College GameDay returned for another exciting season of college football predictions and fun. The GameDay crew of Lee Corso, Kirk Herbstreit, Desmond Howard, and Pat McAfee were joined by special guest picker musician Darius Rucker to make their Week 1 picks.
Corso Dons Carolina Blue Headgear
In his traditional style, Lee Corso made his headgear pick for the marquee game between North Carolina and South Carolina. Corso chose the Tar Heels, donning Carolina blue headgear and picking UNC to beat the Gamecocks.
Stanford Steve’s Best Bets
Stanford Steve replaced the legend Chris “the bear” Fallica this year for the Gameday Picks. He revealed his “Six Pack” of best bets for Week 1:
- Duke +13 vs Clemson
- New Mexico +38 vs Texas A&M
- South Alabama +6.5 vs Tulane
- Florida State +2 vs LSU
- UTSA -2 vs Houston
- South Carolina +2.5 vs North Carolina
Steve likes the underdogs, with 5 of his 6 picks being dogs getting points.
Super Dog Picks for Week 1
The GameDay crew each gave out a “Super Dog” pick on a big underdog to cover the spread:
- Lee Corso: North Texas +6 vs California
- Kirk Herbstreit: North Texas +6 vs California
- Desmond Howard: Boise State +14 vs Washington
- Pat McAfee: Colorado +20.5 vs TCU
- Stanford Steve: Colorado State +10.5 vs Washington State
- Rece Davis: South Alabama +6.5 vs Tulane
The early Super Dog consensus is on North Texas catching nearly a touchdown against Cal.
Celebrity Guest Darius Rucker’s Picks
Singer Darius Rucker joined the crew as the celebrity guest picker. Here were his picks:
- Duke over Clemson
- LSU over Florida State
- Coastal Carolina over UCLA
- Toledo over Illinois
- Penn State over West Virginia
- South Carolina over North Carolina
- Houston over UTSA
- Washington over Boise State
- Ohio State over Indiana
- Tennessee over Virginia
- Purdue over Fresno State
- TCU over Colorado
Rucker likes a decent number of underdogs, highlighted by taking South Carolina over UNC along with Duke and Toledo.
The Experts’ Consensus Picks
Here are the consensus picks from Corso, Herbstreit, Howard, and McAfee:
- Clemson over Duke
- UCLA over Coastal Carolina
- Illinois over Toledo
- Penn State over West Virginia
- Washington over Boise State
- Ohio State over Indiana
- Tennessee over Virginia
- TCU over Colorado
No consensus picks for Florida State-LSU, North Carolina-South Carolina, or Houston-UTSA.
That wraps up the key picks and predictions from the College GameDay crew for Week 1! It looks to be another exciting Saturday of college football.