That’s what college football is! Well, it’s not just the players who land in the hot seat. The analysts too are not spared. And who knows it the best? Of course, ESPN’s Kirk Herbstreit. He was the analyst who locked horns with Shannon Sharpe and Stephen A. Smith standing up for OSU HC Ryan Day. However, things turned awry for him after his “lunatic fringe” comment pointing at the Buckeyes fans. The time has come for Herbstreit to again prove himself in his job—that is, commentary. While college football demands something new, guess who else joins Herbstreit in the hot seat? That’s none other than Joel Klatt and Gary Danielson.  

Well, no doubt, the college football players are the heroes on the gridiron. But for the ones who watch the games from the comfort of their drawing room, it is often difficult to feel the craze of the stadium. That’s when the commentators enter to pump you up with that adrenaline rush with their commentary. While college football players’ careers are fleeting, the voices in the booth become a familiar presence, season after season, bowl game after bowl game. And who are the top three names in the business? Klatt, Herbstreit, and Danielson, of course. 

As college football fans would have to wait for another 6-7 months for a new season, they have come up with the evaluation of the commentators in the quintessential ‘Start, bench and cut way.’ College Football’s IG page posted about the three stalwarts on February 10. The caption read, “Start, bench and cut but color commentator edition!” And guess who got a green pass? The page wrote in the caption, “I’m starting Herbie and cutting BOTH Klatt and Danielson! I can’t watch CBS and FOX games because of them!!”

Does that mean Klatt’s foray into commentating has misfired? Well, he was the first three-year starting quarterback for Colorado since Kordell Stewart. Later, in 2006, he filled in as an analyst on Friday night high school football games in the Denver area. Danielson, too, has worked for CBS Sports as the lead analyst since 2006. Yes, he’s the same man who blasted Army-Navy officials after a controversial penalty. And what about Herbstreit?

Well, the former Buckeyes QB started with ESPN in 1995, joining the College GameDay crew a year later. Almost 30 years and still running strong, if we keep the occasional hoopla aside. Now what are the fans saying?    

Kirk Herbstreit gets the nod while others face the axe from fans 

College football fans, as much as they are possessive about their players, are way too sensitive about the commentators too. After all, these people make up for the mood. As fans gave a thumbs-up for Herbstreit, the other two got snubbed. In their place, College GameDay host and Herbstreit’s colleague, Pat McAfee, gains a vote. After all, McAfee’s strategic reinvention and entrepreneurial spirit that have made him a media superstar would complement Herbstreit. The fan commented, “Herby starts. Cutting both Gary and Klatt, taking Pat McAfee from Gameday for backup.”

To another fan, it’s a simple calculation. He wrote, “Easy. Start Kirk. Bench Gary. Cut/Fire/Cancel/ never let him talk about college football again-Klatt!!!!!” But what makes Klatt attract such strong distaste from fans? Well, tendency to be very critical and sometimes perceived as overly harsh in his analysis. He became too critical of Day’s Buckeyes and had been accused of holding a bias against them. 

Another fan too commented, “Start Kirk, bench Gary, cut Klatt.” But why is Danielson not at the top of the list?  A lot of folks find him biased, out of touch, or just not to their taste. It seems he’s not always aware of how his words land, or maybe he just doesn’t care. CBS used to have a massive SEC contract, but things have shifted, and now ESPN is getting hit with SEC bias accusations.

Meanwhile, Danielson’s been subtly rooting for the Big Ten and Ohio State. Bias is a huge no-no for commentators, and since both Danielson and Klatt have been accused of it plenty, they’re out of the running for some. “Why is Klatt even on here 🤷🏻‍♂🤷🏻‍♂🤷🏻‍♂,” commented a fan. 

However, for a change, a fan thinks that Danielson would do fine. While Herbstreit is now getting a lot of hate with his son Chase going to Michigan, he should hit the pause button. On the other hand, Klatt should be cut, and that’s forever. The fan wrote, “start gary bench Kirk, place Klatt on irrevocable waivers .” Now you know, college football fans treat picking color commentators like a game-winning play—no room for errors!