When you combine a show as popular as College Gameday with a personality as popular as Pat McAfee, you better know you aren't going to make everyone happy. We're seeing that become a reality more now than ever. 

But I'll say, I'm stunned the criticisms have gotten this far. And frankly, a little disappointed.

On Sunday, McAfee put out a tweet in response to the criticisms around his role on the iconic ESPN college football show. In it, he revealed he has yet to re-sign a contract with the show.

"I have heard (the critics) very loud and clear since the beginning of my stint with GameDay," McAfee wrote in his post. "It’s one of the biggest reasons why I have not re-signed a contract with the legendary show. I’m not right for some crowds and the distinguished' College Football folks are definitely one of those."

McAfee's message was a direct response to a poll made by The Athletic that revealed 49% of the readers who voted did not like him on the show, while 30% voted they did. The remaining 21% didn't have an opinion.

Over the last few weeks, McAfee has become the focus of a debate among college football fans. 

Some didn't appreciate his comments about the Washington State flag, never mind that they happened in a joking fashion. Others think he takes up too much of the spotlight, never mind that he has revolutionized sports media with The Pat McAfee Show and is one of the biggest draws in sports. 

A few more will claim – and this one is mind-blowing to me – that he doesn't have chemistry with the rest of the crew, never mind Kirk Herbstreit, Desmond Howard, Rece Davis, and Lee Corso all can't stop laughing during the show when McAfee does his thing.

I'll just say it: I don't get it.

This is probably where I should confess to my own biases. I love College Gameday and have since I was 10 years old and woke up at 7 a.m. on Saturdays every week to catch the show with my dad. And I listened to the first episode ever of McAfee's show and was immediately a fan. In my view, McAfee is not only good on College Gameday. It's exactly what the show needed exactly when it needed it. 

You see, you've got to think about what the magic of ESPN's biggest gem really is. It's much more than just a show where analysts sit around a desk and fire out their takes on the slate of games ahead. If that's all you wanted out of it, it would be like… every other pregame show out there, regardless of the sport.

If you wanted the deep Xs and Os analysis, the best betting picks of the day, and the best advanced stats, you could probably get it elsewhere. Gameday has always been about a little bit more than that. 

Like many other shows, it's always been about a group of knowledgeable football analysts. But the thing about this one is that it just looks like they're all having way too much fun talking about the game just like a group of close friends would. And in a way, we all get to be a part of it. Not only the people in the crowd but us, watching on TV while sipping on our coffee mugs.

For a long time, that's been perfectly illustrated by Lee Corso. This man is pulling off the fantastic headgear picks on a weekly basis. And yes, that's always been the best part. But he's also out there shoving a No. 2 pencil at others' faces and saying "Not so fast!" He's whispering or shouting his biggest insights instead of doing it in the traditional sportscasting way. 

He's a character that makes you tune in every week. At 88 years old, it's obvious Corso's retirement is near. Perhaps now that he's made his 400th headgear pick, this could be his last season on the show. Perhaps he'll keep coming back for another year or two. We'll see, I'm done second-guessing his willingness to provide top-tier entertainment.

But the fact is, Corso's future has everything to do with Pat McAfee. It's been less airtime for the legendary coach every year. Last season, Corso even had to miss multiple weeks for health-related reasons. And the thing is without him, without that unique personality, College Gameday would get much closer to being just another show.

The closest ESPN can get to that after Corso is McAfee.

And the best thing about it is that he isn't trying to be like Corso. Pat is just being his electrifying self without being a copycat. He's firing up the crowd and adding humor to the show. At the same time though, he asks great questions during interviews and knows his stuff when breaking down the games and storylines. The man has put in the work to where the show gets a unique personality without crossing the line of him being a clown who just says wild stuff into the mic.

For the long-term future of the show, College Gameday needs McAfee or at worst, somebody like him. But let me tell you: it's tough to find somebody as genuinely fun as him.

Let me clarify: This is no shot at Herbstreit, Howard, Davis, or all the other people who are a part of the show. But whether you like one analyst or another the most, they stick to analyzing the game and providing takes on the sport. And that's fine. But that extra spark is something they will never provide.

As for the impact of McAfee's energy, allow me to add a personal anecdote. My dad, who passed away in June at 57 years old, didn't seem to enjoy a whole lot as he battled with cancer for the third time in his life. Coffee, easily his biggest addiction, didn't taste the same anymore. He was rarely hungry, even though he used to love food, especially desserts (probably more than he should've, to be honest). But even the games, which we always bet on and passionately cheered for since I was a little kid, didn't cause him a whole lot of excitement. 

McAfee did. 

He thought his presence on the show was a breath of fresh air for the same show we had been watching for years without ever missing it. He didn't miss one show of McAfee's first full season on the show and he smiled at absolutely everything he did. 

I believe that's what Pat brings to the table for many college football fans. Pure joy and excitement. Criticisms about him being too excited seem unfair and honestly, ridiculous.

We could all be a little bit more joyful and less serious about football. I sure hope ESPN tries to keep him on the best content the media juggernaut has to offer at this point. 

Tennessee lost to Alabama, but the Crimson Tide had a lot of help from officials and the SEC needs to address it

There probably hasn’t been a worse officiated game….ever