Since former show star Lee Corso retired at the beginning of this season, ESPN’s “College GameDay” had been missing something. Legendary head coach and current panelist Nick Saban gave fans a touch of what they’d been yearning for on Monday night when he chose Mario Cristobal’s Miami Hurricanes to win the College Football Playoff national title.
Saban pulled on a gray ballcap with Miami’s logo on it. Desmond Howard and Notre Dame Fighting Irish head coach Marcus Freeman agreed with Saban’s pick before Pat McAfee chose Curt Cignetti’s Indiana Hoosiers.
Fans took to social media to react to the gesture.
“I can’t tell if it’s him wearing an actual hat or the logo… but this doesn’t sit right with me,” a fan said with a pair of laughing emojis.
“Something I never thought I would ever see. Nick Saban smiling while wearing a Miami hat,” a viewer admitted.
“Hey, I remember the last time Nick Saban was a head coach in Miami,” someone else joked, referring to Saban’s brief and largely unsuccessful stint in charge of the NFL’s Dolphins.
“Please tell me that’s AI!!!” another fan hoped.
“Just looks wrong,” someone said.
The Hoosiers were stingy, allowing Miami 69 total yards in the first half. Carson Beck and the Hurricanes went 0-for-6 on third down. Indiana led 10-0 at the midway point.
Corso, 90, stepped away from the show after choosing the Ohio State Buckeyes to beat the Texas Longhorns in the teams’ season-openers. He made over 430 headgear picks in his role. Corso formerly coached Indiana from 1973-81, but watched Monday night’s clash from home.