Devils in Detail
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Kirk Herbstreit makes lame attempt at backtracking on CFP claims

Herbstreit tried to walk back claims after Arizona State put on a show in Peach Bowl

ByDavid Howman|
Washington v Indiana
Washington v Indiana | Justin Casterline/GettyImages

Shortly after the College Football Playoff began this year, but before Arizona State took Texas to two overtimes as the biggest underdog of the quarterfinals, ESPN analyst Kirk Herbstreit led a controversial online charge that the first ever 12-team CFP needed serious reformation already,

Herbstreit took issue with teams like Indiana and SMU making the playoff despite both teams winning 11 regular season games. He suggested that the CFP committee should put more stock in quality of losses than number of wins, and hinted that Alabama and other SEC teams should have gotten in over the Hoosiers and Mustangs.

Herbstreit later took aim at the CFP's system that allows for conference champions to get an automatic bid in the playoff, with the top four conference championships getting a first round bye. This was an obvious shot at both Arizona State and Boise State, two more teams that finished with 11 wins.

Now, as we prepare for the semifinals of the CFP, Herbstreit has made a lame attempt at revisionist history, insisting he's extremely satisifed with the way things have worked out.

"Let me straighten the record on one last thing. ESPN loves the SEC so much that we could not have paid for a better final four with Notre Dame and Ohio State and Penn State and Texas. The only one missing is Michigan. If you could somehow wedge Michigan [into the CFP] — so, this idea that we want Alabama and Texas A&M and Auburn. Are you kidding me?"

These comments come after the Sun Devils put up the toughest challenge of any playoff team thus far, narrowly upsetting the heavily favored Longhorns in the Peach Bowl. At the same time, that game was a ratings bonanza, to use Herbstreit's parlance; it was the most-watched non-prime time bowl game ever with 17.3 million viewers.

Herbstreit ignores it all in the service of trying to clear ESPN's name. But college football fans weren't having it, taking to social media to express their comedic responses to his unserious backtracking.

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