CFB discourse is a bit of an echo chamber. If one reasonably “big” voice presents a notion, it often reverberates across the landscape. Especially if the epicenter is a member of the national media. It can be a player, coach, or fan. One such notion, perhaps fallacious, simmered beneath the conspicuous surface all season. It boiled over at times and got put a proverbial lid over each time. Then came the playoffs, and it created a mess. It’s the notion that Curt Cignetti’s Indiana Hoosiers were not deserving of a spot.

Kirk Herbstreit voiced his disdain after IU pulled a bit of a vanishing act in their round 1 matchup against Notre Dame. Before pulling one of his own! Hindsight is 20/20, and it turns out Notre Dame are actually just really good. Losing to them perhaps shouldn’t be an indictment. Marcus Freeman and Co. just took care of perennial contenders Georgia, albeit without their QB1. However, the die had been cast with his stance right after that game down in South Bend.

“There’s a difference between deserving and best,” he remarked. Herbstreit was insinuating that Indiana and their Cinderella story was given precedence over teams that traversed more treacherous schedules. Because the committee got soft and “got caught up in social media” yearning. It’s implied that Kirk Herbstreit wanted one of the 3 SEC teams, i.e. Alabama, Ole Miss and South Carolina, in the CFP instead. A fortnight is an eternity in college football, and Herbstreit is witnessing just that.

Since that IU loss and these comments, the southeastern faction has left Herbstreit to dry. First, Tennessee got played off the park by Ohio State. Fast forward a round, and Texas escaped by the skin of their teeth. Against an ASU outfit that was buoyant but well behind on roster talent relative to the Longhorns. To tie a rather ironic ribbon on Herbstreit’s poorly aging take, the SEC champion Georgia lost to Notre Dame. By a wider margin than Indiana did. Figure that. 

A number of CFB media personalities are attributed with SEC bias and homerism. Whether it’s reasonable or not, Kirk Herbstreit is not averse to this label. His perceived radio silence on football affairs since Georgia’s loss could well be coincidental. However, the social media sphere doesn’t often give you the benefit of the doubt. Fans are convinced he’s saving face after the SEC bias blew up in his face. Naturally, he’s being dragged through the mud over on X.

Social media sphere reacts to Kirk Herbstreit and his SEC-based hiatus

One fan posted, in jest, a missing poster of Kirk Herbstreit owing to his lack of activity. A gush of replies and quotes followed suit. Some began discerning what he was up to in the meantime, saying, “Curled up in a fetal position” and “Rocking back and forth in a corner with his dogs probably.” A couple of people addressed the elephant in the room and pointed towards the SEC persuasion.

“He’s waiting to see if Texas wins [against OSU], so that way he can go back on and start pumping the SEC as this dominant force.” said one fan. “Wait until he has to call an all-Big 10 CFP final,” said another, echoing the same sentiment. The trolling went cross-sport, with one fan using the Cincinnati Bengals as an allegory for his Indiana comments. “He’s busy arguing that the Bengals deserve a playoff spot despite their record, coming out of the best division in football and having a strong brand with fans who will travel,” they said.

“It’s interesting. SEC lost its competitive advantage with NIL and transfer portal.  I’m sure they are planning on how to get rid of those things,” said a fan. A scathing take on how not just Kirk Herbstreit but the media at large controls how the sport is perceived and even operated. Even Nick Saban has found himself on the wrong side of this. The self-proclaimed supremacy of the southeast has been tainted massively over the course of the CFP. Herbstreit and his likes have been caught in the crossfire. Yet, the same notions and beliefs will cyclically return as soon as the season ends. Like clockwork.