Adam Cairns/Columbus Dispatch / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

All Six of Lee Corso’s Former Teams Won In Week 1

Originally posted on Athlon Sports | By Jaron Spor | Last updated Aug 30, 2025 9:49 PM ET

Lee Corso’s legendary career has come to a close. The college football icon made his final appearance on "College GameDay" on Saturday. At 90 years old, Corso ended his career the way fans will always remember him, donning a mascot head.

This time, it was Brutus Buckeye. Corso picked the No. 3-ranked Ohio State Buckeyes to beat the No. 1 Texas Longhorns in Columbus. He was right again, as the Buckeyes pulled off a 14-7 victory.

Lee Corso’s Playing and Coaching Career

Before becoming a television legend, Corso built his football resume on the field and the sideline. He was a defensive back for the Florida State Seminoles, where he once held the program record with 14 interceptions, a mark that now ranks third in school history alongside Deion Sanders. Off the field, he famously roomed with actor Burt Reynolds.

Corso later became a head coach, spending 15 seasons at the Louisville Cardinals, Indiana Hoosiers and Northern Illinois Huskies. His best campaign came in 1972 when he led Louisville to a 9-1 record. Before that, he served as an assistant for the Maryland Terrapins and Navy Midshipmen.

The College GameDay Era

Corso’s second act began in 1987, when ESPN launched "College GameDay." He became the face of the show as it grew from a studio broadcast into a traveling phenomenon.

In 1996, he introduced his signature tradition: the headgear pick. His first selection was Brutus Buckeye, correctly predicting Ohio State to beat Penn State. Over nearly three decades, he made 431 headgear predictions, posting an impressive 287–144 record.

Ohio State remained his most frequent pick, and fittingly, the Buckeyes were his last.

Lee Corso goes out a champion pic.twitter.com/iVkhzREuNd
— Unnecessary Roughness (@UnnecRoughness) August 31, 2025

The Perfect Sendoff For Lee Corso

While correctly predicting the marquee game would have been enough, Saturday delivered something more. Every single team Corso played for or coached also won their games.

Florida State beat No. 8 Alabama, 31-17
Indiana defeated Old Dominion, 27-14
Maryland beat Florida Atlantic, 39-7
Navy topped VMI, 52-7
Louisville crushed Eastern Kentucky, 51-17
Northern Illinois edged Holy Cross, 19-17

To make things even more special, Corso was the only person to pick Florida State against Alabama on the "College GameDay" set.

Now heading into retirement, the man who helped define Saturday mornings for college football fans leaves the sport the same way he lived it: smiling, beloved and still picking winners.

This article first appeared on Athlon Sports and was syndicated with permission.

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