Let’s be real for a minute; the first-ever 12-team CFB Playoff was starting to feel like a bit of a letdown. What did we have? Boise vs Penn? Texas and Arizona? Yes, there were some cheap thrills, but nothing that could make the fans scream “This is it!!” But then came the Bucks vs the Horns College Football Playoff game. This clash in the Sugar Bowl wasn’t just football; it was a full-blown, heavyweight title fight. Ryan Day was on a generational run with the Bucks, and Steve Sarkisian finally had a shot at proving that the Horns’ schedule wasn’t a fluke. A constant battle in the first 3 quarters with the Bucks finally landing the finishing jab and securing the finale ticket with a freaking 83 yard fumble return.
To many, this was the game that saved the playoffs. So, it ain’t no surprise that when Pat McAfee decided to officially start the countdown to the 2025 season, that’s the exact game he used, dropping a clip of the action on X with a simple, perfect caption: “47 DAYS UNTIL COLLEGE FOOTBALL SZN.” Kirk Herbstreit quickly followed through to re-share Jack Sawyer‘s 83-yard magic with the caption “” We remember staying up to watch that entire show. It was heartbreaking for the Longhorns and a legendary moment for the Buckeyes. But now? In some kind of wild script written by the football gods, that’s the very first monster game we get to kick off the new season.
47 DAYS UNTIL COLLEGE FOOTBALL SZN pic.twitter.com/NZjwiTmKWB
— Pat McAfee (@PatMcAfeeShow) July 6, 2025
You know what this shapes up to? An immediate shot at revenge for Texas and the official start of the Arch Manning era. “Only coach in America with consecutive playoff appearances & Texas will spoil Ohio State’s title party in the opener.” This nod from 247Sports’ Brad Crawford is a clear warning to Day and Co.
Coming into this, Ryan Day has no Will Howard, Emeka Egbuka, TreVeyon Henderson, or h-ll, even Quinshon Judkins. 14 freaking players gone. Poof. Reduced to atoms. When you compare this to what Sark has been doing? With Jack Endries coming in to fix red zone nightmares and Ryan Wingo, DeAndre Moore Jr., and the freshman 5-star Kaliq Lockett, coming in to take the baton from Matthew Golden and Isaiah Bond—Texas once again looks like the team that could win it all.
But hey, we also gotta remember that whenever Day and Co. have been handed the short end of the stick? They’ve always come back swinging. The Bucks’ run from the Michigan loss to the Natty win is historical, and who knows? Maybe Day would do it again? Maybe as a small farewell nod to one of the best analysts of GameDay?
Final headgear pick for Lee Corso
As much as the Texas-Ohio State game hypes us up, it also brings us face to face with a quite harsh reality. For 38 freaking seasons, Lee Corso and his headgear segment from GameDay have been the cherry on this ESPN cake.
August 30th is the last time some of y’all are going to see Corso—Maybe in a Bucks onesie or a Hook’em onesie. “He comes out to do his last pick puts the headgear on 100,000 people could be symbolic of the nation showing their love for him i think that would be so fitting to end his run,” Kirk Herbstreit had confessed while talking about the August game.
On one hand, you have a volcano of SEC’s finest vs B1G’s best waiting to erupt, and on the other hand, you have Corso’s farewell. This is going to be one he-k of a ride.
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