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,

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.

As the years have gone by and legendary ESPN College GameDay host Lee Corso has shown more signs of age, he has had no better advocate than co-host Kirk Herbsteit. The relationship between Corso and Herbstreit goes well beyond that of coworkers ...