It would be quite a mixed bag to be a nationally recognized TV analyst. Private flights, shocking paychecks, and tailored suits would often be overshadowed by ignorant twitter fights, unfair accusations of homer-ism, and those pesky “expert” picks gone wrong. It isn’t easy to have your opinions be so publically on the record, and you and I should be grateful we rarely have to stick our necks out like they do. This weekend expert analysis train wrecks could be found all over the college football landscape in the form of home upsets and broken streaks. One of America’s more fair and balanced talking heads had to eat some serious crow this weekend. Here were a few of the missed predictions from Herbie:
- Michigan over Notre Dame — Even a casual fan would think this was the biggest prognostication miss of the weekend when you consider how Notre Dame simply dominated the Wolverines in every phase of football, their stifling defense shutting out Michigan for the first time in thirty years. It would have been the biggest error for Kirk this weekend if it wasn’t for …
By the end, there was only quiet resignation.
- … the BYU rushing attack over the Texas defense. Who would have guessed the slight Vegas underdog would have rolled into Austin and rolled up 248 rushing yards against a team coached by Charlie Strong. That total is still less than half of what they gained on the ground in last year’s match, but that was under a different coaching regime in the pristine air of Provo. These sorts of beatings just don’t happen in Austin, or so most experts – including Kirk Herbstreit — believed until late Saturday.
- Michigan State over Oregon — Even the Duck tried to help out Mr. Herbstreit on this one while it visited the set of College GameDay as the guest analyst. Alas, Kirk couldn’t get out of his own way after seeing the way Michigan State won the Rose Bowl last season. Who could honestly blame him? Oregon has had a history of making crucial mistakes on the big stages, and until they win it all, those questions will remain. It was a fantastic contest at Autzen.
These are the rare games where chemistry is forged and team confidence is built. Although he missed these three (among others on Saturday), the Ducks left an indelible impression on the sports world that won’t be forgotten. Regardless of rankings and projections, it will be very difficult to pick against Oregon the remainder of the year. Go Ducks!
Top Photo from Video of Kirk Herbstreit getting grief from the Duck by picking MSU at ESPN GameDay
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Josh Hall is currently enrolled at Drake University in Des Moines, Iowa where he is completing his MBA. A proud father of three, Josh enjoys contributing to the FishDuck community, writing remote correspondent pieces for Oregon away games, and throwing out routes in his front yard on Gamedays to his two daughters, Taylor and Tara, and son Titus. Josh welcomes feedback at @joshhall on Twitter.