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Kirk Herbstreit has spent the last three decades analyzing college football teams and games. He wasn’t present during Friday’s Peach Bowl broadcast, but Indiana’s dominant College Football Playoff run still put him back in the spotlight.
Last season, Indiana qualified for the CFP for the first time in program history. Notre Dame ultimately beat the Hoosiers in the first round. Indiana earning one of the coveted 12 playoff spots drew some criticism, with Herbstreit among those who questioned the selection committee after Indiana’s early playoff exit.
“Then I hope the committee doesn’t get caught up in what social media and a lot of fringe fans get caught up in…which is wins,” Herbstreit said in December 2024 when asked to share his takeaway from the first-round matches.
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Kirk Herbstreit speaks to the media during the 2025 CFP National Championship Media Day at the Georgia World Congress Center in Atlanta, Georgia. (Kirby Lee/Imagn Images)
“‘They’ve had 11 wins, they must be good.’ Who did they beat, I think that’s a lot more important than how many wins you have. It’s [an] old-fashioned way of approaching it. Indiana having 11 wins and not beating anyone doesn’t mean they are a top 12 team. Remember… there is a big difference between “deserving” and “best”. It’s about giving us the best 12 teams.”
The Hoosiers had no trouble getting past either of the two opponents they faced in the 2025 CFP.
INDIANA COACH CURT CIGNETTI WANTED ONE THING AFTER HISTORIC VICTORY OVER OREGON
Heisman Trophy winner Fernando Mendoza completed 17 of 20 passes and threw five touchdown passes en route to Indiana’s 56-22 victory over Oregon in the semifinals. After the game, Herbstreit’s past criticism of the last Big Ten team standing in the ongoing playoffs sparked renewed scrutiny.
Indiana Hoosiers head coach Curt Cignetti hoists the George P. Crumbley Trophy after defeating the Oregon Ducks in the 2025 College Football Playoff semifinal at the Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl at Mercedes-Benz Stadium on January 9, 2026 in Atlanta, Georgia. (Jonathan Bachman/Getty Images)
One social media user claimed Herbstreit is “insufferable,” while another suggested the former Ohio State quarterback’s standards were inconsistent. Others defended Herbstreit, with one account X writing: “He’s not wrong overall.”
Indiana quarterback Fernando Mendoza throws a pass as the Oregon Ducks take on the Indiana Hoosiers in the Peach Bowl on January 9, 2026, at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta, Georgia. (Ben Lonergan/The Register-Guard / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images)
Shortly after Miami outlasted Ole Miss in Thursday’s Fiesta Bowl, Herbstreit delivered a blunt recruiting message to other coaches in the sport.
“One thing I think we’ve been able to witness firsthand, if you’re a coach watching this or a general manager watching that, while you’re chasing five-star players, agents, free agents and whatever else you’re dealing with, it’s still a team sport, and it’s about winning games.
“Indiana, they don’t have a lot of five stars. You know what they have? They have a team,” he told On3.
“If you don’t build this and you’re just chasing five stars, you’ll never be here on this stage. You better stop chasing this madness, and you better step back and say, ‘If those are your demands, get out of here. We’re going to find guys who want to be a part of this,'” Herbstreit concluded.
Alabama and Oregon – Indiana’s two opponents in this year’s CFP – were outscored by a combined 69 points. The Hoosiers will meet Miami in the national title game on January 19.
