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Kirk Herbstreit has spent the last three decades analyzing college football teams and games. He wasn’t present for Friday’s Peach Bowl broadcast, but Indiana’s dominant run in the College Football Playoffs still put him back in the spotlight.
Last season, Indiana qualified for the CFP for the first time in program history. Notre Dame ultimately defeated the Hoosiers in the first round. Indiana earning one of the coveted 12 playoff spots was met with some criticism, with Herbstreit among those who questioned the selection committee after Indiana’s early exit from the postseason.
“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 the wins,” Herbstreit said in December 2024 when asked to share his takeaway from the first-round games.
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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/Image Images)
“‘They had 11 wins, they must be good.’ Who they beat, I think is much more important than how many wins you have. That’s [an] old school way of approaching it. Indiana has 11 wins and doesn’t beat anyone, that doesn’t mean it’s one of the 12 best teams. Remember…there is a big difference between “deserving” and “better.” “What it’s about is giving us the 12 best teams.”
The Hoosiers have had little trouble beating either of the two opponents they faced in the 2025 CFP.
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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 earlier criticism of the last Big Ten team standing in the current playoffs drew new scrutiny.
Indiana Hoosiers head coach Curt Cignetti raises 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 judgment was inconsistent. Others defended Herbstreit, with one account by X writing: “Overall, he is not wrong.”
Indiana quarterback Fernando Mendoza throws a pass as the Oregon Ducks face 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 survived Ole Miss in Thursday’s Fiesta Bowl, Herbstreit delivered a strong recruiting message to the sport’s other coaches.
“One thing I think we’ve been able to witness firsthand, if you’re a coach watching this or a general manager watching this, while you’re chasing five stars and agents, free agents and everything you’re dealing with, this is still a team sport, and it’s about winning games.”
“Indiana doesn’t have a lot of five stars. You know what they have? They have a team,” he told On3.
“If you don’t build that and just chase five stars, you’re never going to be here on that stage. You better stop chasing this crazy thing, 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 CFP opponents this year, have been outscored by a combined 69 points. The Hoosiers will face Miami in the national title game on January 19.
