Kirk Herbstreit is calling the Rose Bowl on Wednesday, and he brought his dog Peter with him.
For those unfamiliar, Peter is Herbstreit’s youngest golden retriever, and he’s been accompanying the longtime ESPN broadcaster on work trips since November. Sadly, Peter replaced his brother Ben, who had been Herbstreit’s travel companion for several years before passing away in November after a lengthy battle with cancer.
“Ben didn’t care who you were. Everyone deserved his love. I think we can all learn from that at a time where everything seems to be aimed at dividing us,” Herbstreit said during a eulogy on College GameDay. “What I experienced with Ben was that and so much. Dogs only flaws as species is they don’t live long enough, but the warmth they give us never goes away, so neither will Ben.”
Peter is absolutely adorable, even if some college football fans seem to be tiring of his constant presence. Prior to kickoff, the pup made his official pick for the matchup between Ohio State and Oregon.
Someone presented Peter with two stuffed toys to pick from, a yellow duck for Oregon and a Brutus Buckeye for Ohio State. Peter picked the duck with little hesitation.
The director of snuggles has made his pick @KirkHerbstreit 🥹🦆 pic.twitter.com/0gEFlykwHO
— Big Ten Football (@B1Gfootball) January 1, 2025
Dogs love duck toys, and since yellow is one of the only colors they can actually see, it’s not a surprise that Peter picked against his dad’s alma mater.
So far, Oregon isn’t looking too hot though in this rematch of Big Ten powers. After beating the Buckeyes 32-31 in Eugene in October, the Ducks have fallen behind 17-0 early in the second quarter thanks to touchdown passes from Ohio State’s Will Howard to star wide receivers Jeremiah Smith and Emeka Egbuka.
There’s time to get things turned around, but Oregon needs to get things going soon.
The winner of today’s game will move on to the College Football Playoff semifinals next week, where they will meet Texas.
Texas, the No. 5 seed, outlasted fourth-seeded Arizona State 39-31 in double overtime to win the Peach Bowl on Wednesday.
You can watch the Rose Bowl on ESPN.
Related: Fans Loved Kirk Herbstreit’s Dog Peter’s NFL Debut Thursday Night