{
  "id": 17638192,
  "title": "Desmond Howard Was Only ‘College GameDay’ Host to Correctly Predict Upset",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/11/01/desmond-howard-was-only-college-gameday-host-to-correctly-predict",
  "topic": "culture",
  "section": "Culture",
  "published": "2026-11-01T16:46:19.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Newsweek",
    "slug": "newsweek",
    "url": "https://www.newsweek.com/sports/ncaa/desmond-howard-was-only-college-gameday-host-to-correctly-predict-upset-12646326"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "Desmond Howard made an unconventional call during Saturday’s College GameDay broadcast, predicting that USC would defeat Ohio State in an upset. Despite most of his colleagues on the prediction panel, including Nick Saban, Pat McAfee, and Kirk Herbstreit, picking Ohio State, Howard chose the Trojans. His confidence paid off when USC secured a 30-18 victory at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum. Ohio State’s injury-riddled offense, without starting quarterback Julian Sayin, struggled to find success, while USC’s Jayden Maiava and Trent Mosley delivered standout performances. The Trojans’ win improved their record to 7-2 and marked a significant upset, while Ohio State fell to 6-2, further damaging their postseason hopes. For Howard, this was vindication after his colleagues favored the Buckeyes, and it provided a memorable moment of triumph for USC fans.",
  "summary": "Desmond Howard was the lone College GameDay panelist to pick USC over Ohio State before the Trojans stunned the No. 2 Buckeyes.",
  "key_points": [
    "Desmond Howard correctly predicted USC's upset victory over Ohio State.",
    "Howard was the only College GameDay host to foresee the unexpected outcome.",
    "USC's win improved their record to 7-2, while Ohio State's record dropped to 6-2."
  ],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "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."
}