Kirk Herbstreit Sends Strong Message To Florida State After Saturday’s Loss

Kirk Herbstreit and Florida State fans are mixed like oil and vinegar over the last eight months, but after a contentious Saturday, the ESPN analyst is ready to look at the positive for FSU.

Of course, Florida State dropped their first game of the season, the first FBS college football game of the year as well, in a standalone contest against Georgia Tech in Dublin, Ireland. Well, it's time to wash out the Guinness and prepare for another battle in the spotlight this week.

Herbstreit had some words of encouragement after a brutal start to the 2024 season for the Seminoles when he joined "The Pat McAfee Show" on Tuesday. Foremost, he's just glad he's not target of the anger any longer.

"On one hand, you'd like to think every game matters and you want to have that urgency to win every game," he explained. "But then on the flip side, I mean, Florida State, their fans are upset now with not me, but about the team losing."

Looking forward, though, Herbstreit sees an opportunity for Florida State to step right back up to the plate and, this time, hit a home run in front of a national audience.

“They’ve got a game Monday night," he noted. "Florida State vs. BC is a Monday night game. So a chance to get a big audience, regroup, get this thing turned around, get to 1-1, and away we go."

The simple fact does remain: if Florida State wins out, they are in the playoff. It will be as simple as that.

"So yeah, they have so much in front of them," commented Herbstreit. "It's just a matter of putting that disappointment behind them and still thinking about trying to have a big year."

One bad loss no longer means the end of the line for an ACC team. While Florida State just dug themselves a massive hole, at least they aren't lying dead in one as far as the College Football Playoff is concerned.

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