ESPN’s Kirk Herbstreit Goes Off on Critics Who Accuse Network of Bias Toward SEC: ‘F Off!’

ESPN college football analyst Kirk Herbstreit on Monday fired back at critics who accuse him and the network of having a bias toward the SEC in their coverage.

The Southeastern Conference has long been viewed as the gold standard in college football, featuring powerhouse programs like Georgia, Alabama, and LSU. Some have argued that the SEC’s reputation has led to some teams being ranked higher than they deserve to be, fueling the narrative that there’s a bias. Those critics accused ESPN of a similar bias, claiming analysts like Herbstreit and Paul Finebaum often speak too favorably of teams within the conference.

On Monday’s episode of Herbstreit’s podcast Nonstop, he and co-host Joey Galloway were discussing the past weekend’s games and how the rankings would be affected. During that conversation, Herbstreit took a moment to address his critics when he said:

‘Bama would be the fourth, potentially fifth team in these rankings for the SEC. So, we’re not trying to — these idiots that say, “How much do people pay you to say this bullsh*t?” F off! We’re talking about the sport. We’re talking about what we care about. I don’t give a sh*t about the SEC. I give a sh*t about, where are they going to come? How are they going to find these 12 teams? How are they going to split these hairs at 11, 12, 13, 14? It’s fascinating to me. I don’t really care who they put in. Put Miami in. I don’t care.

I don’t care if you put six Group of 5 teams in. Do whatever you want to do. I’m just saying based on what the Sagarin ratings, the AP, the Coaches Poll, everybody recognizes the depth and the challenge of the SEC. You can hate that. You can make fun of that. Do whatever the hell you want with that. That’s the reality of the sport. That’s the reality of the world. You can live in fake world. Do whatever the f*ck you want to do, as far as I’m concerned. But the reality is [in] this sport, we’re trying to get the best 12 teams in.