ESPN GameDay omits Notre Dame vs. Wisconsin, picks top Week 1 games
ESPN GameDay omits Notre Dame vs. Wisconsin, picks top Week 1 games
Michael Chen , Fighting Irish WireSat, September 5, 2026 at 4:12 PM UTC
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The college football officially gets its season underway this weekend, and Notre Dame will start its 2026 campaign taking on the Wisconsin Badgers.
As they have done for many years, the 500th show today, ESPN’s College GameDay’s crew of Kirk Herbstreit, Pat McAfee, Nick Saban and Desmond Howard along with guest picker Lainey Wilson, country music star. The crew is broadcasting live from Baton Rouge, Louisiana, as the LSU Tigers are set to host the Clemson Tigers in what is one of the better matchups of opening weekend.
The ensemble picked games across the country along with their College Football Playoff championship game and winner, excluding the Irish taking on the Badgers since they all believe Notre Dame wins, as you can see each of their picks below.
No. 24 Louisville Cardinals vs. No. 9 Ole Miss
Howard - Ole Miss
Saban - Ole Miss
McAfee - Ole Miss
Herbstreit - Ole Miss
Wilson - Ole Miss
Baylor Bears vs. Auburn Tigers
Howard - Auburn
Saban - Auburn
McAfee - Auburn
Herbstreit - Auburn
Wilson - Auburn
East Carolina Pirates vs. No. 13 Alabama Crimson Tide
Howard - Alabama
Saban - Alabama
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McAfee - Alabama
Herbstreit - Alabama
Wilson - Alabama
Clemson Tigers vs. No. 11 LSU Tigers
Howard - LSU
Saban - LSU
McAfee - LSU
Herbstreit - no pick due to calling LSU vs. Clemson
Wilson - LSU
National Championship Picks
Howard - Notre Dame vs. Texas (win)
Saban - Miami (win) vs. Texas
McAfee - Indiana (win) vs. Ole Miss
Wilson - LSU (win) vs. Miami
Herbstreit - Notre Dame (win) vs. Indiana
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This article originally appeared on Fighting Irish Wire: ESPN GameDay omits Notre Dame vs. Wisconsin, picks top Week 1 games
Source: “AOL Sports”
