College GameDay Panel Leans Notre Dame Over No. 1 Miami in Week 10

ESPN's "College GameDay" panel mostly sided with sixth-ranked Notre Dame over No. 1 Miami in South Bend, Indiana, in its Week 10 picks. Desmond Howard was the lone holdout, according to USA Today and Sports Illustrated.

The panel of Howard, Nick Saban, Pat McAfee and Kirk Herbstreit, joined by guest picker Jason Sudeikis, was unanimous on only two games and split on several others in what USA Today called a consequential Saturday slate.

Who did the panel pick in Miami-Notre Dame?

Saban, McAfee, Herbstreit and Sudeikis all took Notre Dame, while Howard went with Miami. Sports Illustrated describes Sudeikis as a Notre Dame fan and Ted Lasso star. The show broadcast from outside Notre Dame Stadium.

USA Today said the game carries major College Football Playoff implications after the first rankings release of the season. Sports Illustrated's own College Football HQ pick also favored the Irish. It pointed to Miami's absence of Malachi Toney and a weak Hurricanes pass defense, while noting that Miami can run the ball well.

Where did the panel agree?

Everyone picked Ohio State over Oregon and South Carolina over Texas A&M. Sports Illustrated said it is now or never for the Buckeyes' defense to carry the load and help a young quarterback, or their playoff hopes could be in trouble.

Georgia, at No. 2, visits No. 12 Ole Miss. Everyone but McAfee took the Bulldogs. Sports Illustrated also expects the Rebels to test Georgia's secondary despite not having Kewan Lacy.

Where did the panel split?

• UCLA at Minnesota: Howard, Saban and Herbstreit chose Minnesota. McAfee and Sudeikis chose UCLA.
• Texas at Missouri: Howard, Saban and Sudeikis took No. 11 Texas. McAfee and Herbstreit took No. 19 Missouri.
• Kentucky at Tennessee: McAfee was the only one to pick No. 7 Kentucky over No. 16 Tennessee.
• BYU at Utah: McAfee alone took No. 8 BYU over No. 4 Utah in the early edition of the Holy War.
• Alabama at LSU: Saban took No. 9 Alabama. Howard, McAfee and Sudeikis took No. 15 LSU.

USA Today reported that Herbstreit made no pick in the Alabama-LSU game because he will be calling it. The Sports Illustrated list also shows no pick from him in that game.

How do the outside picks compare?

Sports Illustrated's James Parks, founder of College Football HQ, published separate selections. He took Utah, Texas, Alabama, Ohio State, Tennessee, Georgia and Notre Dame.

His reasoning on Texas was that the Longhorns' pass rush and run defense, more than quarterback Arch Manning, would decide the game on the road. He said Tennessee's defense and run game could surprise the current SEC leaders in Kentucky. He wrote that Alabama has a bit more firepower to spread the field against LSU.

Why does it matter?

For fans following the playoff race, USA Today said seven matchups featuring ranked teams in the US LBM Coaches Poll make this a pivotal weekend, with November marking the final month of the regular season. Besides the games above, No. 20 Iowa plays No. 23 Northwestern, a matchup USA Today said involves teams trying to get into the playoff picture.

The picks are opinions, not results. They show where the analysts see tight contests: the games where the panel was divided, including UCLA-Minnesota and Texas-Missouri, and top-ranked Miami's trip to South Bend.

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Around Prague, based on reporting by Sports Illustrated, USA Today