Kirk Herbstreit, Pat McAfee Issue Apology After College GameDay

ESPN analysts Kirk Herbstreit and Pat McAfee owned their College GameDay miss on Saturday, issuing a playful apology to Wake Forest as the Demon Deacons stormed out to a 42-0 first-half lead at SMU in Dallas.

Herbstreit posted a video to X with McAfee at his side, writing that the pair wanted to “apologize from the bottom of our hearts for picking against” Wake Forest. “We thought SMU at home had a chance and boy, were we wrong,” Herbstreit wrote. “These boys are for real!”

How did Herbstreit and McAfee apologize?

Whelp. Both @PatMcAfeeShow and I want apologize from the bottom of our hearts for picking against @WakeFB
We thought SMU at home had a chance and BOY WE WE WRONG!!
These boys are for real!
Congrats and WE BELIEVE! pic.twitter.com/CNBfE0X3LL
— Kirk Herbstreit (@KirkHerbstreit) November 14, 2026

The clip played out like two friends caught on the wrong side of a blowout and trying to laugh their way out of it. McAfee opened by crediting Wake Forest coach Jake Dickert, who appeared on the show that morning. “He was so good on the show today,” McAfee said. “We should have known. That’s on us.”

Herbstreit then explained the thinking behind the pick. “I thought, you know, they’re on the road,” the former Ohio State quarterback said. “SMU looked so good last week. I thought maybe they’re in a spot to upset Wake. Boy, were we wrong.”

McAfee had a quick answer for that logic. “SMU looked good last week. You know who else did? Wake,” he said. “Wake has looked good every week.”

The pair then brought in Herbstreit’s golden retriever, Peter, with McAfee joking that the dog “picked Wake. He knew.” They wrapped up with praise for Dickert, as McAfee said “Love Jake” and Herbstreit added, “Jake’s the man. Go Deacs.”

Wake Forest buries SMU on homecoming by halftime

Wake Forest Demon Deacons WR Carlos Hernandez (8), TE Will Loerzel (85) and WR Antonio Meeks celebrate | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

The GameDay desk split on the matchup Saturday morning. Desmond Howard and Nick Saban took Wake Forest, while Herbstreit, McAfee and guest picker Ian Johnson sided with the Mustangs.

The SMU pick made some sense on paper. The Mustangs entered 7-2 after a 51-28 win over Virginia Tech, and SMU coach Rhett Lashlee had gone 15-2 in November games since 2022.

But none of that showed up on homecoming and Senior Day at Gerald J. Ford Stadium. Ty Clark III opened the scoring on a 27-yard run, Gio Lopez hit Carlos Hernandez for a 44-yard touchdown and the Wake Forest quarterback ran for two more scores before halftime. SMU quarterback Kevin Jennings completed 7 of 12 passes for 40 yards with an interception in the first half.

Why Wake Forest’s playoff case keeps growing

Wake Forest Demon Deacons head coach Jake Dickert leads his team onto the field against the Stanford Cardinal | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Wake Forest entered the day 8-1 and No. 13 in the College Football Playoff rankings, and its only loss came against Miami. The Demon Deacons had outscored their previous five opponents 264-31, a run that included a 77-0 win over Merrimack.

Dickert has leaned into the outsider label all season, describing his roster on GameDay as “built in the dark.” A road rout of an AP-ranked ACC opponent gives the selection committee another strong result to weigh before its next rankings.

Wake Forest entered Saturday one game behind unbeaten Miami in the ACC standings, and the Hurricanes hold the head-to-head win.

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