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Kirk Herbstreit claims he doesn't know anything about Ted Cruz's politics
Based on the general opinion of college football fans on social media, ESPN’s longtime college football pregame show College GameDay seems to be in the midst of a death rattle. From the prominence of Pat McAfee to the politicization of the show, many longtime fans now find themselves asking what’s happened to the show they once loved.
Another element of College GameDay that appears to be wearing down the patience of CFB fans is longtime analyst Kirk Herbstreit. His shtick with his performative obsession with his assembly line of golden retrievers has seemingly run its course.
Kirk Herbstreit is getting called out for claiming to not know anything about politics despite the opposite clearly being true
Not only is Herbstreit’s monetization and contentifcation of his dog grown tired, but so has his political posturing — or rather, his attempt to pretend that he’s not.
Speaking about largely loathed Senator Ted Cruz’s appearance on College GameDay last weekend, Herbstreit attempted to claim that he doesn’t really “get into politics” and “doesn’t really follow it,” and thus doesn’t “know anything about his [Cruz’s] political views.” Herbstreit, however, has literally tweeted about Cruz’s political career in the past.
ESPN’s Kirk Herbstreit comments on Ted Cruz’s controversial appearance on “College GameDay.”
Cruz appeared as a guest speaker on Sept. 12, where he promoted The Protect College Sports Act. The promotion drew criticism — with viewers pointing to a lack of an opposing viewpoint. pic.twitter.com/19bAiKiRFb
— Mississippi Today (@MSTODAYnews) September 18, 2026
It didn’t take long for Herbstreit to get called out for his BS, with many pointing out that Trump voters who are too cowardly to stand by their convictions often lean on the “I’m apolitical” excuse.
“Congrats to Kirk for being as full of s— as any human being has ever been in a 90-second clip. Nearly every word of this is completely disingenuous,” Yahoo Sports writer Dan Wolken said of the clip.
“You cannot have a sitting U.S. senator on to talk a hot button political issue and then say ‘but I don’t do politics.’ That is totally moronic,” a second viral response read.
“Claims he doesn’t do politics but was a guest on the Try That in a Small Town Podcast and within the last week said that Miami players need to stop wearing baggy pants. This man hides behind dogwhistles and his literal dog to shield himself from criticism. Gross person,” a third pointed out.
“Not a word of this was truthful. You can scroll his follows and see how much he doesn’t follow politics. Just say it with your chest, man,” a fourth added.
“Kirk pretending he knows nothin bout nothin here is hilarious. Just say it does you no good to debate politics or express an opinion. Say that ESPN doesn’t want you to or you’re uncomfortable doing it. All fine. But pretending to know nothing about Ted Cruz’s politics is absurd.”
There’s also the fact that who Herbstreit follows on social media clearly displays many with an interest in and knowledge of conservative politics, following bureaucrats such as FBI boss Kash Patel and Speaker Mike Johnson, and commentators such as Tomi Lahren.
i’m just a simple cave man with a dog. politics? never heard of it pic.twitter.com/Gjl5uL1TOW
— Ben Cox (@CoxSportsOhio) September 19, 2026
.@KirkHerbstreit … father, husband, christian, republican, hater, likely israel supporter.
when someone shows you who they are, believe them. @espn college game day is unbearable to watch now. https://t.co/tMLJZbmJDt pic.twitter.com/6nFmlI56c9
— ashley c. dinney 🌬 (@AshleyDinney1) September 19, 2026
College GameDay seems to be driving viewers away in droves, and regardless of what the specific reason may be, Herbstreit is clearly among them.