The third time was the charm.
After picking against BYU in 2004 and 2009, legendary college football analyst Lee Corso made history when he put on the BYU Cougar mascot head for the first time during Saturday’s College GameDay segment.
No. 13 BYU vs. No. 18 Coastal Carolina.
In a battle of unbeaten teams, Corso takes the Cougars!
(đź“Ť @CoorsLight) pic.twitter.com/tMYMMc1nOc
— College GameDay (@CollegeGameDay) December 5, 2020
While most of the GameDay crew was live from Brooks Stadium in Conway, South Carolina, Corso made his pick from his house, as he’s done all season. Corso went all out once again as the crew built a football field over his pool, which included Coastal Carolina’s teal grass. Through the 2019 season, Corso has an all-time record of 228-121 and has donned 61 different headgears.
Desmond Howard : “I tell you what, both teams fantastic on offense. Both when you look at BYU’s defense, seventh in the FBS, only yielding just less than 300 yards per contest. And Zach Wilson, this guy is having a phenomenal season. I have to go with the BYU Cougars.”
David Pollack: “I agree. I think the Chanticleers can hang for a while. But I just think the depth of BYU and the physicality … going up against this big, huge BYU front will take it’s toll late in the game and BYU will win.”
Kirk Herbstreit: “I think that’s the story here is the styles that they play with. If you look at Coastal Carolina, they are going to try and get it out in space and utilize the quarterback who’s making great decisions and get their skill out in space. And then you have BYU that’s going to try to win at the line of scrimmage. I’m gonna go in alignment with the boys here, I think the line of scrimmage is the difference. I’m gonna have to go with BYU.”
Dustin Johnson (guest picker): “I’m going to have to pick Coastal, for sure. It’s my alma mater. I think it’s great what BYU did. You know, I think, they’ve got to come down to earth. Thank them for coming to play Coastal, I think it’s great for the school. I’m really looking forward to watching the game and hopefully, it can be close and Coastal can win it.”
Lee Corso: “Coastal is 9-0 and 18th in the Playoff rankings and they are playing at home. That’s really good stuff. But BYU is 9-0 and 13th in the Playoff rankings. BYU will play anybody, anywhere, anytime. So I’m going with BYU. Go Cougars!”
Lee Corso picks BYU!! #CCUvsBYU #BYUFOOTBALL #CoastalCarolina #GoCougs #TealNation #ChantsUp #CFB pic.twitter.com/5MQBUB5tvU
— Fan Insider (@FanInsider_) December 5, 2020
BYU comes into Saturday’s showdown as a 10-point favorite so it wasn’t a surprise to see Desmond Howard, David Pollack and Kirk Herbstreit pick the Cougars. Guest picker Dustin Johnson, a Coastal Carolina alum and who recently won the Masters last month, gave fans something to cheer about as he picked the Chanticleers to upset the Cougars.
Click here for a full breakdown of the Top 20 showdown between BYU and Coastal Carolina.
How it Started
Corso’s headgear antics date back to 1996, when GameDay was in Columbus, Ohio for a game between No. 3 Ohio State and No. 4 Penn State. After seeing Ohio State’s mascot walk by, Corso got his idea and the rest was history.
“When the mascot walked by I told [Kirk] Herbstreit to get me that head so that I could put it on,” Corso explained during a segment on College GameDay this year.
“Everybody went crazy,” Corso added. “The production truck went crazy. ESPN went crazy. “I told myself, ‘I think I’ve got to keep doing this.”
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No. 13 BYU vs. No. 18 Coastal Carolina: Predictions, Key Matchups And Betting Lines