The Atlantic Coast Conference hasn't done itself any favors in terms of national respect throughout the 2025 College Football campaign. However, ESPN analyst Kirk Herbstreit's newest rant regarding SEC bias could be the fuel that the ACC needs to step up. As one of the faces of College Football coverage for ESPN, Herbstreit has been repeatedly accused of bias towards the SEC, considering that ESPN is the media rights partner for both the SEC and the College Football Playoff. Herbstreit has once again emphatically denied any accusations of bias, but the ACC is doing it to themselves in terms of not gaining any respect.
There was buzz over the last week that the ACC could be left out of the CFP entirely, specifically if a now five-loss Duke football team won the conference title game. The ACC won't get any at-large bids, but there was lots of talk that if the Blue Devils won it, a 12-1 James Madison team that wins the Sun Belt or a two-loss Tulane team that wins the American could be put into the Playoff over the Blue Devils, thus leaving the ACC out entirely. Now, Duke is completely out of the question following a home loss to Virginia, but the ACC still needs to step up.
Kirk Herbstreit's recent rant on SEC bias shows the ACC needs to step up
In his latest episode of the Nonstop podcast, Herbstreit passionately defended himself against the bias claims from fans.
“These idiots say, ‘How much do people pay you to say this bulls–?’ F-off,” Herbstreit said.
“We’re talking about the sport. We’re talking about what we care about. I don’t give a s— about the SEC. I give a s— about where these teams are going to come. How are they going to find these 12 teams? Where they are going to split these hairs at No. 11, No. 12, No. 13, No. 14 — it’s fascinating to me.”
Herbstreit even name-dropped one of the ACC's top contenders, which definitely seemed a little back-handed.
“Put Miami in. I don’t care. Put six Group of 5 teams in. Do whatever you want,” Herbtreit said. “I’m just saying — everybody recognizes the depth and the challenge of the SEC.
Realistically, the ACC just needs to be better. There are four squads with one in-conference loss, but no program out of the ACC has established itself as a true contender on a national scale. Clemson, who came into the 2025 season as the best team in the country in many fans' and insiders' minds, has probably been the biggest disappointment in the entire sport. Besides the Tigers, pretty much every contender to win the ACC title has a bad loss on its resume, whether that be in-conference or not.
Herbstreit will have a very difficult time escaping the constant bias allegations, but it's up to the ACC to step up and put itself in conversations amongst the other top conferences.