ESPN college football analyst Kirk Herbstreit usually finds himself in a lose-lose situation.
When he gives his opinion on a school and it’s positive, opposing fans call him a bandwagoner. When he gives his opinion on a school and it’s negative, the fans of that school call him a hater.
Don’t feel bad for Herbstreit. He gets paid very well to do what he does — and he’s famous and popular within the sports zeitgeist. But the longtime analyst did find himself on the defensive in a recent podcast because there was (unfairly or not) a perception that he was upset that Alabama didn’t make the inaugural 12-team College Football Playoff this season.
As a top name at ESPN, there was the thought that Herbstreit was rooting for ratings rather than appreciating the seasons of Indiana or SMU, who both squeaked into the CFP over the Crimson Tide.
Herbie pushed back on that in a recent appearance on the “Andy & Ari On3 podcast.”
“Alabama had no shot,” Herbstreit said, per On3. “I don’t know how people thought I thought Alabama (was in), I was very clear leading up to (Selection Day), how can you put Alabama in when they went and lost — not only lost but got embarrassed by a 6-6 Oklahoma team — so they really weren’t in it. South Carolina lost to Alabama and Ole Miss. There wasn’t like another team anybody was hitting the desk for like, ‘This team has to be in.’ I didn’t say that.”
While 9-4 Alabama boasted wins over No. 2 Georgia, No. 21 Missouri and No. 15 LSU during the season, Herbstreit felt the Tide’s 24-3 loss at Oklahoma was a disqualifier.
“Losing to Oklahoma, to me, just put a red X over them,” Herbstreit said.
Ultimately, the Crimson Tide were proved to be a postseason pretender by Michigan. Alabama lost, 19-13, to a seven-win Wolverines team.
