College GameDay: CJ Stroud joins the desk ahead of big Ohio State-Penn State game

Week 8 of the college football season is upon us, and with it comes a top-ten matchup between two historic schools, Ohio State and Penn State. An equally proud tradition welcomes Rece Davis, Lee Corso, Kirk Herbstreit, Desmond Howard, and Pat McAfee to our TV screens for another rousing rendition of College GameDay.

The beloved show kicked off at The Ohio State University at St. John Arena in Columbus, Ohio. With both Ohio State and Penn State looking for a College Football Playoff berth, this game will have significant implications down the road.

The biggest storyline following this game is whether or not the Nittany Lions can keep up their dominant season against their first objectively strong opponent of the season. While wins over teams like Iowa and Northwestern are fine, they don't stack up to Ohio State's wins over the likes of Notre Dame and Maryland. Ohio State won't make it easy on the Nittany Lions and they haven't for a long time. The Buckeyes have won six straight against Penn State.

While Penn State may not have the resume to stack next to Ohio State, fans of the Nittany Lions know that there is likely more to this team than meets the eye. They haven't needed to pull out the big guns from their playbook yet, and due to their insane margin of victory, Penn State hasn't needed many big plays either. They haven't completed a pass of 35 yards or more since Week 1. It's very likely that Penn State head coach James Franklin has a few aces up his sleeve he's been saving for such a pivotal matchup.

As is the case every week, there were plenty of highlights before kick-off. The game itself starts at noon ET/9 am PT. It will air on FOX and is available for streaming on Fubo.

All the action: College football Week 8 live updates: Predictions and how to watch today’s biggest games

C.J. Stroud is this week's guest picker, highlights:

This week's guest picker is former Buckeyes' quarterback and 2023 No. 2 overall NFL draft pick, C.J. Stroud. In his career with Ohio State, Stroud went 2-0 against Penn State. He threw for 659 yards, two touchdowns, and zero interceptions across those games.

Stroud was a great personality on the desk and even made a few risky picks throughout the broadcast. Most of his decisions were based on how tough those teams were when he played them in college. Stroud was actually the only person to pick the University of Miami to beat Clemson.

Stroud also had some very positive words to describe Florida State wide receiver Keon Coleman, going as far as predicting he'll be a top-5 pick in the 2024 NFL draft. This isn't the first time Stroud has made his admiration for another receiver well-known. Here's to hoping he'll be able to team up with Coleman in Houston next season.

How to watch: Catch college football action on Fubo

Pat McAfee highlights

Famed podcast host and WWE announcer Pat McAfee is known for his exuberant on-camera presence. He's a spectacle every time he speaks, and today was no different.

Of course, his Kicking Contest tradition continued even after having to give $30,000 to Greyson from Washington last week. McAfee must have been feeling confident too, because he upped the prize money to $65,000 this time around.

Luckily for McAfee's wallet, the fan missed this time around.

The crew even brought on famed mentalist Oz Pearlman. McAfee tried to swap his answer at the last second to fool Pearlman, but the mentalist wasn't having it.

And of course, with the set in Columbus, Ohio this week, McAfee had to take a few shots at the University of Michigan. It started with leading the crowd in a popular chant.

McAfee also took a big shot at Michigan given the recent news that their football program, particularly head coach Jim Harbaugh, is being investigated for sign stealing.

Week 8 college football: Expert picks for every top-25 game

Other highlights from the morning broadcast:

Lee Corso made a very strong statement early on claiming that Penn State could beat Ohio State if they could run the ball effectively. The entire crowd in Columbus went into a frenzy following his statements.

Of course, when push came to shove and Corso had to make his official decision, he decided to roll with the Buckeyes.

A hockey fan sighting in Columbus. This awesome sign was, of course, taped to a hockey stick, celebrating the Blue Jackets drafting Adam Fantilli.

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This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: CJ Stroud, Pat McAfee shine on College GameDay