonna find these 12 teams. How are they gonna split these hairs at 11, 12, 13, 14."

Herbstreit continued his rant by saying he doesn't care who the selection committee picks for the 12-team playoff field.

"It’s fascinating to me. I don’t really care who they put it. Put Miami in. I don’t care. I don’t care if you put six Group of 5 teams in. Do whatever you wanna do. I’m just saying, based on the Sagarin ratings, the AP, the coaches’ poll, everybody recognizes the depth and the challenge of the SEC. You can hate that. You can make fun of that. Do whatever the hell you want with that. That’s the reality of the sport. That’s the reality of the world. You can live in the fake world. Do whatever the f— you want to do, as far as I’m concerned. The reality is we're trying to get the 12 best teams in."

SEC dominance in the CFP.

As of now, the SEC has five teams in the 12-team playoff field – Alabama, Georgia, Oklahoma, Ole Miss and Texas A&M.

Under the current rankings, Georgia and Texas A&M are projected to get first-round byes. Oklahoma and Ole Miss would host home games against Notre Dame and Miami, respectively. Alabama, meanwhile, would be on the road against Oregon.

Will five SEC teams make the CFP when it's all said and done? Only time will tell, but the conference has more than enough firepower to capture the national championship this season.

This story was originally reported by The Spun on Nov 19, 2025, where it first appeared in the News section. Add The Spun as a Preferred Source by clicking here.

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