Kirk Herbstreit wasn’t interested in letting the SEC bias conversation run the table on Thursday.
During an appearance on The Pat McAfee Show, the ESPN College GameDay analyst pushed back on the idea that his network leans toward the SEC, and he did it while steering the discussion toward a loaded Week 4 schedule. The topic of ESPN or conference favoritism never came up from the show’s hosts. Herbstreit brought it up himself after working through Iowa at Michigan and Oregon at USC.
"People can say whatever they want about ESPN or anybody," Herbstreit said. "I guess the AP poll is biased, the coaches poll."
When an on-screen graphic rolled through the week’s games, Herbstreit zeroed in on Ole Miss and the overall slate.
"Look at that slate," Herbstreit said. "Finally, we got some games. This is life in the SEC."
He followed that by noting the Rebels’ recent run and what waits for them next.
"The reality is Ole Miss played in the game of a lifetime, and now they have a bigger game this week and a more challenging game this week going to the Swamp."
The remarks landed in a week when ESPN’s College GameDay is set to make its fourth straight stop on an SEC campus. The show will be at No.
1 Texas when the Longhorns visit No. 14 Tennessee at noon ET on ABC.
The season opened at LSU for Clemson’s trip, then moved to Texas for Ohio State’s visit. In Week 3, GameDay was in Oxford, Mississippi, for LSU at Ole Miss.
That run has fueled criticism from fans who see a pattern. A Front Office Sports post on Instagram highlighting the SEC-heavy locations drew more than 17,500 likes. Some of the backlash has centered on the money involved, with ESPN and the SEC beginning a 10-year deal in 2024 that is worth about $300 million per year.
There’s also been criticism for the Big Ten games GameDay passed on this week. No.
20 Oregon is at No. 12 USC at 7:30 p.m.
ET on NBC, while No. 17 Iowa visits No.
18 Michigan at 3:30 p.m. ET on CBS.
Herbstreit’s comments came with Ole Miss fresh off a 32-24 win over LSU last Saturday in Lane Kiffin’s first game back in Oxford since he left for LSU. Trinidad Chambliss threw for 363 yards and two touchdowns and added the go-ahead rushing score in the fourth quarter. That game drew nearly 11 million viewers.
Florida, meanwhile, enters Saturday’s meeting at 3-0 after a 44-39 road win at Auburn under first-year coach Jon Sumrall.
"Florida is playing out of their mind," Herbstreit said. "They're putting up points that would make Steve Spurrier proud."
The Rebels and Gators kick off at 3:30 p.m. ET on ABC at Ben Hill Griffin Stadium in Gainesville. Both teams are 1-0 in SEC play, and the all-time series stands tied at 13-13-1.
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