Kirk Herbstreit’s comments on College GameDay could upset ESPN

Kirk Herbstreit believes this weekly show causes unnecessary confusion and should be canceled.

College GameDay analyst Kirk Herbstreit spoke candidly about why ESPN should scrap its weekly College Football Playoff rankings show. | Adam Cairns/Columbus Dispatch / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

The weekly College Football Playoff rankings reveal show has become a source of consistent frustration rather than clarity for sports fans. Critics argue the selection committee appears to invent criteria as the season progresses.

The Athletic reporter Bruce Feldman recently described the process as a "dumpster fire" where logic shifts constantly to fit a desired outcome. The expanded 12-team field has not resolved the controversy surrounding the committee's methodology.

Arkansas Razorbacks athletic director Hunter Yurachek now serves as the chair following the midseason departure of Baylor Bears athletic director Mack Rhoades. Yurachek frequently offers contradictory explanations for the weekly ordering of the top 25 teams.

The most glaring inconsistency involves the Notre Dame Fighting Irish and the Miami Hurricanes. Both teams sit at 10-2 but the committee ranked Notre Dame two spots higher despite a head-to-head loss to Miami earlier this season.

Yurachek claimed the committee did not compare the two because they were not in similar comparative pools. This explanation baffled observers since Miami is responsible for one of the losses on the Notre Dame resume.

Matt Yoder of Awful Announcing noted that the committee used head-to-head results to compare the Oklahoma Sooners and Alabama Crimson Tide, but ignored that same metric for the Hurricanes.

These contradictions fuel the perception that the Tuesday night broadcast is merely a television product designed to fill airtime. Viewers argue the rankings are pointless since they are guaranteed to change over the final month of play. The show often exposes loopholes in committee logic regarding strength of schedule and bad losses. One prominent voice finally spoke out against the entire production on Saturday morning.

Kirk Herbstreit Suggests ESPN Cancel The Tuesday Rankings Show

On the latest edition of College GameDay, analyst Kirk Herbstreit made a bold suggestion that directly challenges his network's programming strategy. The former Ohio State Buckeyes quarterback argued that ESPN should eliminate the weekly rankings reveal entirely.

Herbstreit believes the show forces the committee to defend temporary positions that inevitably change once conference championships conclude. He stated that the data remains incomplete until the final week of the season.

"Honestly, I think we should remove, with all due respect," gesturing toward CFP show host Rece Davis, "the Tuesday night show because truly, until all the data is in... then you can look at it fairly," Herbstreit said.

Longtime College GameDay host Kirk Herbstreit suggested ESPN eliminate the weekly College Football Playoff rankings show. | Brett Davis-Imagn Images

He explained that the current format sets the sport up for unnecessary controversy by locking teams into slots prematurely. Herbstreit used the current debate regarding the Fighting Irish to illustrate his point.

"But to look at this week by week, I just think it sets us up for things like, 'Well that doesn't make sense? How can you do that? You've had Notre Dame ahead of these guys all week? They didn't even play. How are you going to flip Miami now?' It's not really supposed to be the real rankings until the season is over," Herbstreit concluded.

His comments created a stir on social media because ESPN pays a significant amount for the exclusive rights to the rankings show. Users on X joked that executive leadership likely sent producers angry emails immediately after the segment aired.

Kirk Herbstreit and Nick Saban are both ready to dump the weekly CFP rankings.

"Honestly I think we should remove, with all due respect, the Tuesday night show." pic.twitter.com/7xMOmpm1ZX

— Awful Announcing (@awfulannouncing) December 6, 2025

"Herbstreit suggesting the CFP Tuesday ranking shows should be done away with. C suite leadership about to send Gameday producers a few angry emails," said one user.

"@KirkHerbstreit just said the smartest thing today on GameDay 'Get rid of the Tuesday night rankings show.' He is so right. It’s pointless to have rankings that are guaranteed to change over four weeks. The only thing it does it give fodder to the critics," read another post.