‘F Off!’ Kirk Herbstreit Unloads on Those Accusing Him of SEC Bias

1. The normally mild-mannered, unflappable Kirk Herbstreit did not hold back on his Nonstop With Kirk and Joey podcast earlier this week addressing those who accuse him of having an SEC bias.

While discussing which 12 teams would make the College Football Playoff, Herbstreit snuck in a quick, expletive-filled rant about fans who think he’s an SEC guy because ESPN airs the SEC.

“[Texas] A&M, Georgia, Ole Miss. Bama would be the fourth, potentially fifth team, in these rankings for the SEC. We’re not trying to, these idiots that say, ‘How much do people pay you to say this bull---?’ F off. We’re talking about the sport. We’re talking about what we care about. I don’t give a s--- about the SEC. I give a s--- about how are they gonna find these 12 teams. How are they gonna split these hairs at 11, 12, 13, 14.

“It’s fascinating to me. I don’t really care who they put it. Put Miami in. I don’t care. I don’t care if you put six Group of 5 teams in. Do whatever you wanna do. I’m just saying, based on the Sagarin ratings, the AP, the coaches’ poll, everybody recognizes the depth and the challenge of the SEC.

“You can hate that. You can make fun of that. Do whatever the hell you want with that. That’s the reality of the sport. That’s the reality of the world. You can live in the fake world. Do whatever the f--- you want to do, as far as I’m concerned.”

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I also wouldn’t have any problem if Herbstreit did have an SEC bias. The SEC has the best teams. Herbstreit, as a broadcaster, wants the best games. It would make sense the teams from the best conference would give fans the best games.

Part of me thinks Herbstreit just fueled the fire with his rant. The other part of him loves to see him so feisty.

2. Here’s what I wrote in Tuesday’s Traina Thoughts:

“Three weeks ago, Giants rookie running back Cam Skattebo dislocated his ankle and suffered a fractured fibula and ruptured deltoid ligament. Monday night, Skattebo gave the New York media, hot take artists and Giants fans something to go crazy about by showing up to Monday Night Raw and getting a little physical as part of the show.”

To say I was dead on would be an understatement.

A+ backpage for the New York Daily News today. pic.twitter.com/eg1jCCewNS

— Jimmy Traina (@JimmyTraina) November 19, 2025

The reaction to Skattebo’s appearance on Monday Night Raw was so over-the-top that he had to address the matter on social media.

Aye, honestly if you don’t like that I’m having a good time while dealing with a tough time, then just go ahead and unfollow and casually move on. I’m not able to play football and have the fun I’ve been having my whole life so I am doing things outside the box trying to find…

— cameron skattebo (@camskattebo5) November 18, 2025

3. Consistency doesn’t seem to be a strong suit of College Football Playoff chair Hunter Yurachek.

Then he said this about Virginia's win over Louisville: pic.twitter.com/80xAZeybtC

— Nicole Auerbach (@NicoleAuerbach) November 19, 2025

4. Some of you won’t understand why this was very amusing stuff from CBS’s Kyle Long. But those who do get it will give Long credit for being so honest about one of his doppelgangers.

Mount Rushmore of guys @Ky1eLong gets confused for in public:

1. Chris Long @JOEL9ONE
2. Jake Long.
3. Trent Dilfer
4. Johnny Sins.

Incredible This Is Football with Kyle dropped today. pic.twitter.com/mkXIBXMaBM

— Kevin Clark (@bykevinclark) November 18, 2025

5. I will never ever ever be able to fully grasp what has happened to Bill Belichick once Tom Brady left for Tampa Bay. Anyway, here's the 73-year-old apparently spending his Tuesday night at a cheerleading competition.

Bill Belichick spotted at a cheerleading competition in Raleigh, supporting his girlfriend Jordon who is a member of a coed adult cheerleading team pic.twitter.com/96N8vC1rVi

— Adam Kessel (@Adam_Kessel1) November 19, 2025

6. The latest SI Media With Jimmy Traina podcast features a conversation with Good Morning Football’s Kyle Brandt.

Brandt opens the podcast by venting about people sharing their sports-viewing “setups” and talks about what he goes through to watch games and explains why he likes his simple setup.

Then the interview transitions to sports media talk with Brandt explaining what it’s like to interview the top quarterbacks from around the NFL each week, revealing how he feels about seeing his former Good Morning Football colleague, Peter Schrager, on ESPN and sharing his thoughts on ESPN purchasing the NFL Network.

Brandt also talks about having an MVP vote this season, whether he’d ever want to call games, working with Scott Van Pelt and why he loves the chaos of a wide-open NFL season.

Other topics discussed with Brandt include Amazon Prime’s documentary on John Candy, the best Leonardo DiCaprio movies and The Ali G Show.

Following Brandt, Sal Licata from WFAN and SNY in New York joins me for our weekly “Traina Thoughts” segment.

This week’s topics include USC pulling off a truly bush league movie, Aaron Glenn starting fights with the New York media, show recommendations and more.

You can listen to the SI Media With Jimmy Traina podcast below or on Apple and Spotify.

You can also watch SI Media With Jimmy Traina on YouTube.

7. RANDOM VIDEO OF THE DAY: I saw this video of Jason Alexander singing Billy Joel’s River of Dreams over the weekend and I still have no idea what to make of it.

Be sure to catch up on past editions of Traina Thoughts and check out the Sports Illustrated Media Podcast hosted by Jimmy Traina on Apple, Spotify or Google. You can also follow Jimmy on X and Instagram.

This article was originally published on www.si.com as ‘F Off!’ Kirk Herbstreit Unloads on Those Accusing Him of SEC Bias.

I get where Herbstreit is coming from. If ESPN airs the SEC, people are automatically going to accuse anyone at ESPN of having an SEC bias. I think the perception that Herbstreit is pro-SEC over all the other conferences is funny when you consider he went to Ohio State.