Pat McAfee was his usual self during College GameDay at Iowa City. He got the home crowd going, and just when they started to believe that McAfee was on their side, the heel turn came in.
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During the stock exchange segment on ESPN’s College GameDay from Iowa City, McAfee named the Hawkeyes as his buy ahead of their game against Ohio State at Kinnick Stadium. However, it didn’t take long for the ESPN broadcaster to shift his stance.
“So I’m rolling with Iowa. Of course, I assume a lot of people understand this, but me and my family aren’t big stock market people,” McAfee said on College GameDay in the first segment. “But I know if they beat Ohio State today, they are going to go through the roof.”
The segment had each member of the desk choose one team to buy and one to sell. McAfee sold Pittsburgh. Kirk Herbstreit bought Oregon and sold Texas, Desmond Howard bought Utah, and Nick Saban bought North Dakota State and sold Ole Miss. McAfee’s case started with what Iowa has already done. The Hawkeyes are 4-0 and entered the week ranked No. 14.
“Iowa wins the games they’re supposed to win normally, let alone having a little bit of an offense,” McAfee said. “Now, Iowa State, that’s a huge win. Michigan last week, a gigantic win in the Big Ten. They’ve got the number five team [Ohio State] in the country today.”
McAfee made sure to frame this as a long-term play and not a prediction for the afternoon. And when it was time to make a prediction of the Week 5 matchup, McAfee delivered. With guest picker Caitlin Clark on his side, the ESPN broadcaster rallied the crowd, tore his shirt, and stood on the desk. As usual, Iowa fans thought McAfee was going to pick their team.
“I’m going with Ohio State for a huge win,” McAfee said, as boos rang from the crowd.
In McAfee’s defense, an Iowa loss in Week 5 wouldn’t necessarily mean the Hawkeyes’ stock will entirely go down. At 4-1, Iowa will get enough chances to make a run for the playoffs. Considering the strength of the Ohio State roster, McAfee’s pick is understandable.
The Buckeyes are 3-1 after a 42-19 win over Illinois. Julian Sayin threw for 367 yards and four touchdowns, and Jeremiah Smith caught all four scores, matching a program record. Their sole loss came against Texas in Austin, a game in which the Buckeyes dominated for the third quarter. If not for the late collapse against the Longhorns, Ryan Day’s team could have easily been No. 1 in the country.
However, Ohio State would have learned the lesson from the team up North. You can’t take Kirk Ferentz’s team lightly. Iowa plays hard, tackles well on defense, has a strong run game, and if the game is close in the fourth quarter, they have the tools to walk out with a win.