Kirk Herbstreit rejects major college football job during ‘College GameDay’

Conferences, networks, and the College Football Playoff (CFP) selection process have been at odds this year over how to manage marquee matchups, television windows, and who gets into the postseason.

Discussions about the CFP format and selection criteria have continued throughout the year as the sport adjusts to expansion and evolving appointment processes.

On the set of ESPN’s College GameDay on Saturday, a light-hearted joke quickly turned into a larger dispute over who should run the sport.

Pat McAfee suggested Nick Saban as a natural candidate to serve as a national college football commissioner; Kirk Herbstreit then shrugged off the notion on air with "Nah, I’m good" just before a commercial break.

It sounds like you should be the commissioner of College Football Coach Saban 😂😂

What if we did move the schedule up#CollegeGameDay https://t.co/XNGbDFdFDE pic.twitter.com/mXmzR4oW6c
— Pat McAfee (@PatMcAfeeShow) December 6, 2025

There is no unified commissioner for college football. Instead, the NCAA, conferences, the College Football Playoff, and other parties share governance, a structure critics blame for inconsistent regulations and a scattered decision-making process.

This year, one of the biggest debates has been the committee appearing to weigh the strength of schedule and "good losses" heavily, sometimes favoring teams with fewer losses but softer schedules over teams that lost to stronger opponents.

The result is a contentious bubble where head‑to‑head results and the context of losses matter almost as much as win‑loss totals.

The Notre Dame–Miami–Alabama triangle is at the center of this issue.

Miami and Notre Dame both sit at 10-2, with Miami holding the head‑to‑head win, yet Notre Dame has often been ranked higher in the CFP conversation due to their recent 10-game win streak and quality of losses rather than a single head‑to‑head result.

Meanwhile, Alabama’s three‑loss resume has prompted debate over whether a historically strong program with a tougher SEC schedule should be included over two‑loss teams that faced softer opposition.

Alabama Crimson Tide head coach Kalen Deboer. — Atlanta, GA, USA; Alabama Crimson Tide head coach Kalen Deboer looks on during the second quarter against the Georgia Bulldogs during the 2025 SEC Championship game at Mercedes-Benz Stadium. | Dale Zanine-Imagn Images

Beginning in 2026, the SEC will play nine conference games, a significant move that will alter non-conference calendars, broadcast windows, and how teams build the resumes the CFP evaluates.

Deadlines off the field are amplifying the chaos on the field.

The early signing window (Dec. 3–5, 2025) has accelerated recruiting deadlines and created a forced lull for many teams amid a frenetic coaching carousel and postseason.

Proposed changes to the transfer portal, notably moving its primary offseason activity from December to January, have sped roster turnover and made short‑term planning for playoff contenders far more difficult.

Athletic directors and coaches are forced to balance postseason objectives with recruitment and roster stabilization on the same compressed calendar.

With players departing before bowl games or the playoffs and no unified national policy, programs can be left in limbo, which is why many are pushing for one governing commissioner.

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