Lee Corso makes final College GameDay appearance after 38-year run

Lee Corso made his final appearance on ESPN's College GameDay on Saturday, Aug. 30, 2025, closing a 38-year run on the network with a sendoff at Ohio Stadium in Columbus that mixed pageantry, perfect picks and a torrent of tributes. The 90-year-old analyst donned Brutus Buckeye, the same mascot head he first wore in 1996, to pick Ohio State over No. 1 Texas and drew a standing ovation as the school band formed on the field to spell out his name.

Corso opened the program by forecasting the national champion and College Football Playoff field, naming LSU as his pick to beat Penn State for the title and placing Notre Dame and Clemson among his semifinalists. He then made six marquee Week 1 game calls on the show and, as the weekend unfolded, went a clean 6-for-6. His selections included underdog Florida State over No. 8 Alabama and Miami over Notre Dame, results that helped fuel social-media buzz and paying bettors who posted profitable parlays. ESPN said Saturday's headgear selection was his 431st on the program; his career headgear record and total wins were reported with slight variations, with ESPN giving his mark through 2024 as roughly 286-144 and other tallies citing a...