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‘College GameDay’ Announces Two CFB Legends as Guest Pickers for CFP First Round

Ryan Phillips

Former Texas A&M quarterback Johnny Manziel will be a guest picker for “College GameDay” this weekend.
Former Texas A&M quarterback Johnny Manziel will be a guest picker for “College GameDay” this weekend. / Maria Lysaker-Imagn Images
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ESPN’s College GameDay has announced its celebrity guest pickers for its two College Football Playoff shows this weekend, and they will not disappoint.

GameDay will be in Norman, Oklahoma, on Friday for the Sooners’ matchup with Alabama, and a Hall of Famer will be joining them. Former two-time All-American linebacker Brian Bosworth will sit on the panel before the first-round showdown.

Bosworth won the Butkus Award in 1985 and ‘86 while playing for the Sooners. His brash, confident style defined his era of college football. The 60-year-old spent three years in the NFL for the Seahawks before being forced to retire due to injury. He has since gone on to be an actor and color commentator.

That will be an appetizer to the main course on Saturday night, where former Heisman Trophy winner Johnny Manziel will be the guest picker for Texas A&M’s home matchup with Miami. Manziel starred for the Aggies for three seasons, winning the Heisman Trophy in 2012.

The charismatic but controversial quarterback washed out of the NFL after two seasons with the Browns. He has since discussed his personal problems, including being diagnosed with bipolar disorder. He was previously a guest picker in 2024.

College Football Playoff first round

No. 9 Alabama travels to face No. 8 Oklahoma in the opening game of this season’s College Football Playoff. The game kicks off at 8 p.m. ET Friday night on ABC/ESPN. The Sooners are 10–2 and on a four-game winning streak, while the Crimson Tide enter the game 10–3 following a 28–7 loss to Georgia in the SEC championship game.

The two teams played in Tuscaloosa, Ala. on November 15, and Oklahoma came away with a 23–21 win.

On Saturday, No. 7 Texas A&M will host No. 10 Miami in College Station at noon on ABC/ESPN. The Aggies are 11–1 and are coming off a 27–17 loss to Texas that ended their regular season. Meanwhile, the Hurricanes are 10–2 and on a four-game win streak.

In the other two games, No. 6 Ole Miss (11–1) will host No. 11 Tulane (11–2) in its first game since head coach Lane Kiffin bolted for LSU. That game kicks off at 3:30 p.m. on TNT. No. 5 Oregon (11–1) will be home to face No. 12 James Madison (12–1) to cap the night off at 7:30 on TNT.

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Ryan Phillips
RYAN PHILLIPS

Ryan Phillips is a senior writer on the Breaking and Trending News team at Sports Illustrated. He has worked in digital media since 2009, spending eight years at The Big Lead before joining SI in 2024. Phillips also co-hosts The Assembly Call Podcast about Indiana Hoosiers basketball and previously worked at Bleacher Report. He is a proud San Diego native and a graduate of Indiana University’s journalism program.

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