The arena of college football is where allegiances run deep and rivalries ignite passionate debates. They’re personal. They’re tribal. And when you’re one of the most recognizable voices in the sport, every word you say is a potential landmine. Kirk Herbstreit knows this all too well. The former Ohio State quarterback turned ESPN analyst has built a career as the face of college football coverage, but with that visibility comes scrutiny—lots of it. Herbie is no stranger to controversy. But this dust-up? It might be one of the more awkward ones yet.

The controversy reached a boiling point following the Jan. 20 CFP final, where Ohio State clinched the national championship against Notre Dame. Kirk Herbstreit, visibly moved by his alma mater’s triumph—where also his son, Zak, plays—became emotional on air and even stepped away to compose himself. Most empathized; others seized the moment to call him an “Ohio State bias” as a national commentator.

Herbstreit landed in hot water after his comments leading up to the playoffs. He seemed to think Alabama, Ole Miss, and South Carolina deserved more respect from the committee than teams like SMU. Given the long-standing complaints about ESPN’s pro-SEC leanings, this wasn’t exactly a surprising take, but it was enough to spark fresh outrage.

Then came the backlash, and Herbstreit wasn’t about to take it lying down. On Jan. 7, the Andy & Ari Show on On3, he hit back in classic Herbstreit fashion. “Let me straighten the record on one last thing,” he said. “ESPN loves the SEC so much that we could not have paid for a better Final Four with Notre Dame, Ohio State, Penn State, and Texas.”

He continued, “If you’re asking us who we would want, we’ll take Ohio State every year, Notre Dame every…like this is a ratings bonanza.” The tongue-in-cheek jab at the idea of SEC favoritism was meant to be a mic-drop moment. Instead, it only added fuel to the fire. And it was only today that this College Football Addiction host told why he and ESPN “failed” again.

Herbstreit added, “You’re gonna accuse us of wanting Ohio State, wanting Notre Dame, and these big brands? If you knew anything about ratings, that’s who you want. You don’t want these small little Clemson small little Southern schools, when it comes to cheering for ratings.” The only problem here? His attempt to pivot the conversation from “SEC bias” wasn’t exactly airtight. As the host pointed out, the “ratings bonanza” only drew 22.1 million viewers. A big number, sure, but well below the peak ratings from previous years.

“Kirk stepped in it again… because everything he said ended up being incorrect,” the host said bluntly. Kirk Herbstreit had floated the idea that an Ohio State–Notre Dame title game would be a dream scenario for television execs. The reality? Viewership was down. Not catastrophic, but enough to call into question whether the “big brands” argument was really as bulletproof as he claimed. It was the kind of moment that makes you wonder if Herbstreit had accidentally argued himself into a corner—by trying to shut down the SEC bias narrative, he ended up undermining his own logic about which teams drive ratings.

That wasn’t even the worst part. The insider went deeper, arguing that the real issue isn’t ESPN chasing ratings—it’s ESPN protecting its investments. “They don’t care about ratings… they know they’re going to get between 20 and 25 million views, and that’s all that matters,” he explained. “Their ad sales are going to be fine. Even if you had Arizona State versus Boise State, it’d still be good ratings because college football fans care. But they don’t care about ratings as much as they do protecting their biggest investment.”

And that investment? It’s not Ohio State. It’s not Notre Dame. It’s the SEC. The argument wasn’t that ESPN manipulates things just for the sake of ratings—it’s that the network prioritizes the conference it has the most financial stake in. And if we’re being honest, that’s not exactly a wild conspiracy theory. Networks protect their biggest assets. That’s just business.

The irony is that Herbstreit isn’t the villain everyone makes him out to be. He’s a CFB legend, truly passionate about the game. But sometimes, trying to defend himself only makes things worse.

Kirk Herbstreit shuts down SEC bias talk—but is everyone buying it?

Kirk Herbstreit has heard the chatter—college football fans love to accuse ESPN of favoring the SEC. But according to him, that’s just not the case. After all that fuss, the longtime College GameDay analyst pushed back on the idea, pointing to the show’s track record of covering top matchups from across all conferences.

“We love stories, not conferences,” Herbstreit said, emphasizing that GameDay has consistently traveled to Big Ten games and promoted them throughout the season. “If I’ve added to the perception of SEC favoritism, I apologize. That’s not my intention at all.”

It’s a fair point—ESPN does cover major non-SEC clashes—but let’s be real, the SEC does get a whole lot of love. Is it just because the conference has dominated college football for over a decade? Or is there something more to it? Herbstreit’s explanation makes sense, but for fans outside the South, the skepticism remains.