Herbstreit was on set before dawn in Eugene, Oregon ahead of the No. 3 Ducks' hotly-anticipated showdown with No. 2 Ohio State at Autzen Stadium this evening. But the 55-year-old is on duty alongside partner Chris Fowler for the Red River Rivalry showdown between Texas and Oklahoma at the Cotton Bowl in Dallas.
With the game kicking off at 3:30 p.m. ET and nearly 2,000 miles away, Herbstreit was forced to leave the GameDay set early to catch a three-hour southbound flight. Herbstreit is no stranger to such mammoth days as a broadcaster, regularly traveling from the ESPN set after the pregame show to the booth for a game elsewhere later in the day, but this was the first time he left the show early.
And the "College GameDay" production crew decided to turn things up a notch. Herbstreit remained on the broadcast to the end of the show, with a camera filming him in the backseat of a convertible Mercedes through the streets of Eugene as he chipped in with nuggets of analysis.
But the fun and games did not stop there. The camera followed former Ohio State quarterback Herbstreit onto a private jet, and he continued to contribute to the show via satellite connection.
At that moment, the panel was in the midst of a chat with Colorado head coach Deion Sanders, and Herbstreit did not waste the opportunity to ask a question. "I'm actually going right down the runway right now, we're about to take off, so hopefully you can hear this, coach," he said as the plane bumped along the tarmac.
Once Herbstreit's plane got up in the air, things went slightly off the rails, with a patchy connection leaving Herbstreit occasionally appearing blurry, and the audio quality also suffered.
Fellow panelist Pat McAfee saw the funny side. He joked: "Kirk, you sounded fantastic. You look like a finger painting though. That's technology in a nutshell. Thank you for that phenomenally focused take while being at 40,000ft. You're the man."
Herbstreit, professional as ever, continued regardless, and viewers were impressed by his commitment to the show. One fan wrote on social media: "Taking college football and journalism to a whole new level! Let’s goooo! Loving every minute of this Herbstreit journey."
"Protect this man at all costs," another added, and a third wrote: "Made for some great television I can see this becoming the next big thing."
Herbstreit – who was also in the booth for the San Francisco 49ers' win over the Seattle Seahawks on Thursday – took to social media shortly after the show concluded at noon ET. He posted: "It was cold as hell on that drive. Who ordered the convertible?!?
"Whatever it takes to get to the Red River Rivalry in Dallas with a 3:30 p.m. ET kick. First time I’ve ever left mid-show to hope to make it to the game I’m calling. Currently over Salt Lake City. Closing in on the Cotton Bowl."
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