Kirk Herbstreit says fans are underestimating future realignment moves

Kirk Herbstreit said college football fans are underestimating future realignment moves throughout the sport.

If you thought the Big Ten and SEC moves were nuts, just wait until the landscape really changes. Of course, we don’t know what’s going to happen yet. 

But with the 12-team playoff on tap for 2024, the floodgates could be opened for the rest of the Power Five.

“Yeah, I guess what I’m saying is everybody’s bracing for the 12-team playoff, which is cool, and it gets a lot of excitement,” Herbstreit said on the Pat McAfee Show. “But I think what people are underestimating is how much more movement there’s going to be in realignment. I feel like the Big Ten and the SEC, who are the big pillars in this whole thing, I just feel like, I don’t know when it’s gonna happen. But they’re not staying at 16. They’re gonna go to at least 20 and so who’s going where, right?” 

Herbstreit rattled off teams from the ACC and Pac-12 that could be candidates for realignment in the next few seasons.

“I mean, where’s North Carolina going,” Herbstreit said. “Where’s Oregon, where’s Washington going? Where’s Clemson going to end up? Where’s Florida State gonna go, where’s Miami, like there’s just so much, to me, it’s fascinating, that I’m sure it won’t happen, maybe it will during the season. But I’m guessing it happens after this year. So when I say lame duck year, you know me I get excited about West Virginia–Duquesne. Like I can watch that game and be very, very excited.”

Realignment is the way of the future in college football. But Herbstreit also mentioned how fans want to rush to the 12-team playoff.

“I love any game in college football, but I just think that this is going to be a fascinating time as we sit here and talk next June getting ready for the ‘24 season,” Herbstreit said.” How many teams are going to be in the SEC? You know how many teams are going to be in the Big Ten? What’s left of the ACC, is the Big 12 taking the Pac-12? Is the Pac-12 now the Mountain West? 

“So I think we’re gonna have so many more answers that I find interesting. It makes us all look to ‘24. So that’s what I mean when I say lame duck. It’s not just that, you know, we’re going to 12 teams for the playoff, it’s a lot more than that. This is still going to be (expletive) great year in college football.”