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Kirk Herbstreit Had Upbeat Message for FSU After Upset Loss to Georgia Tech
Florida State’s season of redemption may have to wait.
After the Seminoles’ controversial College Football Playoff snub, the team’s hopes of starting the new year off strong were foiled by a pesky Georgia Tech team in a stunning upset in the Aer Lingus College Football Classic in Ireland on Saturday.
The Yellow Jackets, who entered the season opener as double-digit underdogs, walked away with a 24-21 win over No. 10 Florida State thanks to a dominant run game and a walk-off field goal. With the victory, Georgia Tech became one of five unranked teams to beat an AP Top 10 conference opponent in their season opener in the last 40 years.
One of the first to comment on the game’s results was ESPN analyst Kirk Herbstreit.
FSU fans likely didn’t want to hear what Herbstreit had to say, but the analyst did offer the Noles a few words of comfort following the upset.
“Man, tough loss for the Noles over in Ireland to a good GT team,” Herbstreit wrote on X (formerly known as Twitter). “The great news is with the new 12 team playoff, there’s still plenty of opportunities to climb back into the bracket. Regroup and keep battlin!”
Man, tough loss for the Noles over in Ireland to a good GT team.
— Kirk Herbstreit (@KirkHerbstreit) August 24, 2024
The great news is with the new 12 team playoff, there’s still plenty of opportunities to climb back into the bracket. Regroup and keep battlin!
Herbstreit made himself a villain to the FSU fanbase after he publicly supported the CFP committee’s decision to exclude the Noles, who boasted an undefeated 13-0 campaign, from last year’s postseason bracket. SEC champion Alabama and one-loss Texas were given the third and fourth playoff berths instead, joining Michigan and Washington.
The Noles remain a popular pick to win the ACC and earn a playoff berth in the CFP’s new 12-team format, though much of their success will hinge on quarterback DJ Uiagalelei’s development this season.
Kristen Wong is a staff writer on the Breaking and Trending News team at Sports Illustrated. She has been a sports journalist since 2020. Before joining SI in November 2023, Wong covered four NFL teams as an associate editor with the FanSided NFL Network and worked as a staff writer for the brand’s flagship site. Outside of work, she has dreams of running her own sporty dive bar.