Lee Corso’s last-ever College GameDay prediction on ESPN is a bold one

The first ESPN College GameDay of the season is a time of new beginnings and fresh starts for team and players across the country. But for one famous face, this Saturday’s show is also an ending.

Veteran analyst Lee Corso has never been afraid to speak his mind and his broadcasting career on ESPN is the stuff of legend. On Saturday he appeared on the show for the final time, making a big prediction for his final outing.

“LSU, national champions,” Corso said, when asked for his pick for the 2025 NCAA football season. He added that the Tigers will beat Penn State in January’s championship game.

It’s a bold call, considering that the Tigers finished the 2024 season without a ranking. But Corso has made a name for that sort of punditry since he first appeared on the popular pre-game show in 1987. He was given his own segment on the show in 1996 and has made 430 ‘headgear selections’ during his career.

Long-time co-star and close friend Kirk Herbstreit paid tribute to Corso on Friday’s show, highlighting the veteran star’s incredible longevity in a demanding, high-pressure role.

“People see you with the headgear, people see all the silly stuff you do, but I think what we see is the smile every Friday meeting, whether you’re the makeup artist or Rece Davis, everybody in between,” Herbstreit said.

“You just lighten everybody up. You lifted everybody up. You’ve done that, I’m sure as a coach, but our experience with you, for me the last 30 years, I’ve never seen you have a bad day. If you have a bad day, you never really show you’re having a bad day. You’re always positive. You’re the backbone of what this show has been about. We’re going to celebrate you the way you should be.”

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