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Who should be 'College GameDay' celebrity guest for Notre Dame-Ohio State? Results are in

michael wanbaugh, south bend tribune
·4 min read

SOUTH BEND — ESPN's "College GameDay" show will air ahead of No. 9 Notre Dame football's top-10 matchup on Saturday against No. 4 (US LBM Coaches Poll) Ohio State. Kickoff at Notre Dame Stadium is scheduled for 7:30 p.m. on NBC.

The "College GameDay" crew last came to South Bend in 2020 for No. 4 Notre Dame vs. No. 1 Clemson, a 47-40 Irish win in double overtime.

One of the highlights of the popular show is the inclusion of a guest picker: a celebrity who often — but not always — is associated with the host school, and who helps the broadcast crew predict winners of the top college football games of the day.

ESPN announced Thursday night that actor/comedian Vince Vaughn will be GameDay's guest picker Saturday. One of Vaughn's first movie roles was as under-achieving running back Jamie O'Hara in 1993's "Rudy," based on a true story about a Notre Dame walk-on Daniel "Rudy" Ruettiger and filmed in South Bend.

Before the announcement we asked readers to vote on who they was like to see as the guest picker. Here are the top 10 results:

More: Where is ‘College GameDay’ this week? Location, schedule, guest picker for Week 4 on ESPN

1. Taylor Swift (24.4%)

Pop music megastar

Music superstar Taylor Swift gives a thumbs-up gesture while taking a photo with fans during the Notre Dame football season opener in South Bend, Ind. on Sept. 4, 2010. Swift's brother is a 2011 graduate of Notre Dame.
Music superstar Taylor Swift gives a thumbs-up gesture while taking a photo with fans during the Notre Dame football season opener in South Bend, Ind. on Sept. 4, 2010. Swift's brother is a 2011 graduate of Notre Dame.

Connection: One of the premier cultural figures of the 21st century, Swift was spotted occasionally in South Bend while her brother, a 2015 Notre Dame graduate, attended the university.

2. Lou Holtz (19.8%)

Former Notre Dame football coach

In this Jan 2, 1989 file photo, Notre Dame head coach Lou Holtz is raised up to be carried off the field after Norte Dame defeated West Virginia in the Fiesta Bowl to win the National College championship in Tempe, Ariz. Holtz will be honored with the dedication of a statue at a reunion with about 70 members from that national championship team, Saturday, Sept. 13, 2008. The statue depicts him calling a play on the sidelines with two players beside him.

Connection: A former Ohio State assistant football coach, Holtz coached the Irish from 1986-96, compiling a 100-30-2 record while winning Notre Dame's 11th consensus and most recent football national championship in 1988.

3. Joe Montana (10.2%)

Pro Football Hall of Famer, former Notre Dame quarterback

Former Notre Dame quarterback Joe Montana talks with Brady Quinn (10) after an Irish loss to USC in the “Bush Push” game at Notre Dame Stadium in 2005.
Former Notre Dame quarterback Joe Montana talks with Brady Quinn (10) after an Irish loss to USC in the “Bush Push” game at Notre Dame Stadium in 2005.

Connection: Before he became the first NFL quarterback to win four Super Bowl championships as a member of the San Francisco 49ers, Montana led Notre Dame to the 1977 national championship, earning the nickname, "Comeback Kid."

4. Jerome Bettis (8.2%)

Pro Football Hall of Famer, former Notre Dame running

Jerome Bettis claps during the Notre Dame Commencement ceremony Sunday, May 15, 2022 at Notre Dame Stadium in South Bend.
Jerome Bettis claps during the Notre Dame Commencement ceremony Sunday, May 15, 2022 at Notre Dame Stadium in South Bend.

Connection: After a stellar career as an Irish fullback (1990-92), Bettis went on to a Pro Football Hall of Fame career with the Los Angeles Rams and Pittsburgh Steelers. He retired after winning the Super Bowl.

5. Sean Astin (7.4%)

Actor

Actor Sean Astin talks with a couple bar patrons during an appearance at Corby's on Sept. 21, 2012, in South Bend. Astin, who has stared in "The Goonies" and The Lord of the Rings trilogy, played the title role in "Rudy," the 1993 movie about a Notre Dame football walk-on.
Actor Sean Astin talks with a couple bar patrons during an appearance at Corby's on Sept. 21, 2012, in South Bend. Astin, who has stared in "The Goonies" and The Lord of the Rings trilogy, played the title role in "Rudy," the 1993 movie about a Notre Dame football walk-on.

Connection: With lead roles in classic movies such as "The Goonies," and "Lord of the Rings" and more recently the Netflix hit "Stranger Things," its 1993's "Rudy" in which Astin portrays the title character Daniel "Rudy" Ruettiger, that he's most beloved around South Bend

6. Vince Vaughn (5%)

Actor

Actor Vince Vaughn watches the action from the sidelines during the Notre Dame-Stanford game Oct. 13, 2012, at Notre Dame. Vaughn was a co-star in the classic sports movie "Rudy" about a Notre Dame walk-on football player.
Actor Vince Vaughn watches the action from the sidelines during the Notre Dame-Stanford game Oct. 13, 2012, at Notre Dame. Vaughn was a co-star in the classic sports movie "Rudy" about a Notre Dame walk-on football player.

Connection: Now a major Hollywood leading actor, one of Vaughn's earliest movie roles was playing fictional Notre Dame running back Jamie O'Hara in 1993's "Rudy."

7. Manti T'eo (4.4%)

Former Notre Dame linebacker, 2012 Heisman Trophy runner-up

Connection: One of the best defenders in Notre Dame history, T'eo finished as a Heisman Trophy runner-up to Johnny Manziel in a close balloting.

8. Tim Brown (4.4%)

Pro Football Hall of Famer, former wide receiver for Notre Dame

Tim Brown walks off the field after the coin toss during the Shamrock Series game between Notre Dame and Arizona State on Saturday, Oct. 5, 2013, at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas.
Tim Brown walks off the field after the coin toss during the Shamrock Series game between Notre Dame and Arizona State on Saturday, Oct. 5, 2013, at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas.

Connection: Before his Hall of Fame NFL career primarily with the LA/Oakland Raiders, Brown was the last Notre Dame player to win the Heisman Trophy (1997).

9. Garth Brooks (2.6%)

Country music star

Garth Brooks performs a concert at Notre Dame Stadium in South Bend on Saturday, May 7, 2022.
Garth Brooks performs a concert at Notre Dame Stadium in South Bend on Saturday, May 7, 2022.

Connection: Brooks has performed two concerts at Notre Dame Stadium and three overall on campus and helped lead the Habitat for Humanity project in Mishawaka.

10. LeBron James (1.8%)

Four-time NBA champion

Connection: An avid Ohio State Buckeyes' fan, James grew up in Akron, Ohio and was the No. 1 pick by the Cleveland Cavaliers in 2003 out of high school. About as high profile as you can get.

What time is ESPN's 'College GameDay'?

  • Date: Saturday, Sept. 23

  • Time: 9 a.m. ET

"College GameDay" airs from 9 a.m. ET until noon on ESPN. It features host Rece Davis, analysists Desmond Howard, Pat McAfee, Kirk Herbstreit and personality Lee Corso, a former Indiana coach who concludes the show each week predicting the winner of the host game by placing the headgear of a team's mascot costume on his head.

Saturday marks the 32nd time "GameDay" has broadcast from a Notre Dame football game, dating back to the inaugural campus broadcast Nov. 13,

This article originally appeared on South Bend Tribune: Vote on 'College GameDay' guest picker for Notre Dame-Ohio State