Joel Klatt calls out ESPN for SEC bias over Ohio State-Iowa recap

The tension between Ohio State fans and ESPN isn’t exactly new.

For years, Buckeye Nation has bristled at any perceived slight from the network, especially when it involves the SEC.

Just ask Joel Klatt.

After Ohio State’s 35-7 win over Iowa, many people took issue with how ESPN’s David Hale, who writes a humorous recap of the college football week that was, characterized the latest win for Ryan Day’s side. In a heading titled ‘Sluggish day for the top teams,’ Hale roped in OSU with Georgia, Oregon, Ole Miss, and Iowa State, but his write-up, which was just a micro summation of Saturday’s events, is under fire.

Hale’s recap of Ohio State’s win over Iowa included the phrase, “It had to feel like a loss for the Buckeyes,” it was as if gasoline had been tossed onto an already simmering fire.

No. 3 Ohio State: Had little trouble swatting away Iowa 35-7. Still, it had to feel like a loss for the Buckeyes, who are the first ranked team to allow points to Iowa’s offense since Michigan surrendered two touchdowns in a win over the Hawkeyes in Week 5 of 2022.

ES(ec)P(in) is next level propaganda. pic.twitter.com/tizmGffHEz

— Jeremy Birmingham (@Birm) October 6, 2024

In addition to Klatt, this left college football personalities like Josh Pate and Doug Lesmerises not only wondering if the screengrab was photoshopped but also lamenting ESPN being called out for “another indication of the underlying bias and misperception in CFB.”

I legit thought this was photoshopped

— Josh Pate (@JoshPateCFB) October 6, 2024

Iowa would absolutely boatrace Vandy and Arkansas, the teams that beat Alabama and Tennessee yesterday.
It’s a little blurb from someone trying to run through the whole sport, but it’s just so wrong, it’s another indication of the underlying bias and misperception in CFB. https://t.co/DRTYLxtKjD

— Doug Lesmerises (@DougLesmerises) October 6, 2024

But Klatt, in particular, took the gloves off, saying that they (ESPN) don’t try even to hide it anymore, and when you call it out — as he did here — he’ll just be called an “SEC Hater,” in return.

They don’t even hide it and when you see it and call it out then you’re an “SEC Hater”

ok

cool story! https://t.co/zghWI4LZD5

— Joel Klatt (@joelklatt) October 6, 2024

Perhaps Klatt moonlights as an ‘SEC hater,’ but that’s not his point here.

The Fox Sports announcer’s frustration stems from a larger issue: the perception that ESPN consistently frames narratives to benefit the SEC while undermining other conferences, particularly the Big Ten.

Many fans have long suspected that there’s an inherent bias in how college football is covered by the major networks, especially when it comes to shaping the national conversation. And it’s always going to be hard for ESPN to avoid the conversation when they are paying the SEC billions for a ten-year rights deal and operating the SEC Network. (The same should go for Fox, who is a majority owner of the Big Ten Network in addition to their own rights package.)

And whether it’s fair or based in reality or not that ESPN would use a paragraph on ESPN.com to advance an SEC-favored agenda, that perception that exists is what Klatt was pointing to here.

[Joel Klatt]