The tributes and condolences that filled social media the last two days following the death of college football analyst Kirk Herbstreit’s dog, Ben, took the form of signs Saturday in Baton Rouge. With ESPN’s “College GameDay” on LSU’s campus ahead of the Tigers’ game against Alabama,

Kirk Herbstreit posted a thank-you on social media to fans who showed up to Saturday’s College GameDay taping in Baton Rouge with signs honoring the life of Ben, his beloved golden retriever.

As much as Saturday’s broadcast of ESPN’s College GameDay was a tribute to LSU’s football culture, it was also a celebration of life for Ben Herbstreit, the faithful golden retriever and travel companion of Kirk Herbstreit who’d become a star in his own right for hanging out on set and in the broadcast booth.

Kirk Herbstreit is putting the loss of his beloved dog Ben into words. The ESPN commentator shared a tribute to the golden retriever — who had cancer and died on Nov. 7 — during a College GameDay segment ahead of the LSU and Alabama football game on Saturday,

College football lost its good boy this week with the passing of College GameDay host Kirk Herbstreit's dog, Ben. And the tribute on the GameDay set got Herbstreit and America emotional.

Just two days before this weekend's edition of "College GameDay," ESPN's Kirk Herbstreit announced on social media that his beloved dog, Ben, passed away after a long battle with cancer. "My phone hasn’t stopped ringing for the last 3 hours from texts and tweets about my boy Ben,