College GameDay Crew Picks No. 14 BYU vs Arizona

On Saturday morning, Big Noon Kickoff was live from Provo to feature no. 14 BYU vs Arizona. Meanwhile, the College GameDay crew picked BYU-Arizona. Excluding the celebrity guest picker, the rest of the crew picked BYU to win.

Desmond Howard: BYU

"I'm picking BYU because of their defense."

Nick Saban: BYU

"I'm picking BYU because I think it's a tough place to play. They play well at home and I think Arizona will have a tough time overcoming that."

Kaitlin Olson (guest picker): Arizona

"I feel responsible for supporting the defunct Pac-12. So I'm gonna go ahead and go Arizona."

Pat McAfee: BYU

"I'll take BYU. I like BYU, especially with the whole situation going on with the quarterback and the day and the religion and everything like that."

McAfee was referring to a segment from earlier in the show where BYU QB Jake Retzlaff was featured. More on that in a moment.

Kirk Herbstreit: BYU

"Cougs at home. Can't go against them. Too physical."

Jake Retzlaff Featured by College GameDay

“I just can’t wait for the game because it’s going to be a special day that there’s a Jewish kid playing football on Yom Kippur. … If that makes headlines, that means I get to be another light for somebody else.”

BYU quarterback Jake Retzlaff is breaking barriers 🤝 pic.twitter.com/Knfzwc5TJg
— College GameDay (@CollegeGameDay) October 12, 2024

Retzlaff is the only starting quarterback in major college football of the Jewish faith. The segment centered around Retzlaff's faith at a religious university like BYU, and his decision to play football on a Jewish holiday that is typically celebrated through fasting and rest.