College football is officially back, and with it, the return of ESPN College GameDay in 2024. The crew that made the trip to Dublin, Ireland to watch the Florida State vs. Georgia Tech game didn't have many games to predict, being Week 0.
So when it came time to choose, the panel of judges chose both a Power Four conference champion and a national champion.
The judges for Ireland are mainstays Desmond Howard, Pat McAfee and Kirk Herbstreit, while the judge for 2024 will be Nick Saban and the celebrity guest of honor will be WWE wrestler Sheamus.
Picker
champion
Howard
Miami
Saban
FSU
McAfee
Virginia Tech
Seamus
FSU
Herb Street
Clemson
There has been minimal input from the group on this one. Miami remains the favorite and we'll see how it goes next week, but for the record, we don't fully understand the hype. FSU and Clemson are the two safe choices in the conference, but Virginia Tech seems like a total wild card.
Picker
champion
Howard
Oregon
Saban
Ohio State University
McAfee
Ohio State University
Seamus
Ohio State University
Herb Street
Ohio State University
The new Big Ten should be competitive this season, but Washington and Michigan are bringing in new head coaches after playing in the national title game last season, and Oregon has momentum and is on the radar as a program, but the panel went the safe route and stuck primarily with Ohio State.
Picker
champion
Howard
Georgia
Saban
Georgia
McAfee
Georgia
Seamus
Georgia
Herb Street
Georgia
It's the only complete win, and it's hard to argue with that. Alabama has some question marks with a new coach, and Texas should be in the mix, but it's hard to see Georgia losing in the near term.
Picker
champion
Howard
Utah
Saban
Utah
McAfee
West Virginia
Seamus
West Virginia
Herb Street
Utah
We personally think Utah has the edge in the new Big 12. Super senior Cam Rising should perform well and this conference feels like a lose-lose situation for Utah.
