{
  "id": 16352109,
  "title": "ESPN's 'College GameDay' panel split on Tennessee football vs South Carolina",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/24/espns-college-gameday-panel-split-on-tennessee-football-vs-south-16352109",
  "topic": "culture",
  "section": "Culture",
  "published": "2026-10-24T17:41:29.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Yahoo Sports",
    "slug": "yahoo-sports",
    "url": "https://sports.yahoo.com/articles/espns-college-gameday-panel-split-174129264.html"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "During the College GameDay panel broadcast from Salt Lake City on October 24, the ESPN analysts were split on who to pick for the upcoming football game between Tennessee and South Carolina. Analysts Desmond Howard, Pat McAfee, and guest picker Dalton Kincaid all chose Tennessee to win. Former Alabama coach Nick Saban and analyst Kirk Herbstreit, however, favored the Gamecocks.\n\nThe No. 11 Vols, currently sitting at 6-1 with a 3-1 record in the SEC, were set to play at South Carolina, who currently have a 3-3 record with a 1-3 SEC standing. The game was scheduled for October 24 at Williams-Brice Stadium and kicked off at 3:30 p.m. ET on ESPN.\n\nHoward initially pointed out the point spread, which currently had Tennessee as a 2.5-point underdog. A fan poll was also displayed, showing that 82% of fans believed Tennessee would emerge victorious. Howard questioned if this was correct, and both McAfee and Kincaid agreed, noting that they were also inclined to pick Tennessee.\n\nMcAfee found the point spread confusing and expressed his desire to pick South Carolina, but ultimately decided to go with the Vols. Kincaid's reasoning was more straightforward, stating that he \"should be picking South Carolina\" but chose Tennessee instead.\n\nSaban and Herbstreit opted for South Carolina, citing Tennessee's better team and South Carolina's home-field advantage. Herbstreit pointed to the quarterback position, expecting strong performance from Gamecocks quarterback LaNorris Sellers and believing it would be Tennessee quarterback George MacIntyre's first start in a hostile road environment. MacIntyre, a sophomore, has a 2-0 record as the starter this year, with one notable road win against Arkansas before Tennessee's recent victory over Alabama at home.",
  "summary": "ESPN's \"College GameDay\" panel was split on Tennessee football vs. South Carolina on Oct. 24. Here's who everyone picked.",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 2,
    "also_reported_by": [
      {
        "outlet": "Rugby World",
        "title": "Canada v Red Roses live streams: How to watch the epic WXV Global Series 2026 rematch",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/23/canada-v-red-roses-live-streams-how-to-watch-the-epic-wxv-global",
        "published": "2026-10-23T18:00:48.000Z"
      }
    ]
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}