College GameDay got its 2024 season underway in Week 0 ahead of the Florida State vs. Georgia Tech game in Dublin, Ireland.
A significant crowd was on hand to see the revamped program in action. Fans brought the customary signs to display in the background of the broadcast and created a raucous environment across the pond as they prepared for the ACC showdown.
Fans seemed generally interested in hearing what most of the analysts were saying, especially the newest addition to the program, former Alabama coach Nick Saban.
But when Kirk Herbstreit opened his mouth, a loud chorus of boos rained down upon him from the Florida State faithful. At times, it was hard to hear Herbstreit over the jeers of fans still angry about his touting Alabama as a better choice for last year's College Football Playoff than FSU.
Here's what to know about Herbstreit's comments about Florida State and why he became a target of the fanbase at Saturday's season kickoff.
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Why are Florida State fans booing Kirk Herbstreit?
Florida State fans booed Herbstreit at Week 0's College GameDay because he was a vocal proponent of the College Football Playoff committee's decision to invite a one-loss Alabama team to the four-team tournament over undefeated FSU.
Herbstreit wasn't involved in the controversial decision, but he defended the committee's choice. He also argued Alabama was better than Florida State after Jordan Travis' injury and included the Crimson Tide in his College Football Playoff projections because of that.
That did not sit well with Florida State fans, especially as Herbstreit doubled down on the committee making the right decision.
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What did Kirk Herbstreit say?
Herbstreit lauded the College Football Playoff committee's decision to leave Florida State out of the four-team tournament despite being undefeated.
Herbstreit outlined his belief that the injury to FSU quarterback Jordan Travis fundamentally altered the team's ability to compete with other College Football Playoff hopefuls.
"You have to look at the last couple games without the heart and soul. This guy is the face of this resurgence of Florida State, Jordan Travis, and to take him out is just as big as any player in the country that you would take off that roster," Herbstreit said on the College Football Playoff Selection Show, per On3. "So, to me, it’s a reflection of what he meant to that team specifically and these last two weeks giving Tate [Rodemaker] and Brock [Glenn] the third string guy an opportunity, and it’s just a reality."
Herbstreit said that if either Rodemaker or Glenn came in and enjoyed a Cardale Jones-type performance, that may have changed his opinion about Florida State's standing in the playoff race.
But when comparing Alabama to Florida State, Herbstreit believed the Crimson Tide had the edge.
"You’ve got to give Alabama the nod, even though they had a close game against Auburn in a rivalry game," Herbstreit said. "They beat Georgia in a neutral site and Georgia was the team, and Alabama just beat them. You can not take Alabama out of this. They have to be in, and I think the committee did a great job."
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Naturally, those comments didn't sit well with Seminoles fans, who pointed to their team's undefeated record as the No. 1 factor that should have gotten them into the postseason.
They peppered Herbstreit with criticism because of this. He eventually responded to a fan on social media to double down on his opinion that the committee made the right decision.
"Alabama is BETTER!!" Herbstreit wrote on X (formerly Twitter). "Period! So is Texas. So is Michigan. So is Washington. So is Oregon. So is Georgia. I watch 10-15 games a week live from September-early December. I think I’m allowed to have an opinion on who I think is BETTER!!"
"If FSU doesn’t like [it being] 'The BEST 4' tell the conference commissioners to change the protocol to 'MOST DESERVING.'" Herbstreit added. "Until then I and everyone else is certainly is allowed to give an opinion in a subjective discussion!! Don’t like it-change it."
Herbstreit went on to say that Florida State being left out, "sucks, but I have to given an opinion on who I think the best 4 teams are."
Below is Herbstreit's post in full.
Because Alabama is BETTER!!
— Kirk Herbstreit (@KirkHerbstreit) December 13, 2023
Period! So is Texas. So is Michigan. So is Washington. So is Oregon. So is Georgia. I watch 10-15 games a week live from September-early December. I think I’m allowed to have an opinion on who I think is BETTER!! If FSU doesn’t like itbis “The BEST 4”… https://t.co/gWJXL5xHnw
That post only furthered the tension between Herbstreit and the Seminole faithful, which has allowed it to carry over into the start of the 2024 season.
Of course, Herbstreit wasn't the only one blamed for Florida State's exclusion from the playoffs. Saban revealed on Saturday's broadcast that he received plenty of hate for his team getting the No. 4 seed over FSU.
"I just want Kirk [Herbstreit] to know, I got a thousand phone calls when we got into the playoffs," Saban said during his College GameDay debut. "He didn’t have anything to do with them not getting in the playoffs, and I didn’t either. We both got hammered."
