Kirk Herbstreit found himself in the middle of a surprise battle ahead of the Indiana-Oregon game. This one roped in an unsuspecting Ohio State for some slander, which the analyst is surely not going to tolerate. Even if that meant sparring with College GameDay colleague and veteran CFB coach Nick Saban.

The three (including Pat McAfee) got into an impromptu battle over who had the better uniform. Though it started off with teams far away from Columbus. Pat McAfee asked Nick Saban if he was going to pick Nike or Adidas for the upcoming Indiana vs. Oregon game, a key Big 10 matchup.

The two sporting apparel giants will also clash against each other. Saban started off safe in his answer. “We like anybody right now,” he said. “We like anybody who pays the most,” he added right after, siding with Oregon. It was here that Ohio State and Kirk Herbstreit came under fire from Nick Saban.

“Ohio State, they’ve been wearing the same uniform. They have exactly the same uniforms as when I coached there in 1980,” Saban said of the iconic scarlet and grey gear. Herbstreit came out strong against that OSU slander. “Ohio State uni is historic and iconic AND NIKE!” he wrote on X.

He’s not wrong there, of course, as OSU is one of the most elite programs in college football history. But Nick Saban is also right, considering how little has changed. “The same Buckeye leaves, the same helmet, the same everything,” Saban continued in his lighthearted takedown of OSU gear. The Buckeyes and Nike extended their contract until 2033, worth a whopping $252 million—one of the biggest such deals.

Ever since Nike began its partnership with Ohio State, changes in the uniform have come in slight ways. The regular uniform usually sees some minor tweaks, while the alternate uniforms offer more room for change. In 2015, for example, OSU and Nike rolled out all-black gear. It was a surprising move, since black isn’t even an Ohio State color. The farthest they have gone in adding a third color is white. The flashiest they’d ever gone was adding a chrome helmet against Michigan in 2012. So yes, apart from these changes, nothing standout has come from OSU in modern times when it comes to the uniforms.

Who better to defend the Ohio State colors than Kirk Herbstreit, who has worn them himself? But this uproar over uniforms and whose is better really started because of a debatable comment from the analyst himself.

Kirk Herbstreit took a dig at the crew by going for other programs, too

Kirk Herbstreit really walked into this one. Before Nick Saban took a dig at Herbstreit for the OSU uniforms. He first went for Pat McAfee and attacked the Indiana Hoosiers, just because McAfee played here in the NFL. “He’s got his home squad wearing Adidas. Really bad uniform,” he said right off the bat. The crew, including Pat McAfee, exclaimed at his surprise attack on Indiana. And that wasn’t all, since Herbstreit also included Miami in his little rant. That was what pushed Nick Saban to throw shade over the OSU uniforms.

But Herbstreit also noted another key area ahead of the Hoosiers and Ducks. “[You] got Indiana against your guy, Dan Lanning.” The analyst added in his pick. This is going to be a crucial game for the Big 10, since both are among the top contenders for the playoffs. Indiana has surprisingly pulled off an upset to win. The 1 time HC has become a phenom in the coaching world and is making sure that unlimited NIL from Nike is being put to good use.

Kirk Herbstreit, like most OSU loyalists, knows how important some traditions are.  It’s been a long time since Nike has shaken up the sport by making these big-time money moves in college football. But the scarlet, grey, and Buckeye leaf aren’t going anywhere soon. Nick Saban may have a laugh about it, but Herbstreit sure knows the value of OSU sticking to the roots.