College GameDay landed in Oxford with the kind of edge only an LSU-Ole Miss weekend can bring, and the show’s Week 3 picks followed the mood in the crowd. Lane Kiffin’s return to Ole Miss as LSU’s head coach had been the obvious magnet once the SEC schedule came out, and Saturday morning delivered exactly the kind of scene ESPN was expecting.
The atmosphere was hostile from the start, with the Rebels crowd turning up the heat and setting the tone for a loud, messy, high-energy show. Kirk Herbstreit, Desmond Howard, Nick Saban and Pat McAfee all worked through it in front of one of the more electric GameDay mornings in recent memory, and the celebrity guest picker added another layer to the spectacle. World renowned actor Morgan Freeman joined the desk for one of the most recognizable picks of the day.
For the headliner, there was no consensus. Herbstreit did not make a pick because he is calling the game. Howard and Freeman backed Ole Miss, Saban went with LSU, and McAfee ended his run with a fiery pick for the Rebels.
The rest of the board brought a mix of clean sweeps and split decisions. Florida was the favorite at Auburn, with Howard the lone voice on the Tigers and everyone else siding with Jon Sumrall and the Gators. At Florida State-Alabama, the entire crew took the Crimson Tide, expecting Kalen DeBoer’s team to respond at home after last season’s loss.
Virginia Tech at Maryland created a little more debate. Howard and Saban started with the Terrapins, but McAfee, Freeman and Herbstreit chose James Franklin’s Hokies on the road. McAfee stayed loyal to West Virginia in the Mountaineers’ trip to Virginia, while the rest of the group went the other way.
Mississippi State at South Carolina split the desk again. McAfee and Herbstreit backed the Gamecocks, but the others chose Kamario Taylor and the Bulldogs for a close one in Columbia. Kentucky did not draw much upset support at Texas A&M, where the whole crew took Mike Elko’s team to stay hot.
There was broad agreement in a couple more spots. Vanderbilt earned full-board respect against NC State, with everyone picking the Commodores at home.
Louisville also got the nod from most of the panel in its matchup with SMU, though McAfee stood alone with the Mustangs while the rest of the crew went with Jeff Brohm’s Cardinals. North Carolina at Clemson closed things out with only Saban sticking with Dabo Swinney’s Tigers, while the others backed Bill Belichick’s Tar Heels.
Full analyst picks for Week 3:
Desmond Howard: Ole Miss, Auburn, Alabama, Maryland, Virginia, Mississippi State, Texas A&M, Vanderbilt, Louisville, North Carolina
Nick Saban: LSU, Florida, Alabama, Maryland, Virginia, Mississippi State, Texas A&M, Vanderbilt, Louisville, Clemson
Pat McAfee: Ole Miss, Florida, Alabama, Virginia Tech, West Virginia, South Carolina, Texas A&M, Vanderbilt, SMU, North Carolina
In Other News...
Kentucky Is Chasing A Bigger Win Than Texas A&M This Week
While Kentucky is in College Station for its road game against Texas A&M, the Wildcats coaching staff is also using the trip as a recruiting swing through Texas. Several assistants already know the state well from previous stops, and that familiarity is paying off as they spend time around high school games and prospects in the Houston and College Station areas. For a program trying to widen its reach, it is the sort of overlap that can make a September weekend carry a little extra weight.
The timing matters because Kentucky is not just passing through a talent-rich state, it is targeting multiple highly ranked recruits there as part of a broader push. Texas has long been fertile ground for programs willing to invest the time and energy, and the Wildcats are leaning into that reality with coaches on the road while the team is still in football mode. The game itself will draw plenty of attention, but the quieter work happening nearby may prove just as important down the line. [Read more 🡒]
Kentucky Basketball Is Closing In On Two Huge Off-Court Changes
The University of Kentuckys off-court business is moving in a big way, and basketball is right in the middle of it. After landing a one-year football jersey patch deal worth just under $5 million, the school has already seen that partnership produce $1.9 million in earned media value, a sign of how quickly these sponsorship opportunities can pay off beyond the initial contract.
For basketball, the next wave is coming into focus even if the finish line is still unclear. UK is weighing future jersey patch options without putting a date on when one might be finalized, while also getting closer to a major new multi-use training facility near Kroger Field, next to the Nutter Training Facility, with the project now in its final planning stages after a $1.25 million study was approved to help shape it. [Read more 🡒]
Kentucky Has A Rare Chance To End One Painful Texas A&M Trend
Kentucky heads to College Station on Saturday with a rare chance to do something it has not managed in generations. The Wildcats and Texas A&M are set for a 3:30 p.m. ET kickoff at Kyle Field, with the game airing nationally on ESPN and also available through ESPN+ and Fubo, giving this matchup a much bigger stage than the long history between the programs might suggest.
What makes this one stand out is the weight of the past, because Kentucky has spent decades without a breakthrough against the Aggies. The last meeting between the teams ended in Texas A&Ms favor in overtime at Kyle Field, and this trip back to the same venue gives Kentucky another shot at changing a trend that has hung around for far too long. [Read more 🡒]