ESPN College Gameday is headed to Death Valley for the 14th visit to Baton Rouge, La. in the show's history ahead of an SEC matchup between No. 11 Alabama and No. 15 LSU. And returning for another week to make the 422nd headgear pick of his career as an analyst on the show is the beloved Lee Corso.
Corso, 89, has been an analyst on College Gameday since its first season on the air back in 1987. And over the years, the former college and professional football coach has become part of the Saturday morning routine for countless sports fans.
College Gameday first began broadcasting in an ESPN studio, but in 1993 began traveling to different schools, as they do currently. And, that's when the show, with the backdrop of rabid college football fans holding up witty signs and with plenty of big-name personalities lending their analysis, really took off.
As part of the show's grand finale, Corso, with fans of the host school roaring in his ear, makes his pick on the featured game of the week, teasing his selection for suspense, then announcing the pick by donning an oversized mascot head or football helmet, to the delight or outrage of the mob behind him. The former Louisville coach first began making picks by donning mascot or helmet headgear in 1996.
It makes for excellent and highly entertaining television. Over the years, many sports fans have started the day on Saturday by making sure to tune into ESPN College Gameday shortly before12 p.m. ET, traditionally when Corso makes his pick between the host school and its opponent.
So, if you're unable to tune into Corso's pick of the Alabama-LSU game, or you are and want a more detailed account of the selection—as well as Corso's past selections—look no further than this article.
First, let's take a look at the matchup.
Week 11: The Matchup and Its Significance
Featured Game of the Week: No. 11 Alabama at No. 15 LSU
Two SEC blue bloods get together for a Week 11 matchup with massive implications for the expanded College Football Playoff. If the Playoff was set in stone today, the Crimson Tide, ranked 11th in the country, would have a spot. Alabama certainly has a resume-boosting win over No. 2 Georgia, but the Tide also have a puzzling loss to No. 24 Vanderbilt, as well as a defeat to No. 7 Tennessee. Led by dual threat quarterback Jalen Milroe and a bend-but-don't-break defense, the Tide, in theory, can beat any team on any given Saturday. But in what effectively amounts to an elimination game against the Tigers, the Tide can't afford a letdown performance like they had against the Commodores. LSU's defense is well-coached under coordinator Blake Baker, but a unit that relies on young players and has been susceptible at times through the air and on the ground could potentially be exploited by Milroe.
On the other side, Brian Kelly's Tigers enter the matchup with Alabama with a better conference record (3-1 to 'Bama's 3-2) than the Tide. And the Tigers, winners of six in a row prior to last week's 15-point loss to Texas A&M, appeared to have considerable momentum for the matchup with the Tide before the Aggies took some of the wind out of their sails. But this is still an LSU team led by junior quarterback Garrett Nussmeier, who ranks second in the conference in passing yards and touchdowns. And in a must-win game, the Tigers will need the version of Nussmeier who showed up in the waning moments of the team's October win over Ole Miss, and not the version that struggled against the Aggies last week. In the upset win over the Rebels, Nussmeier fired a game-tying touchdown pass in the final seconds of regulation, then delivered a game-winning touchdown strike in overtime. Another performance like that from Nussmeier and the Tigers could see their College Football Playoff hopes injected with new life, and the Tide's dashed, in the blink of an eye.
With that in mind, let's take a brief look at Corso's history picking this matchup.
Lee Corso's Past Picks for Alabama, LSU
Corso has picked Ohio State 43 times, which is the most of any team. But in second place? That would be the Tide, whom Corso has selected 38 times. In those games, 'Bama boasts a 27-11 record.
Meanwhile, Corso has picked the Tigers as the host school eight times, with the program going 6-2 in those games.
In terms of memorable Corso picks involving the Alabama-LSU matchup, let's take a trip down memory lane to a November 2011 matchup, when Corso tricked Crimson Tide fans with his headgear pick.
The beloved College Gameday analyst prefaced his selection by scolding guest picker and former San Francisco Giants relief pitcher Brian Wilson, "How could you pick against Alabama?!" Corso, with the Crimson Tide crowd roaring its approval, then played the chorus of the Lynyrd Skynyrd song, "Sweet Home Alabama", rattling off the Tide's illustrious accolades with the hit classic rock song as a backdrop.
Finally, Corso led the crowd in a "Roll Tide" chant, getting them riled up before he put the Tigers headgear on his head, shouting "Roll Tigers!" as the crowd thunderously booed him. Corso ended up being correct, as the then-No. 1 Tigers held off the No. 2 Tide 9-6 in a defensive slugfest.
It will be hard for Corso to top that on Saturday, but if fans have learned anything from the analyst over the years, it's to expect the unexpected.
The Headgear Pick: Who Did Lee Corso Choose?
The Moment of Truth
Corso set up his pick by asking for his "favorite song" to be played. In an ode to a past pick of LSU, "Sweet Home Alabama" by Lynyrd Skynyrd played as LSU fans booed. But Corso said "Hold it!" and the music was cut off.
Corso's Chosen Team
"The Tigers have won 14 straight at Tiger Stadium. Make it 15," Corso said. "Hold that Tiger! Play my real favorite song!" The Tigers marching band then proceeded to play the LSU fight song in a clever misdirection by Corso, who clearly believes the Tigers' home-field advantage will give them the edge over Alabama.
CORSO'S GEAUXIN' WITH THE TIGERS 🐯 pic.twitter.com/1h4ESxyNxs
— College GameDay (@CollegeGameDay) November 9, 2024
Corso's Headgear Pick Record to This Point in the Season
Corso carries an excellent 7-1 record on headgear picks this season into the Week 11 matchup between Alabama and LSU. The Gameday analyst is coming off of a week where he correctly picked his "first love", Ohio State and mascot Brutus, to defeat Penn State on the road.
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as Who Did Lee Corso Pick Today? Week 11 College GameDay Headgear Choice.
