ESPN’s College Gameday may not be coming to Tallahassee, but Kirk Herbstreit will be there.
As part of the ABC broadcasting crew, Hebrstreit will be in the booth along with his partner Chris Fowler and sideline reporter Holly Rowe for the Florida State-Miami rivalry showdown on Saturday at 7:30 p.m. at Doak Campbell Stadium.
Many FSU fans will remember good ol’ Herbie for being vocal about the underfeated Seminoles in 2023.
Despite its perfect record and an ACC title, Herbstreit argued that FSU didn’t deserve to be in the College Football Playoffs, while it was still a four-team format, after losing its quarterback, Jordan Travis.
He also doubled down and stated that Alabama being the fourth seed was the right call by the committee.
“You’re comparing Alabama to Florida State; you have to give Alabama the nod,” Herbstreit said during the selection show. “I think the committee did a great job.”
This will be Herbstreit’s first game back at FSU since his remarks about the Seminoles and the ‘lunatic portion’ of the FSU fan base.
Even though he apologized to Noles Nation, the fans to this day have not forgiven Herbstreit.
While the Gameday crew went to Dublin, Ireland, for the FSU-Georgia Tech game, the Seminole fans booed at Herbstreit whenever he gave his takes on the Seminoles.
“Just want you to know I’m sorry we had a disagreement about teams at the end of the year,” Herbstreit stated.
“I’ve never been a guy that tries to intentionally upset fans with my comments. I’ve always tried to be very professional and respectful to everyone with my thoughts.”
Lee Corso will also be returning to his alma mater for the Nugent’s Boys reunion.
After FSU lost to Virginia last Friday and dropped to No. 19 in the US LBM Coaches Poll, ESPN’s College Gameday shifted its focus to the Alabama-Vanderbilt game, which will take place in Tuscaloosa. The game will kick off before the FSU-UM game at 3:30 p.m.
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Peter Holland Jr. covers Florida State athletics for the Tallahassee Democrat. Contact him via email at PHolland@Gannett.com or on X @_Da_pistol.
This article originally appeared on Tallahassee Democrat: ESPN’s Kirk Herbstreit to return to Tallahassee amid scrutiny for FSU vs Miami showdown
Reporting by Peter Holland Jr., Tallahassee Democrat / Tallahassee Democrat
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