Pat McAfee isn’t leaving College GameDay on ESPN anytime soon despite a poll of college football fans by The Athletic that said they didn’t like him being a featured analyst.
Over 3,100 people responded to the publication’s second annual college football TV survey.
When asked how fans feel about the former West Virginia/Indianapolis Colts kicker/punter, 48.9% of respondents chose the “Don’t like it” option.
“I don’t watch GameDay anymore solely because of Pat McAfee,” one respondent wrote. “I think he’s an embarrassment to ESPN and a major knock on whatever credibility they have left.”
While 48.9% is a high percentage of respondents with that feeling, several others to the tune of 30.1% said they liked McAfee on GameDay.
“I think Pat McAfee adds a great energy to GameDay and I don’t understand the hate for him at all,” one person commented.
Meanwhile, 21% of respondents to the survey said they were indifferent about McAfee being on the show.
“While I’m not a big McAfee fan, it far outweighs watching anything involving Urban Meyer,” someone else commented.
McAfee has always let the opinions of GameDay detractors slide off his back. He’s acknowledged that he may not be everyone’s cup of tea, but he’s relishing in the opportunity to be a part of the top college football pregame show in the country. 77% of survey respondents said they preferred GameDay over FOX’s Big Noon Kickoff show.
When asked who their favorite college TV analyst was, 35.1% favored Kirk Herbstreit. The margin to 2nd place Joel Klatt was decent, as 14.8% favored Klatt. McAfee was the favorite analyst by 4.1% of respondents.
