Tag: College GameDay

Kirk Herbstreit tearfully paid tribute to his late dog Ben on College GameDay

A perfect tribute to a very good boy

As much as Saturday’s broadcast of ESPN’s College GameDay was a tribute to LSU’s football culture, it was also a celebration of life for Ben Herbstreit, the faithful golden retriever and travel companion of Kirk Herbstreit who’d become a star in his own right for hanging out on set and in the broadcast booth.

As Kirk crossed the country multiple times each week for his various jobs covering college football and the NFL, Ben was right there with him.

On Thursday, Kirk announced Ben’s death in a heartbreaking post about the canine’s battle with cancer. On Saturday, GameDay made sure Ben’s presence was still felt — both with fans making signs for the very good boy and with a beautiful video tribute narrated by Kirk.

The tributes to Ben weren’t just coming from Baton Rouge. Every corner of the college football landscape offered condolences.

Pat McAfee made LSU’s Brian Kelly blush by singing ‘Neck’ on College GameDay

This what Kelly gets for calling McAfee ‘PG’

Maybe Brian Kelly shouldn’t have challenged Pat McAfee.

While appearing on the Pat McAfee Show ahead of ESPN’s College GameDay broadcast from LSU’s campus on Saturday, McAfee brought up the long-running and currently-banned LSU tradition of singing Neck during big moments.

The lyrics are extremely NSFW, so it makes sense the school wouldn’t want to actively promote it.

Yet when McAfee brought up the chant to Kelly on Friday — but stopped short of singing the full lyrics — the Tigers’ coach joked that “this must be a PG show now”.

Kelly obviously can’t outright condone the chant given the school’s stance, but he had to be honest about the fanbase’s affinity for it. Which came back to bite him Saturday when McAfee couldn’t stop encouraging fans to sing along during College GameDay.

When McAfee invoked a rendition while Kelly was making an appearance on ESPN’s flagship college football show, the coach immediately began blushing, uttering “I’m out” before the students kicked into the NSFW lyrics.

Let that be a lesson to everyone who appears on Pat McAfee’s shows: Do not challenge this man to say things he’s been told by others not to.

Nick Saban reveals hardest place to play in college football

The former Alabama coach makes his pick for the toughest environment in college football.

It is no secret that the environment the Alabama Crimson Tide will play in Saturday night in Baton Rouge is one of the greatest the sport has to offer.

That thought has been echoed by numerous across college football, with the latest in that group being former Alabama head coach Nick Saban, who said Saturday morning during ESPN’s “College GameDay” that Tiger Stadium is the toughest place to play in the country.

“I think this is the hardest place to play in college football, because of the LSU fans,” Saban said. “The passion that the people have here is fantastic, and I think it’s great for college football.”

Saban, who was the head coach of the Crimson Tide from 2007-23, certainly knows a thing about coaching in Tiger Stadium, both on the home and away side as the leader of both programs.

The head coach at LSU from 2000-04, Saban had success in Tiger Stadium at Alabama however, owning a combined 6-2 record in Baton Rouge during his time in Tuscaloosa. This also included a five-game winning streak in Tiger Stadium in 2012, 2014, 2016, 2018, and 2020.

Alabama also lost their most recent trip to Baton Rouge back in 2022, and will look to get back on their winning ways in one of college football’s top environments Saturday night.

Pat McAfee led LSU fans in a very NSFW rendition of ‘Neck’ to open College GameDay (twice)

That’ll wake you up at 8:00 a.m.

Pat McAfee wasted no time toeing the line of FCC fines on Saturday’s broadcast of ESPN’s College GameDay at LSU.

The co-host of ESPN’s flagship college football show typically starts off each broadcast with some call-and-response from the assembled fans using a popular chant from whatever campus the show is posted up on.

In Baton Rogue, McAfee only had to hum the first two notes of ‘Neck’ before the crowd took over that shouted the rest of the very NSFW lyrics.

Faux Mike VII: The drama behind LSU’s live tiger on the sidelines, explained

McAfee leaned into the bit pretty well, acting extremely surprised that the crowd would shout such vile words on live TV — before invoking them to do it again.

Warning: NSFW Language 

The chant is an LSU tradition, but one that has been largely banned for nearly 15 years now.

Per LSU Wire’s Tyler Nettuno:

The song, which is based on “Talkin’ Out Da Side Of Ya Neck,” a Dem Franchize Boyz cover of Cameo’s 1982 hit song, has been officially banned at Tiger Stadium since 2010 due to the profane chant from the student section that accompanies it.

The song did make its way into EA Sports’ College Football 25, so we can’t be too surprised it’s still going strong on campus. It’s also been used by rival teams to troll LSU over the years.

Which means we also shouldn’t be too surprised McAfee encouraged the chant on Saturday.

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‘College GameDay’ announces guest pickers for Alabama vs. LSU on Saturday

LSU’s Livvy Dunne and Paul Skenes were selected as “College GameDay’s” guest pickers against Alabama.

The expanded 12-team College Football Playoff has opened a door for fresh blood in the post-season Tournament, with teams like Iowa State, Miami and Tennessee all vying for their first appearance.

Alabama and LSU are no strangers to the CFP, having won a combined four national titles in the 10 years of the four-team Playoff format. However, with both teams entering this weekend’s contest with two losses, only one side’s Playoff hopes will still be intact on Saturday morning.

In my opinion, a road trip to Death Valley is the toughest environment in all of college football, and the Tigers are using every resource afforded to them. Not only will LSU have a live tiger on the sideline this weekend for the first time in nine years, but they are bringing back two super stars as their guest pickers for “College GameDay” this weekend in Pittsburgh Pirates P Paul Skenes and his girlfriend and LSU gymnast/social media icon Livvy Dunne.

Baton Rouge will be absolutely buzzing this weekend as Kalen DeBoer is still looking for his first road win in the SEC. Both teams are coming off of a bye week and it should be one of the best games of the year.

Contact/Follow us @RollTideWire on Twitter, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Alabama news, notes and opinion. You can also follow Sam Murphy on Twitter @SamMurphy02.

Where is ESPN ‘College GameDay’ in Week 11?

Here’s where ESPN’s College GameDay will be in Week 11 this Saturday.

ESPN’s “College GameDay” has announced its location for Week 11 of the 2024 college football season this Saturday.

Rece Davis, Lee Corso, Nick Saban, Kirk Herbstreit, Desmond Howard, Pat McAfee and crew will be in Baton Rouge for the SEC showdown between the No. 11 Alabama Crimson Tide and No. 13 LSU Tigers. Kickoff for that game is at 7:30 p.m. ET and will be televised on ABC.

ESPN’s decision to head to Baton Rouge for such a pivotal (and familiar) game is a smart one. Alabama-LSU is annually one of the country’s most-watched and most-anticipated rivalries.

The last time ‘Bama and LSU met without College Football Playoff or BCS Championship hopes on the line was all the way back in 2006, a year before Saban returned to the college ranks as Alabama’s head coach after a two-year stay in the NFL with the Miami Dolphins.

This year, the matchup is essentially a College Football Playoff elimination game as both Alabama and LSU have two losses.

Saturday’s edition of “College GameDay” is sure to be an emotional one. On Thursday, Herbstreit announced the passing of his beloved dog Ben, who had been accompanying the veteran broadcaster on college and NFL games for several seasons.

It will also mark the first time Saban will be in Baton Rouge as an analyst instead of a head coach. Before leading the Crimson Tide to six national championships over 17 seasons, Saban coached at LSU from 2000-04. He built a perennially underwhelming LSU program into a BCS National Champion in 2003.

The “GameDay” crew has now broadcast live from SEC venues six times this season. ESPN agreed to pay $300 million a year for the exclusive rights to broadcast SEC games beginning in 2024.

Clemson football 2024 schedule

Ken Ruinard-USA TODAY Sports

Dabo Swinney and the Clemson Tigers (6-2) will be in Blacksburg Saturday to take on the Virginia Tech Hokies. Kickoff is set for 3:30 p.m. ET. The game will be televised on ESPN.

Clemson is coming off a 33-21 loss to the Louisville Cardinals that dealt a severe blow to their College Football Playoff hopes; the Tigers are ranked No. 23 in the initial CFP rankings. Cade Klubnik, Phil Mafah and the offense struggled for three-plus quarters vs. Louisville after being red hot in the Tigers’ six straight wins before that.

Virginia Tech (5-4) has four losses but they’ve all been by seven points or fewer. Coach Brent Pry’s Hokies fell 38-31 in overtime to the Syracuse Orange at JMA Wireless Dome last week.

RELATED: USA TODAY Sports’ experts predictions for Clemson-Virginia Tech showdown

Clemson football 2024 Schedule: What’s left?

Ken Ruinard-USA TODAY Sports

After Virginia Tech, the Tigers have another big road test on Nov. 16 when they face Eli Holstein and the No. 23 Pitt Panthers. Clemson closes the regular season with two games in Death Valley: Nov. 23 vs. The Citadel and the rival South Carolina Gamecocks on Nov. 30.

Contact/follow us @Clemson_Wire on X, and like our page on Facebook for ongoing coverage of Clemson Tigers news and notes, plus opinions. 

Kirk Herbstreit shared a heartbreaking tribute to Ben, his late golden retriever

Ben Herbstreit, the most beloved dog in college football, has died.

Football broadcaster Kirk Herbstreit confirmed on Thursday that his beloved golden retriever Ben had died.

A regular companion with Herbstreit on ESPN college football Saturdays, Herbstreit shared the heartbreaking update on Ben the dog’s death on Twitter (X).

“This is really hard to write but so many of you have loved and cared about Ben that I wanted to let you know,” Herbstreit shared on social media.

“We found out today the cancer had spread throughout Bens organs and there was nothing left we could do-we had to let him go. I’ve had dogs my whole life but Ben was 1 on 1.”

Ben was 10 years old and leaves behind a heartening legacy of being one of the all-time bestest boys the college football world has ever known.

“God please bless his majestic soul and thank you for putting him in my life for the last 10 years-a true blessing,” Herbstreit shared about his departed furry companion. “Love you Ben.”

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Paul Skenes and Livvy Dunne to appear as College Gameday guest pickers

ESPN’s College Gameday has reportedly selected its guest pickers for its trip to LSU

College Gameday is headed to Baton Rouge this week for a primetime meeting between LSU and Alabama.

On Thursday, we learned former LSU pitcher [autotag]Paul Skenes[/autotag] and Tigers’ gymnast [autotag]Olivia Dunne[/autotag] would join the set as guest pickers.

On3’s Pete Nakos first reported the news.

In our guest picker prediction piece earlier this week, we noted this is a direction Gameday may go. Skenes and Dunne were both listed as options, but Gameday is opting to go with the duo.

Skenes and Dunne are two of the biggest names to have come through college sports in recent years. Skenes led LSU baseball to a national title in 2023 and Dunne brought home a ring with gymnastics earlier this year.

Skenes went on to dazzle as a rookie in the MLB while Dunne announced her return to LSU for another year.

Dunne and Skenes represent the strong brand presence LSU has across sports. Few universities have seen the star power LSU has across the athletic department.

ESPN’s College Gameday will broadcast live from the Quad, beginning at 8 AM CT.

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‘College GameDay’ announces Week 11 location

ESPN’s “College GameDay” has decided it will be attending an SEC game for Week 11’s college football action

(This story was updated because an earlier version included an inaccuracy.)

ESPN’s “College GameDay” announced where it will be for Week 11 of the 2024 college football season. The GameDay team plans to attend the Alabama Crimson Tide at LSU Tigers game.

Alabama is 6-2 and is ranked 11th in the US LBM Coaches Poll. LSU is 6-2 and is ranked 13th. The loser will likely miss the College Football Playoff, so there’s a lot on the line.

This will be the first time GameDay has gone to LSU’s campus this season. The GameDay team previously went to the LSU at South Carolina game and the Georgia at Alabama game, so they’ve seen both teams. Other top Week 11 games include Georgia at Ole Miss, Michigan at Indiana and BYU at Utah.

Last week, GameDay was at the Ohio State-Penn State game. Penn State’s offense put on another embarrassing display in a 20-13 loss to Ohio State.

GameDay will begin coverage at 9 a.m. ET on Saturday. Nick Saban, Kirk Herbstreit, Rece Davis, Desmond Howard, Lee Corso and Pat McAfee serve as college football analysts for GameDay. Later in the week, we will know who will be the guest picker for the LSU-Alabama game.

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There’s a chance GameDay will attend one more Georgia football game this regular season: next week vs. Tennessee. The Tennessee Volunteers are ranked No. 6, so if both Georgia and Tennessee win this week, the Georgia-Tennessee game could be a top five matchup.

Nick Saban breaks down Texas A&M’s offense with QB Marcel Reed under center

Should Marcel Reed be the starter for the rest of the season?

Ahead of Texas A&M’s Week 10 road test against South Carolina on Saturday night, it’s become clear throughout the week that this game will come down to the play in the trenches, specifically the play of Texas A&M’s offensive line against the Gamecocks’ stout defensive line.

This should also be flipped, as the Aggies’ deep D-line should be able to generate a ton of pressure against South Carolina’s O-line, which has allowed nearly five sacks per game this season. However, Texas A&M’s impending quarterback decision between Conner Wegiman and Marcel Reed will drastically affect A&M’s offensive game plan.

On Saturday morning, during one of the many pre-game segments on ESPN’s College GameDay, former Alabama head coach Nick Saban, alongside Kirk Herbstreit, broke down Texas A&M’s offense under Marcel Reed, head coach Mike Elko and OC Collin Klein, as Reed’s second-half insertion against LSU last Saturday resulted in a 31-6 run, including three rushing touchdowns from the redshirt freshman.

As Herbstreit noted, South Carolina has had a week to prepare for Reed’s dual-threat running ability. It’s all about playcalling, timing, and execution. Utilizing zone-read looks while Reed manipulates defenders’ eyes was the key to four of A&M’s five consecutive scoring drives, as A&M’s red zone offense is still one of the best in the country.

Now, I wouldn’t be surprised if South Carolina’s defense is ready for any counter-run looks that led to several open looks for Reed against the Tigers. However, this is all premature before knowing when he’ll see the field against the Gamecocks.

Texas A&M will travel to Columbia to face South Carolina on Saturday, Nov. 2nd, at 6:30 p.m. CT. The game will air on either ABC.

Contact/Follow us @AggiesWire on Twitter, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Texas A&M news, notes, and opinions. Follow Cameron on Twitter: @CameronOhnysty.