Kirk Herbstreit isn’t taking too kindly to any suggestions that ESPN is biased toward the SEC and he’s letting the “idiots” out there know it.
The college football analyst tore into the critics alleging that he and his colleagues at the Worldwide Leader favor the conference that ESPN has partnered with on a lucrative contract.
“These idiots say, ‘How much do people pay you to say this bulls–t?’ F-off,” Herbstreit said on the “Nonstop” podcast, while discussing the College Football Playoff rankings.
“We’re talking about the sport. We’re talking about what we care about. I don’t give a s–t about the SEC. I give a s–t about where these teams are going to come. How are they going to find these 12 teams? Where they are going to split these hairs at No. 11, No. 12, No. 13, No. 14 — it’s fascinating to me. I get so tired of the bulls–t. I just get so f–king tired. These people talking about the SEC, how much they pay you — are you kidding me? I’ve been here for 30 years.”
The most recent iteration of the 12-team playoff bracket — announced Tuesday night on ESPN — includes five SEC teams: Oklahoma, Alabama, Ole Miss, Georgia and Texas A&M.
Georgia and Alabama are two of the SEC teams currently in the playoff bracket. Getty Images
The college football and “Thursday Night Football” analyst has made waves before, catching the ire of fanbases across college football.
He was a target for Florida State fans in 2024 and this year, he previously spoke about the hate he receives from Ohio State fans.
Herbstreit attributed the hate he gets to the lack of understanding of how he’s evaluating teams.
“I’m just saying — everybody recognizes the depth and the challenge of the SEC,” he said.
“You can hate that. You can make fun of that,” he continued. “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 a fake world.”
ESPN’s broadcast deal with the SEC runs through 2034, which means this likely won’t be the last time that Herbstreit addresses this topic.