ESPN’s College GameDay crew makes Iowa-Rutgers picks
A Saturday staple, ESPN’s College GameDay made the trek to Athens, Ga., for the big showdown between No. 1 Georgia and No. 10 Ole Miss.
Host Rece Davis and analysts Desmond Howard, Pat McAfee, Lee Corso and Kirk Herbstreit welcomed guest picker Nolan Smith to the program. Smith is a former two-time national champion with the Georgia Bulldogs and a rookie currently with the Philadelphia Eagles.
As the crew counted down to another Saturday jam-packed with big-time matchups, they also made their game day picks and shared thoughts on a nice chunk of the college football slate.
The Iowa Hawkeyes‘ (7-2, 4-2 Big Ten) afternoon date against Rutgers (6-3, 3-3 Big Ten) was among the games up for discussion. Coming off a 10-7 win over Northwestern from Wrigley Field where Drew Stevens was the hero, Iowa turns its focus squarely upon the Scarlet Knights.
Thanks to some chaos around them, Iowa is back in the driver’s seat of the Big Ten West. As kickoff rapidly approaches, what did each member of the ESPN College GameDay crew have to say about Iowa-Rutgers and how do they see this contest breaking down?
Desmond Howard
Desmond Howard’s pick: Iowa
What Desmond said: “Now, I watched Rutgers last week against Ohio State. I thought they played very, very, very well and I think they left a lot of that on the field. Low-scoring game, Iowa wins by a field goal.”
Pat McAfee
Pat McAfee’s pick: Iowa
What Pat said: “Yeah, that might be the only points that are scored in that entire game if they win this thing 3-0, or maybe 5-0. But, Tory Taylor, punter for Iowa, going to lead them to a W. Give me the Hawkeyes in this rugby match.”
Nolan Smith
Nolan Smith’s pick: Iowa
What Nolan said: “So, I just want to say first of all, Iowa has a good team up front and they—just like the Georgia Bulldogs—they play good football, good defense and I like Iowa.”
Lee Corso
Lee Corso’s pick: Iowa
What Lee said: “Hey, Iowa wins at home. The game is all field goals, 9-6. Both teams, they’ll never score.”
Kirk Herbstreit
Kirk Herbstreit’s pick: Iowa
What Kirk said: “I’m with you, Nolan. I think that defense carries the day. I think Tory Taylor, who obviously Pat touched on, he’ll get the game ball. He’ll affect the field position. Low-scoring, take the under. Give me Iowa. Iowa’s going to be favored the rest of the year in every game they play.”
A beautiful sight
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