Kirk Herbstreit Is Trending After Correctly Picking Huge College Football Upset

Most of the ESPN "College GameDay" crew didn't account for a weekend full of upsets in college football.

While many fans have spoken about major upsets in No. 5 Notre Dame falling to Northern Illinois and Syracuse taking down No. 23 Georgia Tech, the attention veered toward the Illinois Fighting Illini on Saturday night, September 7.

Illinois defeated the No. 19 Kansas Jayhawks 23-17.

Only one member of the "College GameDay" crew selected the Illini to secure the upset victory: Kirk Herbstreit.

Despite Kansas being a near-touchdown favorite on various betting sites and 82% of fans selecting the Jayhawks to win the game, Herbstreit went against the public and was successful in doing so.

Herbstreit shared some insight on his Illinois pick when he selected them to win the game on live television. He believed the experience of Illinois quarterback Luke Altmyer played a huge factor in the game.

"Luke Altmyer, by the way," Herbstreit said. "A lot of focus on Jalon Daniels. The kid at Illinois can play. He's got a lot of experience."

The ESPN analyst also explained that this matchup was a huge opportunity for the Fighting Illini. Herbstreit believed this was Illinois' chance to make a splash against a non-conference opponent.

"They haven't had a chance like this against a non-conference opponent," Herbstreit added. "I think it was 2011 that the last time they knocked off a non-conference, ranked opponent."

The Fighting Illini were led by their defensive unit. Illinois secured three interceptions from the Jayhawks to give them a major advantage in the contest.

Altymer also played a quality game, recording 192 yards, while completing 16-of-25 pass attempts. His leading receiver was Zakhari Franklin. The star receiver capped off his Saturday night with nine receptions and 99 yards.

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