How ‘College GameDay’ Handled Game Picks in First Week Without Lee Corso

With Corso riding off into the sunset with a perfect picks record last week, here is how 'College GameDay' handled the segment in Week 2.
Lee Corso worked his final 'College GameDay' for Texas at Ohio State on Aug. 30.
Lee Corso worked his final 'College GameDay' for Texas at Ohio State on Aug. 30. / Adam Cairns/Columbus Dispatch / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Lee Corso's final set of picks on College GameDay was perfect.

Corso didn't have a set of layups to pick, either. He nailed his alma mater Florida State's huge upset of Alabama. He called LSU over Clemson on the road, and Miami over Notre Dame as home underdogs. It was a truly impressive run—and one that would make any bettors following his picks quite happy.

Corso is now retired, of course, but GameDay continues on with Saturday's edition of the show from Norman, Okla. ahead of Oklahoma vs. Michigan. As Corso has taken a backseat in recent seasons, the show is fairly familiar without his contributions. But the picks segment, in which he donned the mascot headgear representing his choice for the host matchup, is irreplaceable.

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Week 2's show confirmed that no other analyst will be inheriting the headgear tradition, and with good reason. The show did bring back the celebrity guest picker after going without one last week to keep the focus on Corso. Oklahoma basketball great and Norman native Trae Young made his second appearance on the show, and first in-person after doing so remotely during the 2020 season during COVID-19.

Herbstreit is on the call for Saturday night's game, so he did not register a pick between the Wolverines and Sooners. After Desmond Howard and Nick Saban picked Michigan and Young unsurprisingly took Oklahoma, that left Pat McAfee as the final analyst to pick. He, of course, brought his brand of energy, standing on his chair and firing up the crowd with chants of "Boomer! Sooner!" as he took Oklahoma to take down their Big Ten foes.

MORE: Predicting Where ESPN's 'College GameDay' Will Head for Each Week of the 2025 Season

ESPN's decision to let the headgear pick retire with Corso is a wise one. McAfee, who has the most comedic sense on the panel, makes sense as the spiritual successor to the venerable former coach, but he's clearly going to carve out his own bits and traditions as College GameDay moves into this new era.


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Dan Lyons
DAN LYONS

Dan Lyons is a staff writer and editor on Sports Illustrated's Breaking and Trending News team. He joined SI for his second stint in November 2024 after a stint as a senior college football writer at Athlon Sports, and a previous run with SI spanning multiple years as a writer and editor. Outside of sports, you can find Dan at an indie concert venue or movie theater.