If you’ve been paying attention over the offseason, you’ve noticed that ESPN college football analyst Kirk Herbstreit has had a bit of a love affair with Notre Dame. In fact, he even predicted the Irish to win the national championship.
Well, his love for Notre Dame apparently has ended.
In a Friday interview with ESPN’s Mike Greenberg, Herbstreit tore into the Irish, calling their schedule an “embarrassment.”
“Notre Dame plays two games where they’re going to be challenged,” Herbstreit said. “This one’s where they’re favored [against BYU] and Miami’s at home.”
Herbstreit continued, “Think about what Alabama and Georgia and Ohio State and these teams. What they’re dealing with? So that cannot continue. That’s an embarrassment and incredibly unfair.”
Notre Dame’s schedule certainly isn’t what anyone would call a juggernaut. They play three ranked opponents in 2026, two ranked inside the top 10, and one on the road.
A murderer’s row? No. But “embarrassment” might be a strong word to describe that schedule.
Meanwhile, it’s worth noting who Herbstreit didn’t mention in his rant, at least in terms of schedule softness: Miami.
Miami, an ACC member who maintains a broadcast partnership with Herbstreit’s employer, ESPN, has only one ranked team on its entire schedule: Notre Dame.
If Notre Dame’s three ranked opponents and two top 10s are an “embarrassment,” then how is Miami’s one ranked opponent not an embarrassment? Or is Herbstreit limiting his criticism to teams his employer doesn’t have an active broadcast deal with?
Miami isn’t the only other top 10 team with a weaker schedule than Notre Dame.
Texas Tech (10) has only two ranked opponents on their schedule, neither ranked higher than 18.
BYU, Notre Dame’s dance partner this Saturday night, also has only two ranked opponents: Notre Dame and Utah. But only one of those teams, Notre Dame, is top 10. Utah currently holds the 11th spot.
Why isn’t Texas Tech or BYU called an “embarrassment?” Why aren’t they told they must change? Does anyone honestly believe Herbstreit is unaware of Miami, Texas Tech, and BYU’s Charmin-soft schedules?
Kirk Herbstreit started his broadcast career as a straight shooter. Notably, he went out of his way to be fair to Michigan to avoid the charge of bias because he played for Ohio State.
But now, twenty-some-odd years later, he’s become just like everyone else. He trashed Notre Dame last year and defended Alabama’s inclusion, another team his employer has a broadcast deal with, ahead of the Irish in the playoff.
Then he spent the offseason calling Notre Dame the best team in college football, and now he’s back to his old tricks.
It’s unclear when or why he changed, but sadly, he’s become just like every other college football talking head.
A network shill.