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Longhorns help send off Lee Corso in College GameDay’s most iconic season opener yet

Lee Corso has been a part of ESPN's College GameDay since the beginning. Now, his final game is nearly here, and it will be Texas versus Ohio State.
BySam Fariss|
Analyst Lee Corso kisses a Texas football helmet before ESPN's College Game Day, at the University of Texas on the South Mall, ahead of the Longhorns' game against the Georgia Bulldogs in Austin, Oct. 19, 2024.
Analyst Lee Corso kisses a Texas football helmet before ESPN's College Game Day, at the University of Texas on the South Mall, ahead of the Longhorns' game against the Georgia Bulldogs in Austin, Oct. 19, 2024. | Sara Diggins/American-Statesman / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Lee Corso has one last chance to don the headgear of Texas mascot Hook'Em when he makes his final College GameDay appearance during Week 1 of the 2025 college football season.

In June, ESPN announced that the legendary figure's final game would be at the Longhorns' season opener against the Ohio State Buckeyes, the defending National Champions, on Saturday, Aug. 30.

Throughout the years, Corso repeatedly picked the Horns and the Buckeyes over their opponents, putting on the headgear of Hook'Em or Ohio State's mascot, Brutus. In fact, he chose Texas to win on 18 occasions (picking correctly 10 times).

On the other side of the field (or on the other side of the mascot aisle), Corso picked Ohio State to win on 45 trips to Buckeye games, the team winning on 31 of those occasions.

Now, it all comes down to the College Football Playoffs semifinal rematch, which will kick off the Buckeyes' and the Longhorns' 2025 campaigns to return to the postseason. Immediately after ESPN's College GameDay posted the announcement, both Ohio State and Texas fans shared their excitement and gratitude for "Coach."

Corso's first-ever headgear pick happened in Columbus, the home of the Buckeyes, back in 1996, when he picked Ohio State to defeat the Penn State Nittany Lions (which they did). During his 38-year-long career on College GameDay, Corso made 430 headgear selections. He has been correct 286 times (66.51 percent).

As of now, the show has yet to say whether or not it will carry on the tradition. However, Rece Davis, the host of the show, has adamantly said that he doesn't think that anyone other than Corso should ever don the headgear.

Texas and Ohio State are scheduled to kick off at 11 a.m. CT on Aug. 30. Following the ESPN broadcast of College GameDay, the matchup will be aired on FOX.

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