The “College GameDay” set looked a little different than Saturday.
ESPN's program aired Saturday from Berkeley, Calif., and featured the Miami-California game at 10:30 p.m. ET.
That meant the broadcast began at 6 a.m. local time, more than 16 hours before kickoff. California students and fans gathered before the sun rose.
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ESPN “College GameDay” analysts Lee Corso and Kirk Herbstreit during the West Virginia Mountaineers vs. Pittsburgh Panthers game at Acrizier Stadium in Pittsburgh on September 1, 2022. (Mark Alberti/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
But longtime GameDay analyst Lee Corso was nowhere to be seen.
Host Rece Davis said Corso, 89, was “under the weather.”
Corso is most famous for deciding on his college selection by wearing the headgear of the mascot of the team he predicted would win the championship.
He has not appeared in the entire three-hour show since 2022, when he missed five episodes due to health issues. But Saturday was the day I missed the first episode of the 2024 season.
ESPN “College Gameday” analyst Lee Corso lists the Panthers as favorites to win the West Virginia Mountaineers vs. Pittsburgh Panthers game at Acresure Stadium in Pittsburgh on September 1, 2022. Ta. (Mark Alberti/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
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Corso joined the program in 1987, two years after his last coaching job. After serving as head coach of Louisville, Indiana, and Northern Illinois from 1969 to 1984, Corso coached the USFL's Orlando Renegades in 1985.
Since then, he has selected more than 400 pieces of headgear on the show. His 400th choice was Colorado College instead of Colorado State last year, and it was correct, but he had to wait two overtimes to find out if it was correct.
Pat McAfee, Nick Saban and Lee Corso fist bump before a live broadcast during ESPN's “GameDay” near Williams-Brice Stadium on September 14, 2024 in Columbia, South Carolina. (Imagination)
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Corso suffered a stroke in 2009 that left him partially paralyzed. He spent three days in intensive care and was unable to speak for a month. After his stroke, he ended up writing and rehearsing most of his performances.
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