Kirk Herbstreit Faces Backlash After 'College GameDay' Decision

Originally posted on Athlon Sports
By Kevin Matthew Borba | Last updated Oct 25, 2025 12:01 PM ET

Kirk Herbstreit and the crew of ESPN's beloved pregame show "College GameDay" took a trip to Nashville on Saturday to be on-hand for Week 9's game of the week between the No. 15 Missouri Tigers and No. 10 Vanderbilt Commodores. While the cast changed a bit following Lee Corso's retirement after Week 1, the crew of Herbstreit, Rece Davis, Desmond Howard, Nick Saban and Pat McAfee remains the same.

Herbstreit has brought around his golden retriever Peter each week after the pup and certified service pet that accompanied him last season, Ben, passed away. Herbstreit mixed things up this week. Instead of just bringing Peter, Herbstreit also brought along his other goldens, Beau and Mitch.

While Herbstreit is known for his time as the Ohio State Buckeyes' quarterback from 1989-93, he now resides in the Nashville area, likely making it easier for all three dogs to make an appearance on Saturday. While dogs are man's best friend, not everyone is a fan of Herbstreit's dogs tagging along.

That's a sentiment that clearly rings true for Fox Sports' Craig Carton, who went on a rant Friday regarding Herbstreit's dog making the trips for "College GameDay" and "Thursday Night Football."

Kirk Herbstreit hugs his dog on the set of ESPN "College GameDay" prior a game between the Ohio State Buckeyes and the Texas Longhorns.© Adam Cairns/Columbus Dispatch / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

On "The Craig Carton Show," Carton went as far as to call Herbstreit's dog "stupid" while also saying "we don't care" about the pup.

"I've always said that one of the beauties of having dogs is that when they die they are immediately replaceable," Carton said bluntly. "You just go get another one. And I don't want to diminish the love you have for the current one, but when that dog dies you get another dog and you love that dog. It's the beauty of pet ownership. ... Someone's got to stop this Kirk Herbstreit.

"We don't care about your stupid dog. We don't. You forced the damn dog on America. You're forcing the dog on Al Michaels. You force the dog on ESPN people. That's great. You have a golden retriever. You love your dog. Yeah, let him stay home."

Carton spared no feelings with this take, but seeing that both ESPN and Amazon Prime Video allow Herbstreit to bring Peter, it's one that is clearly not shared by the people who matter.

Herstreit, and possibly Peter, will be in the broadcast booth at 7:30 p.m. ET Saturday when the No. 20 LSU Tigers host the No. 3 Texas A&M Aggies on ABC.

This article first appeared on Athlon Sports and was syndicated with permission.

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