With its 23-10 Allstate Sugar Bowl win against Georgia on Thursday, Notre Dame will face Penn State on Jan. 9 in the Capital One Orange Bowl at 7:30 p.m. ET (ESPN). On New Year's Eve, Penn State advanced when it beat Boise State 31-14 in the Vrbo Fiesta Bowl.

As a top name at ESPN, there was the thought that Herbstreit was rooting for ratings rather than appreciating the seasons of Indiana or SMU.

Kirk Herbstreit has been a mainstay of ESPN's college football coverage for two decades. But the former Ohio State quarterback turned ESPN analyst recently considered leaving the network's flagship show.