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Kirk Herbstreit picks most likely first round upset in College Football Playoff

FaceProfileby:Thomas Goldkamp•12/18/24
Kirk Herbstreit

As the first round of the College Football Playoffs approach, all eyes are on the matchups that could produce the juiciest outcomes. Maybe even lead to a big upset or two.

ESPN analyst Kirk Herbstreit joined the Pardon My Take podcast this week and gave his prediction for the most likely upset in the first round.

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“What’s the IU–Notre Dame spread?” Herbstreit asked, before being informed it was last at 7.5 points. “I would say IU. I would probably say IU would be. What’s the Tennessee spread? Yeah, I think, I’m not picking either one of those teams, but I mean you could make a pretty strong case if you’re a Tennessee fan or you’re going to bet on Tennessee.”

Herbstreit seemed to lean toward the Ohio State-Tennessee game for his upset pick, outlining a key reason why after getting a chance to watch the Buckeyes up close this season.

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“Until you see the Ohio State offensive line more productive against a talented front, there’s no reason to think that both those games, that the underdog should have a shot to be competitive and maybe pull off an upset,” Herbstreit said.

There will also be some other elements that could make a Tennessee upset even more compelling. For one, Volunteers fans are trying to do what they can to pack the Horseshoe.

“Can you imagine? They get 4,500 fans… what’s Ohio Stadium these days? Over 100,000,” Herbstreit said. “You get basically 3% of the stadium is going to be in orange. You believe they maybe get 30,000 people in there? No way.”

While a healthier Tennessee crowd could certainly help lead to an upset, it won’t be the only factor at play.

Ohio State is planning some coordination that could further help enliven the home crowd and make it a very, very difficult place for Tennessee to try to pull off a huge upset.

“It’s a Scarlet-Out, right? So they’re going to do the whole stadium if they do the direction Ohio State is requesting,” Herbstreit said. “So it’ll be all scarlet and then bright, bright orange. Ohio State’s wearing those all-scarlet unis.”

Herbstreit didn’t seem to be a fan of the all-scarlet uniform look.

“Wear your uniform,” he said. “It’s a classic. Wear it.”