ESPN’s College GameDay brought a familiar mix of voices to South Bend on Saturday, and the panel wasted no time making its calls for a loaded Week 10 slate.
With Notre Dame set to host No. 1 Miami in a primetime showdown, Jason Sudeikis joined Desmond Howard, Nick Saban, Pat McAfee, and Kirk Herbstreit on the set. Sudeikis, the “Ted Lasso” star, didn’t attend Notre Dame himself, but the connection runs in the family: his grandfather and uncle are both alumni.
The group then rolled through a full set of picks, starting with No. 23 Oregon at No.
12 Ohio State. Every panelist backed the Buckeyes.
The next game produced more split opinions. For No. 8 UCLA at Minnesota, Howard, Saban, and Herbstreit went with the Gophers, while Sudeikis and McAfee took UCLA.
At Texas A&M at No. 21 South Carolina, the panel was unanimous again, with all five choosing the Gamecocks.
The same kind of divide showed up in No. 7 Texas at No.
18 Missouri. Howard, Saban, and Sudeikis picked Texas, while McAfee and Herbstreit leaned Missouri.
For No. 6 Kentucky at No. 13 Tennessee, Howard, Saban, Sudeikis, and Herbstreit all selected Tennessee, while McAfee went with Kentucky.
No. 2 Georgia at No.
10 Ole Miss followed a similar pattern. Howard, Saban, Sudeikis, and Herbstreit picked Georgia, and McAfee chose Ole Miss.
The panel was split again on No. 5 Alabama at No.
14 LSU. Howard, Sudeikis, and McAfee took LSU, Saban picked Alabama, and Herbstreit did not make a selection.
In No. 9 BYU at No. 3 Utah, Howard, Saban, Sudeikis, and Herbstreit all went with Utah, while McAfee picked BYU.
The final pick of the day was the headliner in South Bend. Howard chose Miami, but Saban, Sudeikis, McAfee, and Herbstreit all backed Notre Dame against the top-ranked Hurricanes.
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It is not hard to see why. Games like Texas-Texas A&M and Ohio State-Texas are also drawing premium prices, a reminder that rankings and playoff implications can send demand soaring before a snap is even taken. For Notre Dame fans, the next marker arrives Saturday at 7:30 p.m. ET on NBC, when the stadiums most expensive ticket gets its first real payoff. [Read more 🡒]
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Notre Dame Fans Got A GameDay Moment They Wont Forget
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Milano eventually drilled a $1 million kick on his second try, giving the crowd the kind of live-TV payoff that tends to linger long after the cameras move on. The day also had a charitable twist, with the Notre Dame leprechaun mascot Riley stepping in to nail a $500,000 kick, adding another layer to a scene that fit the pageantry and unpredictability of GameDay perfectly. [Read more 🡒]