Despite his role with the network, “College GameDay” analyst and color commentator Kirk Herbstreit openly criticized ESPN. In the most recent episode of show, Herbstreit and his colleagues urged the network to eliminate the Tuesday rankings show altogether. Now that the College Football Playoff teams have been announced, Herbstreit is reinforcing that position.
Kirk Herbstreit Calls Out ESPN For Rankings Show
Whether Alabama qualified was one of the biggest questions, but another centered on Miami and Notre Dame. Although the Hurricanes won the head-to-head matchup earlier this season, the Fighting Irish were ranked higher. That outcome sparked significant debate, particularly with both teams idle on conference championship day, yet Miami was selected ahead of Notre Dame.
Herbstreit publicly described the Tuesday rankings show as a “mistake” and “misleading” in how teams were compared within the College Football Playoff field. Notre Dame was ultimately listed as the first team out, while Miami secured the No. 10 ranking without concern. The Hurricanes will face No. 7 Texas A&M in the first round.
“It’s not like the AP poll, where every single week we follow and react to what happened. This is, to me, a mistake and misleading, because of having these Tuesday night shows and having Miami so far away from Notre Dame,” Herbstreit said.
“It’s easy to say, ‘Well, they should have had Miami ahead of Notre Dame all along.’ Well, Miami had two tough losses and games they controlled against SMU and Louisville, and gave them both away. There had to be some kind of reaction from the committee and a punishment from the committee.”
Kirk Herbstreit reacts to the College Football Playoff field (and again brings up the CFP weekly rankings show). 🏈🎙️📺 #CFP #CFB https://t.co/oaDlK8bOME pic.twitter.com/YxVJ7RtzWZ
— Awful Announcing (@awfulannouncing) December 7, 2025
Notre Dame, designated as the first team out, joined BYU as programs that narrowly missed the cut — a result unlikely to sit well with head coach Marcus Freeman. This year’s reveal was expected to be controversial with the inclusion of Tulane and James Madison, both Power Five teams required to be considered. One of them would have missed the cut had Virginia not lost to Duke.
Reporter Matt Fortuna reacted to Herbstreit’s rant, saying: “Good on Kirk Herbstreit for calling this ESPN production (weekly rankings shows) a mistake and misleading. You rarely see that kind of candor from inside the house.”
Good on Kirk Herbstreit for calling this ESPN production (weekly rankings shows) a mistake and misleading. You rarely see that kind of candor from inside the house.
— Matt Fortuna (@Matt_Fortuna) December 7, 2025
The College Football Playoff field is finalized, whether Notre Dame likes it or not. Although the Fighting Irish swapped places with Miami, they must contend with the outcome and reflect on their early-season loss to the Hurricanes — a result that ultimately proved decisive.
