Kirk Herbstreit gets cooked for congratulating Michigan after caping for Alabama
![Jan 1, 2024; Pasadena, CA, USA; Kirk Herbstreit on the ESPN College Gameday set at the 2024 Rose Bowl college football playoff semifinal game at Rose Bowl. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images Jan 1, 2024; Pasadena, CA, USA; Kirk Herbstreit on the ESPN College Gameday set at the 2024 Rose Bowl college football playoff semifinal game at Rose Bowl. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images](https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/upload/c_crop,w_8001,h_4500,x_0,y_117/c_fill,w_720,ar_16:9,f_auto,q_auto,g_auto/images/ImagnImages/mmsport/229/01jgf9wafv7vvcjmnxk5.jpg)
Kirk Herbstreit has been one of the most respected voices in college football for decades. His takes on the College Football Playoff add weight to the quote from The Dark Knight, "You either die a hero or live long enough to see yourself become the villain."
After Indiana lost to Notre Dame in the first round of the CFP, Herbstreit made it very clear what he thought of the selection committee's chosen bracket. He argued they needed to "find the best teams" instead of valuing win totals.
“Indiana was outclassed in that game," Herbstreit said. "It was not a team that should have been on that field when you consider other teams that could have been there."
Anyone with a brain could tell exactly which other teams Herbstreit was referring to, specifically No. 11 Alabama, the first team out. The Crimson Tide had three losses, including two bad upsets to double-digit underdogs, but the perception of their difficult schedule was enough for many beyond Herbstreit to argue they should have been in the field.
That argument was undercut by Alabama's loss to Michigan in the ReliaQuest Bowl. When Herbstreit hit send on a tweet congratulating the Wolverines on their win, he invited college football fans from across the country to clown him.
Congrats @UMichFootball on a big win!! Huge for them and the @bigten
— Kirk Herbstreit (@KirkHerbstreit) December 31, 2024
Kirk when you were watching that game did it ever hit you that you threw all your credibility out the window for that team? I’ll hang up and listen thanks
— WBR (@W_B_Rick) December 31, 2024
I don’t wanna hear about wins https://t.co/6cO7fJA01R
— Clint Foster (@Clint_Foster55) December 31, 2024
https://t.co/0UkhEgpaf0 pic.twitter.com/12LbYqIF4Y
— 진홍색 채석장 (@crimsonquarry) December 31, 2024
SEC SEC SEC. @finebaum pic.twitter.com/hkA1XzoutY
— Drew English (@DrewfusMcGoofus) December 31, 2024
College football twitter gathering to dunk on Paul Finebaum, Lane Kiffin, Kirk Herbstreit, and Nick Saban for the second time in 10 days pic.twitter.com/P40NnmMi49
— FearSpartans (@FearSpartan) December 31, 2024
Kirk Herbstreit's response to criticism only made it worse
It seems Herbstreit didn't anticipate the wave of criticism. He didn't exactly take it well.
Keep believing the false narratives clown. https://t.co/R59k3rad37
— Kirk Herbstreit (@KirkHerbstreit) December 31, 2024
A childish response to a fan laughing at him for wanting Alabama in the playoff didn't help. He just fueled more of the fire.
Herbstreit literally torched the choices of Indiana and SMU and simped for Alabama. Doubled down after round one to a point that even Brando, Aikman and Buck called him out for it. But yeah, “false narrative.” 🤡 https://t.co/mU3u6u8kPq
— james fantine (@FantineJames) December 31, 2024
https://t.co/f1ni67jlK2 pic.twitter.com/I0IMT1lz7a
— 11-1 (I only track the regular season record) (@BigOlBB69) December 31, 2024
Kirk Herbstreit got community noted by having his own words cited against him. 😂 pic.twitter.com/ji1kmV9UTF
— TJ Salomone (@TJSalomone) December 31, 2024
Herbstreit would be better off accepting defeat and taking his lumps. Old Takes Exposed comes for us all one day. Hell, I just got the Freezing Cold Takes experience for a tweet about Kalen DeBoer sent while Alabama was blowing out Georgia.
Kalen DeBoer...it is unfair that Alabama got to follow up Nick Saban with Kalen DeBoer.
— Alicia de Artola Castillo (@PenguinOfTroy) September 29, 2024
I still love DeBoer, don't get me wrong, but clearly his first season with the Crimson Tide didn't go the way I expected. That's pretty much the point of all this. We shouldn't expect the CFP to lean on hypotheticals. If you lose three games, you have to accept it when you don't get a chance to play for the national title. If you advocate for a three-loss team to make the playoff and that same team loses their bowl game, you have to accept it when you take a beating on social media.
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