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‘College GameDay’ Taps C.J. Stroud as Guest Picker for Ohio State-Penn State

College GameDay is headed to Columbus this weekend for a massive matchup between No. 3 Ohio State and No. 6 Penn State. Therefore, ESPN is bringing in a former star Buckeyes quarterback as its celebrity guest picker on Saturday.

The network announced Texans quarterback C.J. Stroud will be in Columbus this weekend, less than a year after Stroud last played for the Buckeyes himself. The rookie quarterback, who went No. 2 in the 2023 NFL Draft, started for Ohio State in 2021 and ’22, earning a Heisman finalist nod each season.

In 25 games as a starter for the Buckeyes, Stroud totaled 85 touchdowns and 8,123 yards passing, while throwing just 12 interceptions.

Stroud has been a revelation for Houston in his rookie season, throwing nine touchdowns and just one interception in his first six games. Since the Texans are on their bye this week, Stroud is free to travel to Columbus, where GameDay has featured plenty of guest pickers over the years.

This will mark the second time this season that ESPN brings in an active NFL quarterback on GameDay, as Baker Mayfield joined the show as the guest picker for Texas-Oklahoma two weeks ago.