Kirk Herbstreit & Pat McAfee Get Mocked by Sr. College Football Insider After GameDay Blunder

Last weekend, Pat McAfee and Kirk Herbstreit blurted out their ignorance during College GameDay. While the ESPN crew prepared for Alabama’s showdown with Georgia, comments about less prominent programs opened the door for criticism. And veteran On3 college football insider Brett McMurphy had a much bigger story to put in front of them.

Brett McMurphy pointed to a reality that gets lost whenever the national conversation revolves around the SEC and Big Ten. Conference realignment has been tearing through the rest of college football, too. 21 non-power schools have changed conference affiliations in just three years, with more movement potentially ahead. His message carried a subtle jab at the two ESPN analysts.

“How we got here & what’s next?” he posted on X on the conference realignment. “And hopefully this brings Pat McAfee & Kirk Herbstreit up to speed on the Group of Six.”

The latest addition to that list is James Madison. The school announced Monday that it had voted to leave the Sun Belt Conference after receiving unanimous approval to join the American Conference (AAC). The move is expected to take effect no later than July 1, 2028.

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JMU is making the move with most of its athletic department in tow. The Dukes will take 17 varsity programs to the AAC, but field hockey is staying put in the MAC. The Dukes already have ties to the American through lacrosse, swimming, and diving. The decision also arrives amid reports that Miami (Ohio) and UConn have explored potential moves to the American.

The revival of the Pac-12 has been one of the biggest drivers of this reshuffling. Boise State, Fresno State, San Diego State, Colorado State, Utah State, and Texas State are among the schools moving into the rebuilt league, with Gonzaga joining for non-football sports.

Elsewhere, the Mountain West has added programs including UTEP and Northern Illinois, while Conference USA has welcomed Delaware, Missouri State, Kennesaw State, and Sam Houston. The MAC has also undergone changes involving UMass and Sacramento State, while Louisiana Tech is headed to the Sun Belt.

The American has made moves of its own, including the additions of Army, Charlotte, Florida Atlantic, and North Texas. That is a lot of movement for a part of college football that often gets a fraction of the attention reserved for the power conferences. But these decisions affect rivalries, travel, recruiting, television exposure, and the future direction of athletic departments.

And that brings the conversation back to the ESPN personalities. During the College GameDay discussion, Pat McAfee made his pick in the Sacramento State-Bowling Green matchup with a striking admission.

“I’m taking Sacramento State over Bowling Green,” he said, before acknowledging, “I know nothing about either of these teams.”

Kirk Herbstreit then added to the moment with a question about the matchup’s conference affiliation.

“Is this a conference game?” he asked, before suggesting, “Oh yeah, PAC 12, I think.”

Those remarks drew criticism from the X account First and 16 – A Big 12 Show, which took issue with what it viewed as a lack of preparation and an outsized focus on college football’s biggest brands.

Brett McMurphy’s mock at the ESPN duo hits a nerve for a reason. When these guys talk about teams on national TV, fans expect them to know at least the basics. That’s where the frustration kicks in for programs outside the Power Four.

Those teams grind through an entire season, but when the cameras turn on, they’re often lucky to get more than a quick mention before the conversation swings back to the usual big names. The point is there’s a whole lot happening beyond the SEC and Big Ten.

As per On3, “21 non-power schools have changed conferences in three years, and more changes are coming.”

That’s not some minor reshuffle. If they’re going to talk college football, they can’t keep treating the rest of the map like an afterthought.

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