Kirk Herbstreit Made Public Apology After Backlash Over Playoff Comments

Originally posted on Athlon Sports | By Andrew McCarty | Last updated Dec 23, 2024 5:43 PM ET

Over the weekend ESPN college football analyst Kirk Herbstreit unloaded on the College Football Playoff committee for thinking Indiana was one of the 12 best teams in the country.

"I hope next year the committee won't get caught up in what the social media and a lot of people who are fringe fans get caught up in, which is wins," Herbstreit said on SportsCenter after the game. "'They had 11 wins, they must be good.' Who did they beat I think is much more important than how many wins you had."

"Indiana having 11 wins and beating nobody, that doesn't mean they are one of the 12 best teams. There's a big difference between 'deserving' and 'best.'"

His comments came just hours after he claimed the Hoosiers got "outclassed" by the Notre Dame Fighting Irish in their 27-17 loss. He made no mention of Tennessee, though, which suffered an even more embarrassing loss at the hands of the Ohio State Buckeyes.

After taking some time to reflect on his comments, Herbstreit clarified what he meant.

"By some of the responses it sounded like people thought I was going to bat for other teams...I'm really not," he said. "My whole thing is, if the reasoning on the at-large teams is that they're better, not only because they have a better resume, but because they're a better team then put them in. I just don't want to see a team get put in because they're 11-1. If the logic is that they're 11-1 and they should be in, I just don't think that's all it should be."

"...I always ask the question [at an ESPN summit] so we can understand the ground rules for the committee. I'll raise my hand and I'll say as they talk about the CFP, 'Are we trying to figure out who the better team are, or the teams that have kind of earned their way and they 'deserve' to be there?'"

"Are you trying to find the best 12 or the most deserving 12?"@KirkHerbstreit spoke to @PatMcAfeeShow about his thoughts on the 12 teams selected for the College Football Playoff. pic.twitter.com/qx82jAM87c
— ESPN College Football (@ESPNCFB) December 23, 2024

He later offered an apology to Indiana fans.

"I apologize to you and the Indiana fans," he said to McAfee. "I had just finished calling that game and I thought about the Friday night game when I was standing on the field and I looked at Indiana and I really wondered, 'Is this one of the best 12 teams?' as I'm watching them play."

The College Football Playoff continues on New Year's Eve when Boise State faces off against Penn State.

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

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