Kirk Herbstreit will no longer appear on CFP rankings shows, are FSU fans to blame?

Kirk Herbstreit, one of ESPN’s most popular voices in college football, has decided to step back from ESPN’s College Football Playoff (CFP) rankings reveal show this season.

Known for his roles on ESPN College GameDay and Amazon Prime’s Thursday Night Football, Herbstreit’s schedule is already packed. But with this decision, it seems there may be more than just time constraints driving his move. Could the fallout with Florida State fans over last season’s CFP rankings have pushed Herbstreit away from this hot seat?

Herbstreit first missed the CFP rankings show’s season debut on November 5, citing personal reasons, including the recent loss of his beloved dog, Ben. Days later, during a broadcast of Alabama’s game against LSU, he confirmed that he would no longer be part of the weekly rankings reveal, casually telling colleague Chris Fowler, “I retired from that.”

Fowler responded with a quick, “Is that congratulations or condolences?” and the two laughed it off. For Herbstreit, though, this decision might offer a way to dodge the kind of intense fan scrutiny he faced last season.

It’s no secret that Herbstreit’s comments during last year’s playoff selection process drew fierce criticism from Florida State fans. Despite finishing the season with a 13-0 record and securing the ACC Championship, Florida State was left out of the four-team playoff, a decision that many Seminole fans were outraged by.

In defending the committee’s choices, which included one-loss teams like Alabama and Texas over the undefeated Seminoles, Herbstreit became a target for FSU fans. Social media channels buzzed with accusations of SEC bias directed at both Herbstreit and ESPN, with some fans going so far as to say that Herbstreit played a role in keeping their team out.

The situation quickly escalated into a social media storm, with Herbstreit’s every comment scrutinized and often taken as a slight against the Seminoles. While he had no direct influence on the final selection, his vocal support for the decision made him the face of the controversy. FSU fans didn’t hold back, accusing him of perpetuating a system that favored SEC programs over other conferences.

Notably, by stepping back from the CFP show, Herbstreit is avoiding the heated spotlight that comes with every rankings reveal. This way, he’s not directly in the line of fire, even though he’ll still be sharing insights on ESPN College GameDay and during his game-day broadcasts.

So, are FSU fans to blame for Herbstreit’s exit from the CFP show? Perhaps they’re partly responsible, especially given the amount of backlash Herbstreit felt, even as the 2024 season began when he was booed intensly by FSU fans in Ireland.

However, it is also reasonable to believe that Herbie might just be taking something off his plate, considering the flurry of responsibilities he's already undertaken.

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