ESPN college football analyst Desmond Howard isn’t afraid to go off the beaten path when making predictions.
The 1991 Heisman Trophy winner also isn’t shy about publicly supporting his alma mater, Michigan.
Those two traits came into focus recently when Howard picked the Wolverines, plus Baylor, Texas A&M and Pittsburgh, as his predictions for this season’s College Football Playoff teams. He didn’t select Alabama, Ohio State, Georgia or Clemson, which hold the top four spots in the AP and coaches polls.
And Stephen A. Smith let him hear about it Thursday on ESPN’s First Take.
“Are you OK? Is there something you need to tell us about your health?” Smith said. “Is something wrong with you with making those damn picks? What’s that about?”
In Howard’s defense, Michigan, Texas A&M and Baylor all reside in the top 10 in both major polls. However, Pitt is a wild card at No. 16 in the coaches poll and No. 17 in the AP poll.
Smith specifically questioned Howard’s support of Pitt as a CFP participant. Howard then defended the Panthers, who won the ACC title in 2021, by pointing out that conference rival Clemson has two new coordinators this season.
“I’m just saying the ACC is wide open,” Howard said. “Pitt won it a year ago. They bring in Kedon Slovis at quarterback (from USC). Pat Narduzzi does a great job of getting his guys ready, especially in the trenches.”
Pitt withstood a fierce challenge from West Virginia on Thursday night, winning 38-31 in the Backyard Brawl—even if the Panthers benefited from a questionable decision to punt by the Mountaineers.
We’ll see how Howard’s other picks do in their season opener’s this weekend. But he’s off to a good start with the resilient Panthers.
