Kirk Herbstreit Breaks Down Over Dog's Death on 'College GameDay'

Kirk Herbstreit‘s grieving the loss of man’s best friend … breaking down over his dog Ben’s death live on-air.

The football commentator appeared on ESPN’s “College GameDay” Saturday morning … just two days after he announced he and his wife had to put down his golden retriever — who traveled with him to many of his games.

During the broadcast, ESPN played a clip all about Ben … with Kirk talking about how he was far more than just a dog or travel companion — and, clearly Ben’s still feeling very raw emotionally ’cause he could barely talk about Ben during the show.

Just before the clip, Kirk’s cohosts thanked him for sharing Ben with them … and the crowd begins to chant out “We love Ben!” rhythmically.

It seems Kirk was supposed to speak a little more about his pup … but, watch the video — he simply wasn’t able to get the words out.

Ben rose to fame over the years … running around the country with Kirk and appearing on multiple national broadcasts. He was often spotted roaming the fields among other players, coaches and Kirk’s colleagues.

Ben was 10.