Kirk Herbstreit tried to wave off the political fallout around College GameDay, but his comments only made the conversation louder.
The spark came on Sept. 12, when College GameDay had Sen. Ted Cruz on the set to promote the Protect College Sports Act. Cruz spent much of the segment getting booed, and when the moment kept echoing into the following week, Herbstreit was asked about it by local reporters in Oxford before LSU-Ole Miss.
“I don’t really follow it. I don’t know anything about his political views,” he said.
“I don’t know what he’s for or against. I care about football, my family, my faith and my country.”
That answer shifted the debate from a simple booking choice to a broader question about Herbstreit himself. He later expanded on that stance in Oxford.
“I don’t really get into politics, I’m an independent guy - right down the middle of the fairway,” Herbstreit said. “I’m for America, so whoever helps us as a country, I’m for.”
He also said the reaction to Cruz caught him off guard.
“Him being booed, I had to ask people, ‘What’s going on here?’”
The response online was swift and skeptical. One fan posted, “Kirk has never heard of this guy he was tweeting about 10 years ago.”
Another shot back, “What do you mean you don’t follow it? Like what?
Your in media you can’t pretend like you have no idea what’s going on in America,”
On the Mississippi Today clip, @MOOOOrion wrote, “Imagine lying to make yourself look ignorant.”
@NebutronX added, “How do you know who’s good for America, then?”
Yahoo Sports’ Dan Wolken also pushed back, saying, “He has tweeted about politics and politicians, including Ted Cruz, so he’s just lying,” Wolken said. “Kirk follows 844 people on X. That list is public.”
Jeff Pearlman went even further in a since-deleted TikTok video. “You’re Kirk Herbstreit, you’re college-educated, you have four kids,” he said.
“You don’t know anything about Ted Cruz, one of the most famous political figures in America?” Pearlman called the shrug “inexcusable just as an American.”
For all the noise, Herbstreit remains one of the most visible voices in college football, alongside Lee Corso and on the GameDay desk. That’s a big reason the clip took off so fast.
In Other News...
Michigan State's Road To March Just Got A Lot More Interesting
Michigan States path to March is already taking shape, and the latest look at the 2026-27 schedule gives Tom Izzo another familiar challenge to navigate. The Spartans will open the season Nov. 2 at home against Quinnipiac, then move into a non-conference slate that should give the group an early gauge of where it stands before Big Ten play takes over.
For a team entering Izzos 32nd season with returning All-American point guard Jeremy Fears Jr. at the center of it, the mix of new transfers, freshmen and scheduled opponents only adds to the intrigue. The full calendar now gives Michigan State a clearer road map, but it also leaves plenty of questions about how quickly the pieces will fit and how battle-tested the Spartans will be by the time the stakes rise. [Read more 🡒]
Nebraska May Be Ready To Lean On One Freshman A Lot More
Nebraskas offense is already leaning on a true freshman in a way few teams would expect this early in the season, and offensive coordinator Dana Holgorsen made it clear Jamal Rule has done more than merely keep up. Through Week 3, Rule has emerged as the third-leading rusher in the Big Ten, a development that speaks as much to his readiness as to Nebraskas willingness to trust him in meaningful spots.
Holgorsen also pointed to the offensive line rotation as part of the plan, while expressing confidence in quarterback Anthony Colandreas play and the broader experience on the roster. With several veterans and transfers in the mix, Nebraska appears to have the kind of depth that lets a freshman like Rule take on a bigger role without the offense having to slow down around him. [Read more 🡒]
Michigan State Fans Have A Real Offensive Debate After Notre Dame
Michigan States loss to No. 3 Notre Dame was about more than a lopsided final score. The Spartans managed only 167 yards and held the ball for just over 22 minutes, a rough offensive night that made it hard to find many bright spots in the 27-10 defeat, the first setback of the Pat Fitzgerald era. Still, Pro Football Focuss postgame grades offered a little more texture than the box score, as the site broke down the Spartans top five offensive performers from the matchup.
Cam Fancher, Ben Murawski, Rakeem Johnson, Rodney Bullard and Kai Rios all landed in that group, which should give fans something to chew on as they sort through where the offense is actually headed. The debate now is less about what went wrong in South Bend and more about which pieces looked usable against a defense as good as Notre Dames, especially with the line play and quarterback performance drawing the most scrutiny from a fan base looking for answers. [Read more 🡒]