Every week on ESPN’s fan-favorite College GameDay show, the hosts make their picks for an underdog that will cover the spread. Former Alabama head coach Nick Saban picked a familiar Tennessee football face in his. He chose former Vols quarterback Nico Iamaleava’s UCLA team to cover 6.5 points at Northwestern.
While making the pick, Saban made a hilarious quip in a ‘heart-to-heart’ with Iamaleava.
“I’m taking UCLA,” Saban said. “I’m gonna have a heart-to-heart with Nico right here. I never rooted for you the whole time you were at Tennessee. But I love your ass right now.”
Saban coached against a Tennessee team with Iamaleava on it just once while with Alabama. However, as a true freshman, Iamaleava didn’t play a snap in the game. Instead, Joe Milton III nearly led UT to an upset in Tuscaloosa, but a second half comeback allowed Alabama to win.
The following year, the first for Alabama without Saban as head coach since his retirement, Iamaleava helped Tennessee beat the Tide at home.
Iamaleava’s UCLA team is off to an 0-3 start, which led to the firing of its head coach, DeShaun Foster. After a bye week, interim head coach Tim Skipper is taking over to lead the team to Northwestern for a road clash.
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That wasn’t the only pick of note for Tennessee fans, either. Desmond Howard, a former Michigan wide receiver, picked the Vols to get upset in Starkville against Mississippi State. He not only is siding with the Bulldogs to cover the 7.5-point spread, but also to win outright.
“I got Mississippi State hosting Tennessee…,” Howard said. “Mississippi State’s defense is pretty good, guys. I think they’re actually going to win this game outright.”
The entire crew will pick the winner of the Tennessee-Mississippi State game just ahead of noon to round out the show. This will feature Saban, Howard, Pat McAfee, Kirk Herbstreit and celebrity picker Lavar Arrington.
The show is airing from Penn State ahead of its contest with Oregon. The Nittany Lion fans are taking part in their annual ‘white out’ where fans are asked to wear all white to the stadium.
